Tennis star blows up at Olympic 'cheater' claim

3 years ago 448

Russian tennis prima Daniil Medvedev has blown up astatine a newsman who asked him whether the Russian Olympic Committee squad carried a stigma of being cheats.

Medvedev had conscionable beaten Italy's Fabio Fognini successful sweltering conditions astatine the Tokyo Games erstwhile helium was asked the pointed question, with Russia incapable to vie arsenic a federation astatine the Olympics owed to revelations of a state-sponsored doping program.

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Daniil Medvedev of Team ROC plays a forehand during his Men's Singles Third Round lucifer against Fabio Fognini. (Getty)

"Are the Russian Olympic squad athletes carrying a stigma of cheaters successful these Games aft the ungraded and however bash you consciousness astir it?" a newsman asked, connected the last question of his English property conference.

Medvedev was fuming.

"That's the archetypal clip successful my beingness I'm not gonna reply a question, man. And you should beryllium embarrassed of yourself," helium said.

He past turned to the property serviceman and said: "I deliberation you should [remove] him from either the Olympic Games, either the tennis tournament.

"I don't wanna spot him again successful my interviews. Thanks."

The writer attempted to explicate himself but Medvedev began to locomotion disconnected and said: "That's the archetypal clip successful my beingness ... So you should beryllium embarrassed."

The speech came aft different brutal outing successful Tokyo, with Medvedev claiming helium "could die" successful the blistery and humid conditions arsenic helium slugged it retired with Fognini.

"I tin decorativeness the lucifer but I tin die," Medvedev told the umpire astatine 1 stage. "If I die, are you going to beryllium responsible?"

Afterward, Medvedev said helium felt "darkness" successful his eyes.

"I didn't cognize what to bash to consciousness better. I was acceptable to conscionable autumn down connected the court."

Somehow, the second-seeded Medvedev inactive pulled retired a 6-2, 3-6, 6-2 triumph implicit Fognini of Italy to scope the quarterfinals.

Medvedev received aesculapian attraction and had his thorax massaged portion starring 5-2 successful the opening acceptable but past held his service successful the adjacent crippled to adjacent it out. He past took different aesculapian timeout portion trailing 4-3 successful the second.

"I felt similar my diaphragm has blocked," Medvedev said. "I couldn't respire properly. It was the astir humid time we had truthful acold — possibly the hottest."

With truthful overmuch suffering, Medvedev took his clip betwixt points, which drew protests from Fognini.

Fabio Fognini sits successful the shadiness portion Daniil Medvedev gets treatment. (Getty)

Both players were allowed to permission the tribunal for 10 minutes betwixt the 2nd and 3rd sets with an utmost vigor regularisation successful effect.

Medvedev said helium took a "cold, freezing shower" during the interruption but that the crisp alteration successful somesthesia enactment his assemblage into daze and caused him to cramp.

After holding for a 5-2 pb successful the third, Medvedev received yet much aesculapian attraction erstwhile a trainer came retired onto the tribunal and massaged his near limb and thigh.

Fognini slammed his racket onto the tribunal successful disgust erstwhile the lucifer was over, past picked the racket up and placed it successful a court-side trash can.

Medvedev — if he's up to it — volition adjacent look sixth-seeded Carreno Busta, who bushed Dominik Koepfer of Germany 7-6 (7), 6-3.

- with AP

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