Nick Kyrgios condemns 'disgusting' fan behaviour with World No. 1 Daniil Medvedev

Australian tennis player Nick Kyrgios is winning hearts with his touching gesture off the court. He took to social media to hit out at fans after a video circulated on social media of Daniil Medvedev being heckled following their gripping battle on Wednesday. The 2022 Australian Open men's doubles champion referred to the behaviour as 'disgusting' and urged them to have some respect for one of the best players in the sport. 

Following the intense encounter between Kyrgios and Medvedev, fans can be seen yelling 'loser' at the Russian star as he exits the court seen in a viral video. The video, shared on August 13, saw Medvedev directly confronting fans who heckled him. Kyrgios, who beat Medvedev 6-7(1), 6-4, 6-2, reacted to the post, terming the fan behaviour as 'disgusting' followed by a sad face emoticon. 

Can Medvedev retain No. 1 position?  

Medvedev recently clinched the ATP 250 title by winning the Los Cabos Open 2022 in Mexico and extended his lead in the ATP men’s singles rankings. Medvedev currently leads the rankings with 7875 points and is placed significantly above World No. 2 Alexander Zverec and World No.3 Rafael Nadal. While Medvedev’s win at Los Cabos secured his World No.1 title, for now, he faces an upward challenge from Carlos Alcaraz in the ATP Masters 1000 event at the Canadian Open 2022.

After the loss against Kyrgios, Medvedev will now have to reach at least the quarter-final of the Canadian Open if he wants to retain the top spot in the ATP rankings. If Medvedev fails to reach the quarterfinals of the event, he could be dethroned by Rafael Nadal of Spain. Nadal is currently participating in the Cincinnati Masters and if he wins the tournament and Medvedev fails to reach the quarterfinal of the Canadian Open, the Australian Open champion will become the new No. 1. 

In the absence of Novak Djokovic in Australia, Rafael Nadal picked up a record-breaking 21st Grand Slam title after defeating Medvedev in the finals. Nadal continued his winning run and bettered his tally to 22 Grand Slam titles after winning the French Open 2022. 

Image: AP/Twitter/NickKyrgios