"They maybe see that as arrogant"- Daniil Medvedev discloses declining pictures during off-court fan interactions; talk about his "authentic" approach

Daniil Medvedev recently disclosed denying his fans a picture due to his "authentic" approach off the court. Medvedev is in action at the 2024 US Open in New York.

He reached the quarterfinals of the men's singles draw and is pitted against World No. 1 Jannik Sinner. In the previous rounds, he defeated the likes of Dusan Lajovic, Fabian Marozsan, Flavio Cobolli, and Nuno Borges.

Medvedev is known for confronting fans during hostile situations on the court. From thanking spectators for the boos to fueling his energy during the 2019 US Open to apparently flicking the middle finger to the stands at the 2023 Paris Masters, he has so often given it back.

All of this is suggestive of the Russian being his true self. He talked about the same in a recent interview with Tennis Channel, where he revealed avoiding fan interactions while eating out, which could be seen as arrogant.

"Being an authentic person is not lying about yourself. When I’m out to eat and someone comes to me in this moment for a picture, I would say, 'no'. They maybe see that as a bit arrogant."

Daniil Medvedev continued:

"Or think I'm an angry person when they see me on court throwing racquets. I would not consider myself an angry person. But at this exact moment, maybe. Being authentic is knowing what you want to do in life and how you want to act."

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Daniil Medvedev: "I'm not going to exaggerate it for someone to like it"

Daniil Medvedev (Getty)

In the same chat with Tennis Channel, Daniil Medvedev said he was fully aware of how his actions are perceived differently by different sections of the tennis community. However, he denied behaving in certain ways to cater to the likes and dislikes of others, saying:

"I understand by doing some things, someone will say, 'Oh my God, what an angry tennis player.' And someone else is going to say, 'Continue. Do it more.' I'm like, 'No. I'm not going to do it more.' I'm doing what I feel like. I'm not going to exaggerate it for someone to like it."

The 28-year-old added:

"When I'm on court or outside it, I really try to achieve this state of mind where I'm being true to myself and not care what other people think about this, except my close ones."

Daniil Medvedev turned professional in the year 2014 and his popularity has grown since then. He has garnered more than 1.2 million followers on Instagram and over 337,000 followers on X (formerly Twitter) at the time of writing this article.