PARIS: There will be no flags or fanfare for Daniil Medvedev at the Paris Olympics but Russia's top athlete will not be far from the headlines in the French capital.
The tennis star, along with other Russians and Belarusians at the Games, must compete in neutrality following Moscow's invasion of Ukraine.
Showing that they did not support the war and had nothing to do with the military, they were allowed to compete but could not fly the flag.
The national anthems of both countries are also banned and if Medvedev wins an Olympic medal for the first time, the achievement will not be recognized on the medal table.
“When I am 40 years old, if I can say that I played in the Tokyo Olympics, the Paris Olympics and the Los Angeles Olympics, I had a lot of fun in my life, my career, I will be happy,” said Medvedev.
The 28-year-old world number 5 is one of the most talked about players in tennis.
The 1.98m (6ft 6in) giant was almost disqualified from this month's Wimbledon final against Carlos Alcaraz for swearing in the referee's chair, before running off with warning.
Medvedev explained that he called the official a “little cat”.
His explosive nature has seen him clash with rivals Stefanos Tsitsipas and Alexander Zverev.
In Miami in 2018, after Tsitsipas made a dirty remark about Medvedev, the Russian dismissed the Greek as a “little child who doesn't know how to play”.
His rivalry with Zverev intensified in Monte Carlo last year when Medvedev saved two match points in a tough last-16 victory.
Germany's Zverev criticized Medvedev for going to the bathroom at a crucial time in focus, slamming the Russian as “one of the most unfair players in the world “.
Medvedev responded, telling the world No. 4 to “look at yourself in the mirror.”
In the Netflix series “Break Point,” Zverev accused Medvedev of playing “dirty games” and added, “He's someone who knows how to play with the opponent's head.”
People around the world have not escaped Medvedev's wrath.
At last year's Paris Masters, he called fans “stupid” for laughing during one of his matches.
Although he said he would stop playing, he agreed to continue, but warned his tormentors, “Shut your mouths, yes!
Despite his fiery personality, Medvedev has reached the top of the sport, mastering chess and fluent in French.
At the 2021 US Open he claimed the singles major title, easily defeating Novak Djokovic in the final and denying the Serb a rare calendar Grand Slam.
In keeping with his unusual personality, Medvedev celebrated his victory in New York by collapsing on the floor of Arthur Ashe Stadium and mimicking the “dead fish” celebration from the video game FIFA.
Medvedev came painfully close to helping his boss gather.
In the final of this year's Australian Open, he surrendered in two sets to Jannik Sinner.
Two years ago in Melbourne, he opened two sets against Rafael Nadal and lost in five.
Nadal also went through another five-setter in the 2019 US Open final.
Away from the Slams, Medvedev is one of only six men to win six or more Masters titles, along with Djokovic, Roger Federer, Nadal, Andre Agassi and Andy Murray.
When he spent 16 weeks as world No. 1 in 2022, he became the first man other than Djokovic, Federer, Murray and Nadal in 18 years to hold the No. 1 ranking.
At the Paris Olympics, which open on Friday, Medvedev believes his best chance of winning a medal will be in the doubles, not the singles, on clay. which is often rare in his games.
“I will prepare a lot for doubles and mixed doubles because I believe I have more chances than in singles Roland Garros,” he said.
