No, Russian player Daniil Medvedev did not blow the whistle on the field because of his origin
Is there Russophobia in international tennis competitions? Since Wednesday, a video has been circulating on Twitter: a video of Russian player Daniil Medvedev that has been misrepresented due to his origin. The video has since gone viral and the post has been translated into all languages: English, German, Spanish and even Dutch. Posted in France on Thursday, it will finally be removed in the evening.
According to Internet users, the noise will be related to the current context of the war in Ukraine. The Russian player would now be a victim of his origins. The problem is that this video is taken out of context and is actually from August 2019. 20 minutes back to the facts.
FAKE OFF
In the images, the football player is standing in the middle of the field. There are indeed boos from the stands. We understand both by the visible sweat on Daniil Medvedev’s face and by the announcements that follow that the match has just ended. A reporter asks him how he feels, and the tennis player, still booing, speaks directly to the public: “Thank you all, because you gave me the energy to win tonight. The more you whistle at me, the more energy you give me. Know that I won because of you! When you go to bed tonight, I want you to know that I won because of you.”
If we take a closer look at the pictures, we can see the blue and yellow US Open logo on the billboards. However, the famous New York tennis tournament is always held between late August and mid-September. Strong pictures have turned in these last days, so bet. The ATP is currently held in Adelaide, Australia. Daniil Medvedev plays there, but not the same characters.
The game of 2019
Thanks to a reverse image search, we actually understand that the match in question takes place in August 2019. At that time, the war had not started in Ukraine. Internet users on social networks also quickly noticed the deception. The US Open in January is not easy to believe.
But others insist: the video could have been shot in 2019 and Russophobia already exists. However, Eurosport.fr’s head of information, Laurent Vergne, was in the stands for this match and remembers: the commotion had nothing to do with the player’s origin that evening.
“We felt it was about to crack.”
It was August 31, 2019. Daniil Medvedev qualified for the 1/8 finals against Feliciano Lopez from Spain at the Louis Armstrong court. 7-6, 4-6, 7-6, 6-4. Eurosport.fr journalist recalls: “Daniil Medvedev was angry that evening. Known for his impulsiveness, the player allows himself to get caught up in emotions during the game. He would reach the finals of this US Open. But he didn’t play that well that night.
We were a few months into the arrival of Covid-19 and the ball boys were still handing players their towels between the two points. But that evening, Daniil Medvedev, forgetting any sign of respect, rips off the ball boy’s handkerchief. “He got a warning from the referee and there was complete consistency where he boiled down. We felt it on the verge of cracking,” adds Laurent Vergne.
An angry public
Then a lot of gestures. Daniil Medvedev gets angry, throws his racket and gives the middle finger. The journalist in the gallery is annoyed by “quite reserved”. According to him, this sequence will be the source of all future commotion. “He was really liked by the New York community. The end of the match was very difficult, but he came out of it that night and even won,” recalls Laurent Vergne.
That’s why Daniil Medvedev will thank the public during the post-match interview… arrogantly. “He has this subversive side that creates all the charm of the character. He is not a smooth person at all, “concludes the sports journalist. Before concluding: “His nationality had nothing to do with the behavior of the stands. He would have been Argentine, Belgian or French, and it would have been the same for the public.
Daniil Medvedev will reveal his guilt after the match. “I’ve done things I’m not proud of and I’m working to be a better person on the field because I really believe I’m a good person off the field,” the Russian player finally said.
