Paris Olympics: No Flags but Plenty of Fire for Daniil Medvedev

Daniil Medvedev, Russia’s highest-profile athlete at the Paris Olympics, will compete without national flags or fanfare due to the ongoing conflict in Ukraine. Medvedev, along with other Russian and Belarusian athletes, has been allowed to participate as a neutral after demonstrating they do not support the war and have no military links.

Despite these restrictions, the world number five in tennis is expected to draw significant attention. Medvedev, known for his fiery temperament and controversies, will be competing without his country’s national symbols, and any medals he wins will not be recognized in the official medals table.

“When I’m 40, if I can say I played in the Tokyo Olympics, Paris Olympics and Los Angeles Olympics, I had a lot of fun in my life, my career, I’m going to be happy,” said Medvedev.

The 28-year-old, known for his on-court antics, recently avoided disqualification at Wimbledon after a foul-mouthed outburst at the chair umpire during his semi-final against Carlos Alcaraz. His rivalries with players like Stefanos Tsitsipas and Alexander Zverev have also made headlines, with public spats and accusations of unfair play.

In Miami 2018, Medvedev dismissed Tsitsipas as a “small kid who doesn’t know how to play” after a heated exchange, and his rivalry with Zverev peaked in Monte Carlo last year. Zverev accused Medvedev of being “one of the most unfair players in the world” after a contentious match, to which Medvedev responded by challenging Zverev to self-reflection.

Medvedev’s interactions with crowds have also been contentious. At the Paris Masters last year, he called fans “stupid” for jeering during his match and threatened to stop playing before eventually continuing.

Despite his controversial nature, Medvedev has achieved significant success in tennis. He claimed his only Grand Slam title at the 2021 US Open, defeating Novak Djokovic and preventing him from completing a calendar Grand Slam. Medvedev’s unorthodox celebration saw him imitate the “dead fish” move from a FIFA video game.

Medvedev has also come close to winning additional Grand Slam titles, including a narrow loss to Jannik Sinner in the Australian Open final this year after leading by two sets, and a five-set defeat to Rafael Nadal in the 2019 US Open final.

Beyond Grand Slams, Medvedev is among an elite group of players who have won six or more Masters titles, joining legends like Djokovic, Federer, Nadal, Agassi, and Murray. He spent 16 weeks as world number one in 2022, breaking the dominance of the Big Four for the first time in 18 years.

Looking ahead to the Paris Olympics, Medvedev sees his best chance for a medal in doubles or mixed doubles, given the clay court surface, which is not his strong suit. “I’m going to prepare a lot for doubles and mixed doubles because I do believe I have more chances there than in Roland Garros singles,” he said.