Fans Lambast Daniil Medvedev After He Appeared to ‘Viciously’ Mock Novak Djokovic During Dramatic China Open Clash – “Pathetic Behavior”

Novak Djokovic clinched his first title of the season at the ATP 500 China Open.

Fans Lambast Daniil Medvedev After He Appeared to ‘Viciously’ Mock Novak Djokovic During Dramatic China Open Clash – “Pathetic Behavior”

Daniil Medvedev (l) appeared to mock Novak Djokovic (r) during the China Open semifinal (Image via ATP Tour, The New York Times, X Corvath Draemir)

Novak Djokovic has lifted the China Open for the seventh consecutive time in his career. On Tuesday (October 6), the Serb was handed the walkover by Alex de Minaur in the final.

It was Nole’s seventh appearance in the tournament and his first since 2015. Before this season, Djokovic lifted this trophy in 2009, 2010, 2012, 2013, 2014, and 2015.

En route to the win, Djokovic defeated Alexander Zverev in the quarterfinals in three sets before playing a dramatic semifinal against Daniil Medvedev that ended after the Russian was defaulted.

Medvedev smashed a ball at a spectator sitting in the front row. Apart from this incident, Medvedev also found himself on the receiving end of criticism due to his antics.

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Fans slam Daniil Medvedev for his antics during his match against Novak Djokovic

Novak Djokovic was seen struggling physically during the tournament, and against Daniil Medvedev as well, it was no different, as he bent over due to pain repeatedly after long rallies. At 1-1 in the second set, Medvedev appeared to mock the 24-time Grand Slam champion.

Daniil Medvedev (3)
Daniil Medvedev (Image via Eurosport)

Watch the video here:

Check out fans’ reactions here:

Medvedev now trails 5-11 in the head-to-head matchups versus Djokovic. He was chasing his fourth title of the season after wins at the Brisbane International, Dubai Tennis Championships, and the Hangzhou Open. The 2021 US Open champion also reached the final of the Indian Wells but lost the title to World No.1 Jannik Sinner.

Alex de Minaur reacts after giving the walkover to Novak Djokovic

Djokovic now holds a 4-1 head-to-head lead over de Minaur. The Aussie ace was bidding to win his second title of the season after his win at the Rotterdam Open (beat Felix Auger-Aliassime). He also reached the final of the Rosmalen Grass Court Championships, losing it to Kamil Majchrzak.

Novak Djokovic (2)
Novak Djokovic (Image via TNT Sports)

I don’t feel great. Look, first of all, congrats to you [Djokovic], mate. To you and your team, it was pretty amazing as a fan of the sport to watch the tennis you produced this whole week. Wishing you nothing but the best, so well done. As for me, I want to say sorry to all the amazing fans that came to watch this match. I didn’t want to finish like this, so really, really sorry.

Alex de Minaur said during the trophy presentation

Djokovic won the China Open without needing a match point in the semifinal and final. It was his first title in his second final of the season. Before the Beijing ATP 500 event, the 39-year-old played the final of the Australian Open, losing the match to Carlos Alcaraz.

To my team, the people that are here, and the people that are back home… all the support. It’s been a great week, and I’m sure there’s plenty more to come. To everyone who made this amazing tournament possible, I would love to come back. Thank you all, and hopefully see you next year.

Alex de Minaur added

Djokovic will next be competing at the Shanghai Masters, where he is a four-time winner and reached the semifinal last year. He played the final in 2024 but lost the title to Sinner. Djokovic last lifted a Masters 1000 title at the 2023 Paris Masters by beating Grigor Dimitrov.

Valentin Vacherot will enter the penultimate Masters 1000 of the season as the defending champion. The tournament starts on October 7.

Sinner won’t compete due to his knee injury. He has, in fact, ended his season. While Djokovic won the title in Beijing, Alcaraz defended the ATP 500 Japan Open on the same day by defeating Jiri Lehecka.

Also read: Iga Swiatek Reveals Why She Was ‘Angry’ After Surviving Scare at China Open