PARIS: There will be no flags or fanfare for Daniil Medvedev at the Paris Olympics, but Russia's highest-profile 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.
Having shown that they have not supported the war and have no links to the military, they have been allowed to compete but cannot fly their national flags.
The national anthems of the two countries are also banned and should Medvedev win an Olympic medal for the first time, the achievement will not be recognized in the medal table.
“When I'm 40, if I can say that I played in the Tokyo Olympics, Paris and Los Angeles Olympics, I had a lot of fun in my life, my career, I will 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 foul-mouthing the referee before escaping with a caution.
Medvedev explained that he had called the official “a little cat”.
His explosive temper has seen him feud with rivals Stefanos Tsitsipas and Alexander Zverev.
In Miami in 2018, after Tsitsipas made an ugly statement 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 slammed Medvedev for taking a toilet break at a crucial moment in the match, blasting the Russian as “one of the most unfair players in the world.”
Medvedev hit back, 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”, adding: “He is someone who knows how to play with the opponent's head.”
Crowds around the world have not escaped Medvedev's wrath.
At the Paris Masters last year, he branded fans “stupid” for joking during one of his matches.
Despite suggesting he stop his match, he agreed to continue, but warned his tormentors to “shut up, okay!”
Despite his fiery personality, the chess-playing and fluent French-speaking Medvedev 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, denying the Serbian a rare Grand Slam calendar.
True to his unorthodox nature, Medvedev celebrated his New York victory by falling to the floor of Arthur Ashe Stadium and imitating the “dead fish” celebration from a FIFA video game.
Medvedev has come agonizingly close to adding to his vast collection.
In this year's Australian Open final, he gave up a two-set lead to lose to Jannik Sinner.
Two years ago in Melbourne, he had opened a two-set lead over Rafael Nadal only again to lose in five.
Nadal also overcame him in the final of the 2019 US Open over another five-setter.
Apart from the Slams, Medvedev is one of only six men to have won 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 chance of a medal will be in doubles rather than singles, on a surface that has often been foreign to his game.
“I will prepare a lot for doubles and mixed doubles because I think I have more chances there than in Roland Garros singles,” he said.
