Daniil Medvedev just wanted his freakin’ towel, OK?!
Last week at the US Open, the 23-year-old tennis phenom was in a tense third-round match with Feliciano López when he angrily snatched a towel from a ball boy to wipe his brow.
The rowdy Louis Armstrong Stadium crowd then booed Medvedev — just like you booed that obnoxious guy on your train commute this morning. In response, the feisty No. 5 seed gave all 14,000 of them the finger — just like you gave the finger to the obnoxious guy on your train commute this morning.
Wait, was Medvedev born in Brighton Beach? Nope. He’s from Russia and trains in Monaco, but the guy is more of a genuine New Yorker than any tennis player today … including actual New Yorkers. At the end of the match, which he won, he even told the spectators he fed off their vitriol all the way to victory.
Give this man the key to the city!
Like many a New Yorker, Medvedev employs a therapist — called a sports psychologist — who helps him deal with his rage. Soon he’ll be mocking Mayor Bill de Blasio’s presidential ambitions and taking guitar lessons from Dan Smith.
Tennis, a sport I love, gets a bad rap in the United States for being too genteel. Male players increasingly hug at the net after a battle. Heavyweight Roger “Megayacht” Federer is sponsored by Rolex.
When New Yorkers make their yearly pilgrimage to the tennis center in Flushing Meadows, they may as well need passports. The strict noise regulations, collared shirts and not being allowed to take your seat during play — it’s foreign and befuddling. Citi Field has a giant mechanical apple, for God’s sake.
But Medvedev is a comforting, recognizable presence for our harried, no-BS citizenry — like John McEnroe or, one of tennis’ greatest villains, Jimmy Connors. When Connors made his storied comeback in 1991, he electrified the US Open by turning the stadium into WrestleMania, moving into the semifinals with a mix of talent, taunting and stand-up. New York loves attitude, because we have it.
Medvedev will play in the semifinals of the US Open Friday against Grigor Dimitrov. Bring it home, man.
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