Is there Russophobia in international tennis competitions? Since Wednesday, a video continues to be relayed on Twitter: that of the Russian player Daniil Medvedev who would have been booed for his origins. The video has since gone viral and the post has been translated into all languages: English, German, Spanish and even Dutch. It was broadcast in France on Thursday, to finally be deleted in the evening.
According to Internet users, the boos would be linked 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 was taken out of context and actually dates back to August 2019. 20 minutes back to the facts.
FAKE OFF
In the images, the player stands in the middle of the court. From the stands, boos are indeed heard. We understand with the visible perspiration on the face of Daniil Medvedev as well as with the remarks which will follow that the match has just ended. The journalist asks him about his feelings and the tennis player speaks directly to the public, still booing: “Thank you all, because it was your energy that allowed me to win this evening. The more you whistle at me, the more energy you give me. Know it, I won thanks to you! When you go to bed tonight, I want you to know that I won because of you”.
If we look more closely at the images, we see on the billboards the blue and yellow logo of the US Open. However, the famous tennis tournament which takes place in New York is always organized between the end of August and mid-September. Strong is to bet therefore that the images were not turned these last days. Right now, there is the ATP being held in Adelaide, Australia. Daniil Medvedev plays there, but they are not the same images.
A game of 2019
Thanks to a reverse image search, we actually understand that the match in question dates back to August 2019. The war in Ukraine had not started then. On social networks, Internet users also quickly noticed the deception. The US Open in January, not easy to believe.
But others persist: the video could well have been shot in 2019 and the Russophobia already present. However, Laurent Vergne, head of information at Eurosport.fr was in the stands for this match and remembers: these boos had nothing to do with the origin of the player that evening.
“We felt it on the verge of cracking”
It was August 31, 2019. On the Louis Armstrong court, Daniil Medvedev qualified for the round of 16 against the Spanish player Feliciano López. 7-6, 4-6, 7-6, 6-4. “Daniil Medvedev was annoyed that evening,” recalls the Eurosport.fr journalist. Known for his impulsiveness, the player lets himself be carried away by emotions during the game. He was going to reach the final of this US Open. But that night, he was not playing very well.
We were a few months away from the arrival of the Covid-19 and the ball boys were still handing the players their towel between two points. But that evening, Daniil Medvedev snatches the towel from the ball boy, forgetting any mark of respect. “He took a warning from the referee and there was a whole sequence where he was boiling. We felt it on the verge of cracking, ”adds Laurent Vergne.
A pissed off public
Then, the gesture of too much. Daniil Medvedev gets carried away, throws his racquet and ends up giving the middle finger. “Fairly discreet”, tempers the journalist present in the gallery. According to him, it is this sequence that will be the source of all the boos that will follow. “He really took a liking to the New York public who started heckling and whistling at him. The end of the match was very difficult, but he got out of it that night and even won, ”recalls Laurent Vergne.
This is also why during the post-match interview, Daniil Medvedev will thank the public… with a touch of arrogance. “He has this provocative side which makes all the charm of the character. He’s not a smooth person at all, ”summarizes the sports journalist. Before concluding: “His nationality had in any case nothing to do with the behavior of the stands. He would have been Argentinian, Belgian or French, it would have been the same for the public.
After the match, Daniil Medvedev will end up making his mea culpa. “I’ve done things that I’m not proud of and that I’m working on to become a better man on the court because I really believe that I’m a good person off the court,” the Russian player finally said.