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Daniil Medvedev lost the championship match of the 2023 China Open in a tough straight-set affair to Jannik Sinner on Wednesday, October 4. While the Russian was not the best player during the evening, he still managed to become the focus of tennis community's attention for his post-match antics.
After their title clash, Medvedev and Sinner were felicitated with the runner-up and winner's trophy, respectively. The two also received a plush toy from the organizers. The Russian kept his plushie in the cup of the huge trophy that Sinner was awarded.
Daniil Medvedev removed his plushie from the inside of Sinner's trophy soon after, though. Many fans, however, interpreted it as him "pick-pocketing" the Italian's toy. The video documenting their interaction subsequently went viral, with the tennis community on Instagram finding the former World No. 1's antics to be hilarious.
One fan even suggested that the 27-year-old was hoarding the plush toy for his daughter Alisa Daniilnova, who was born in October of 2022.
"Alisa needs toys and the father provides," they wrote, followed by a laughing emoji.
Another fan, meanwhile, proceeded to call Medvedev a "living meme".
"Medvedev is a living meme," the fan wrote.
Here are a few more reactions from Instagram:
Daniil Medvedev has put together a great season in 2023
Daniil Medvedev has enjoyed a successful season on the ATP tour in 2023. The Russian has compiled a 59-13 win-loss record this year so far, with five titles and nearly US $8 million in prize money to boot.
Medvedev had an unbelievable start to his year, even if he failed to go deep at the Australian Open in January. The 27-year-old won 24 of his 25 matches in his next five tournament campaigns from February to April, picking up titles in Rotterdam, Doha, Dubai and Miami.
The Russian then gave a good account of himself during the European clay season, beating the likes of Stefanos Tsitsipas, Holger Rune, and Alexander Zverev en route to the ATP Masters 1000 title in Rome.
Daniil Medvedev also reached the semifinals of Wimbledon and the final of the US Open, losing to Alcaraz and Novak Djokovic respectively. The Russian has by far been the third-best player on the ATP tour over the last few months.
