Winning a Grand Slam and over twenty Tour-level titles might give insight into Daniil Medvedev‘s tennis abilities, but the recent award he received offers an idea of his personality. The Russian has been honored for his press skills, as he, along with Coco Gauff, became the 2026 recipients of the Ambassador awards, presented by the International Tennis Writers’ Association.
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“Well, first of all, I didn’t—for a long time before I got this award, I knew about this like what, three, four days ago. Um, maybe five days ago, I didn’t know it existed. So, it’s fun, ” said Medvedev in his pre-tournament press conference. “You know, I probably—I would say my first award that sort of type, like not the award you win by your result, but something like, Fair Player of the Year, probably not going to win it, and stuff like this like the ATP does. So, I do believe I can be fun to talk to sometimes with you guys. So, I appreciate it.”
“That’s really nice, it’s a nice feeling because again, I know that on the court, I have a bit of a different personality, and it can be a bit of a pain. Uh, but off the court, I try, you know, to just show my nice personality, which I have as well, and to get rewarded for this is a great feeling.”
The award was created to acknowledge players who have shown cooperation with the media and, apart from showing success on the court, always show great sportsmanship. Hence, while receiving the ambassador award this year, Medvedev could not help but take a dig at himself.
The Russian had a twinkle in his eye and a smile on his face when he alluded to the fact that he might never win the Fair Play award from the ATP, given the Russian’s notoriety for smashing rackets and verbal altercations with chair umpires, something that was even visible in his recent loss at the Cincinnati Open as well.
Medvedev’s off-color humor often makes routine press conferences funny, with the US Open often being the epicenter of funny Medvedev pressers. Back in 2023, the Russian openly admitted that he watched the matches on another website, casually hinting that he did not know if he was illegally pirating the content.
Back in 2021, after winning the title in New York, Medvedev went down on the floor in what he termed the “dead fish” celebration. In the post-match press conference, the Russian had everyone chuckling in the room as he confessed that the FIFA video game was his inspiration for the on-court celebration, something he wanted to do to keep his victory memorable.
His relationship with the press aside, New York has been the scene of some of the greatest Medvedev hits, both on and off court, as the Russian has developed a love-hate relationship with the audience in the Big Apple.
Daniil Medvedev Is Both a Villain and Hero in New York
Medvedev’s saga with the US Open crowd began in 2019, when the Russian was in the middle of one of his on-court tirades, including snatching towels from ball kids and throwing his rackets. The Russian was also seen displaying obscene gestures towards the crowd, which is why he was met by large boos after the victory.
However, Medvedev, who was in excellent hard-court form back then, worked his way through the draw and the crowd to reach the final. He pushed Rafael Nadal to five sets but could not cross the finish line, an effort that saw the crowd turn in his favor, applauding his efforts throughout the tournament. The appreciation was still there when the former World No.1 was the last man standing in 2021.
Even last year, New York saw the temperamental side of Medvedev during his first-round match against Benjamin Bonzi. The Russian flew off the handle when the chair umpire gave the Frenchman an extra first serve as a photographer had come onto the playing area during the match point. Medvedev went on an angry rant against the chair umpire, causing a huge scene. Once the commotion died down, Medvedev managed to turn the match around and take it to a fifth set, but eventually lost to the Frenchman.
He might be having a good time while talking to the press, but the former champion will hope for better times on the court. He made early exits in Toronto and Cincinnati, as well as at Winston-Salem and will need to pick up his form quickly if he has to make a deep run in New York.