At the 2023 China Open, Daniil Medvedev, who was making his debut appearance in Asia’s prestigious ATP 500 tournament, decided to showcase some of his other talents. In his opening match against Tommy Paul, Medvedev found himself at the net, attempting to return a passing shot from Paul using his racket. However, the ball unexpectedly ricocheted over his head after making contact with his racket frame.
In a split-second decision, Medvedev instinctively used his head to volley the ball back across the net. This impromptu display of soccer skills occurred during a particularly intense rally. Medvedev’s decision to use his head to place the ball in his opponent’s court added an unexpected and light-hearted moment to the match, drawing the attention of both the Beijing audience and his opponent.
While Medvedev lost the point, his unexpected display of soccer skills in the heat of the rally created some buzz among tennis fans on social media too. They shared both their amusement and appreciation for Russia, world no. 3 unique ways. The Tennis Letter humorously stated, “Daniil Medvedev hits a header in his match against Tommy Paul. Tennis player/soccer star… Daniil.”
Daniil Medvedev hits a header in his match against Tommy Paul.
Tennis player/soccer star… Daniil 🐙 ⚽️
— The Tennis Letter (@TheTennisLetter) September 29, 2023
One fan, addressing Medvedev affectionately as ‘Meddy,’ playfully said, “Meddy thought he was Ronaldo for a second,” hinting that on the tennis court, the Russian could even imitate the football legend. Another fan echoed the sentiment of the “Get it over the net by any means” Tennis TV post and reposted it with the caption “By any means,” followed by a laughing emoji.
By any means 😂😁 https://t.co/dTzpHOzkl9
— TimmyMeek (@grindgotharder) September 29, 2023
In a tournament that is slated to have intense competition, the spontaneous soccer moment added a touch of fun and lighthearted action from Medvedev, who is surely trying to make some amends, playing just his first tournament after his heartbreaking loss in the finals of the US Open to Novak Djokovic. Read on to know what happened in this match and more!
Daniil Medvedev brings his A-game to the fore
In a dominant display that showcased his hardcourt prowess, Daniil Medvedev triumphed over Tommy Paul with a resounding scoreline of 6-2, 6-1. Medvedev hardly broke a sweat as he breezed past Paul, losing only three games throughout the entire match.
During his post-match interview, in his unique way, much like his soccer skills, Medvedev attributed his participation in the tournament to his fondness for Chinese cuisine, saying, “Thanks a lot for the support, guys. I always said it, I love China. Chinese food is probably my preferred one, my best one.”
Medvedev after beating Tommy Paul in Beijing:
Daniil: “Thanks a lot for the support guys. I always said it, I love China. Chinese food is probably my preferred one, my best one.”
Commentator: “Wow”
Daniil: “I’m always happy to come back.” 🍲 pic.twitter.com/sX2y0mbtH2
— The Tennis Letter (@TheTennisLetter) September 29, 2023
Looking ahead, Medvedev is set to face the formidable world no. 12, Alex de Minaur in the second round. De Minaur clinched a thrilling victory over Andy Murray in a nail-biting three-set match with a scoreline of 6-3, 5-7, 7-6. Despite the competition, Medvedev remains the favorite, boasting a 5-2 head-to-head record against De Minaur, including his most recent victory over the Australian in the pre-quarters of the 2023 US Open.
