“If you’re booed between the first and second serve, it’s not easy, so you just have to stay calm and win the match,” he told Jim Courier in his court interview.
Courier, a former Australian Open champion, tried to explain that the crowd was shouting ‘Siu’ instead of whooping. “It’s a football thing, a football thing,” he said.
Medvedev replied by telling the crowd he couldn’t hear what Courier was saying, begging the crowd to “show some respect for Jim Courier.”
“If you respect anyone, at least respect Jim Courier,” he said.
Courier moved closer to Medvedev, explaining again that “they’ve said it’s ‘Siu’, which is one thing I think they say when Ronaldo scores a goal.”
“I don’t think they’re jeering at you,” he said. “I hope I’m right about that.”
Despite Courier’s explanation, Medvedev was clearly still unhappy in another post-match interview.
“It’s not anger, it’s just a little disappointing,” he told Eurosport. “I think it’s normal for everyone to experience it, especially when you’re playing a home favorite and not just a home favorite, but Nick.”
“I had a few moments on my serve — a lot of games were actually quite easy for me, a lot of aces — were heavy and he managed to get some good returns, then I have a break point on [my] second serve and people cheer like you’ve already made a double mistake.
“I mean, that’s just disappointing because not everyone does it, but those who do are probably low IQ.”
So far at this year’s Australian Open, the crowds have taken every opportunity to recreate Ronaldo’s celebration in the stands, leading to some confusion.
During the opening round, multiple news outlets, commentators and even some players mistook the cries of “Siu” for booing, before finally realizing what the fans were actually shouting.
The chants have received mixed reviews from players, and unsurprisingly Kyrgios enjoyed the rambunctious support. After his opening round win over Liam Broady, the 26-year-old performed the ‘Siu’ celebration on the pitch – much to the delight of the fans.
However, it’s fair to say Andy Murray wasn’t all that interested in it.
“It’s painful stuff,” the three-time grand slam winner said during his on-court interview as the sounds of ‘Siu’ echoed across the stands.
“I think it’s like ‘Siu’ or something like what Ronaldo does when he scores,” he added at his post-match press conference. “It was incredibly annoying.”