PARIS: There will be no flags or fanfare for Daniil Medvedev at the Paris Olympics, but Russia's tallest athlete in the French capital is unlikely to be far from the headlines.
The tennis star, along with other Russians and Belarusians at the Games, must compete as a neutral following Moscow's invasion of Ukraine.
After proving that they did not support the war and have no ties to the military, they were allowed to compete but could not fly national flags.
The national anthems of the two countries are also banned and if Medvedev wins an Olympic medal for the first time, the achievement will not be recognized in the medals table.
“When I'm 40 years old, if I can say that I've played in the Tokyo Olympics, the Paris Olympics and the Los Angeles Olympics, I've had a lot of fun in my life, in my career, I be happy,” Medvedev said.
The 28-year-old world number 5 is one of the most controversial players in tennis.
The 1.98m (6ft 6in) giant came close to being disqualified from his Wimbledon semi-final against Carlos Alcaraz this month for a poor jab at the chair umpire before escaping with a caution.
Medvedev explained that he called the official “a little cat”.
His explosive temper saw off rivals Stefanos Tsitsipas and Alexander Zverev.
In Miami in 2018, after Tsitsipas made a nasty remark about Medvedev, the Russian dismissed the Greek as “a little kid who doesn't know how to play.”
His rivalry with Zverev peaked in Monte Carlo last year when Medvedev saved two match points in a tense round of 16 victory.
Germany's Zverev criticized Medvedev for taking a bathroom break at a key moment in the tie, branding the Russian “one of the most unfair players in the world”.
Medvedev responded by telling the current world number 4 to “take a look at yourself in the mirror”.
In the Netflix series “Break Point”, Zverev accused Medvedev of playing “dirty games” and added: “He is someone who knows how to play with his opponent's head.”
Crowds around the world did not escape Medvedev's wrath.
At last year's Paris Masters, he called fans “stupid” for taunting him during one of his matches.
Despite suggesting that he would stop his match, he agreed to continue, but warned his tormentors to “shut up, okay!”
Despite his fiery personality, Medvedev, a chess player and fluent French speaker, has reached the pinnacle of the sport.
At the 2021 US Open, he claimed his only major title, easily defeating Novak Djokovic in the final and denying the Serb a rare calendar Grand Slam.
True to his unorthodox nature, Medvedev celebrated his victory in New York by falling to the floor of Arthur Ashe Stadium and imitating the “dead fish” celebration from a FIFA video game.
Medvedev came tantalizingly close to adding to his major collection.
In this year's Australian Open final, he blew a two-set lead to lose to Jannik Sinner.
Two years ago in Melbourne, he opened up a two-set lead over Rafael Nadal only to lose in five again.
Nadal also beat him in the 2019 US Open final in another five-setter.
Away from the Slams, Medvedev is one of six men to win six or more Masters titles, joining Djokovic, Roger Federer, Nadal, Andre Agassi and Andy Murray.
When he spent 16 weeks as world No. 1 in 2022, he was the first man other than Djokovic, Federer, Murray and Nadal in 18 years to reach the top spot.
At the Paris Olympics, which open on Friday, Medvedev believes his best shot at a medal will be in doubles rather than singles on a clay surface that has often been foreign to his game.
“I'm going to prepare a lot for doubles and mixed doubles because I think I have more chances there than at Roland Garros singles,” he said.
