Hamad Medjedovic, the former NextGen ATP Finals champion, silenced a hostile crowd in Rome by winning a third-set tiebreaker against Joao Fonseca.
The 22-year-old Serbian player counts Novak Djokovic as one of his idols. He delivered a response to the crowd that was supporting Fonseca.
Medjedovic Battles Crowd and Fonseca
Medjedovic dropped the first set against Fonseca, but stormed back to win the second and take a 4-1 lead in the decider. As the match went on, tensions rose between Medjedovic and the crowd. They were urging the Brazilian player back into the match.
Fonseca got both breaks back and saved a match point in the 10th game. He was ahead 6-5 when the players sat for the final changeover.
The crowd got louder in support of Fonseca as the score got tighter, which irritated Medjedovic.
Medjedovic was heard telling chair umpire Jimmy Pinoargote to tell the crowd to be quiet and let him serve. The official responded by saying he was trying his best to control them, but that Medjedovic had to play despite the noise.
‘Night, Night’ in Rome
Medjedovic won 11 of the last 12 points to secure a 3-6, 6-3, 7-6(1) victory.
After shaking hands, he turned to the crowd and mimicked a sleeping gesture by placing his hands beside his face. He then blew kisses toward the stands. The celebration was made famous by NBA star Stephen Curry.
Curry popularized the ‘Night, Night’ taunt during playoff games with the Golden State Warriors, using it after putting away opponents late in games to signal the end of the contest.
Crowd Antagonism Fuels the Win
Medjedovic sarcastically credited the crowd for motivating him and helping him get “locked in” after giving up the early lead. This remark may have been an homage to Djokovic, who has shown an ability to weaponize hostile atmospheres.
“It doesn’t usually happen that I get broken twice when I’m about to close the match,” Medjedovic said in an on-court interview with ATP Media. “It was not easy to go through them moments, but the crowd helped me a lot, his fans helped me a lot.”
“They were … I’ll not comment on it. But they helped me a lot,” he continued. “I think I was very, as some would say locked in after being down 6-5 in the third so I just kept quiet. Just wanted to give my best and that’s it so really happy to be through.”
Medjedovic is through to the third round of a Masters 1000 event for the first time. Felix Auger-Aliassime, Fonseca and Tomas Martin Etcheverry all lost in the second round, and Valentin Vacherot withdrew, meaning there are no seeded players left in his section.