Daniil Medvedev has put the bad blood between him and the US Open crowds behind him, apologising to fans and thanking them after having encouraged them to boo him earlier in the tournament.
The Russian walked out to a smattering of jeers in his quarter-final against Stan Wawrinka at Arthur Ashe Stadium court on Tuesday but was ultimately cheered after he dug deep to see off the Swiss in an entertaining four-set battle.
Asked during an on-court interview to describe his relationship with the New York crowd, he said he had two words.
“The first is electric,” he said.
“And controversy, because what I’ve done is not good,” he added, referring to how he angrily snatched a towel from a ball person and showed the crowd his middle finger as he was booed during his third-round win last Friday.
Medvedev has been fined a total of $19,000 so far this tournament.
“So many people support me, but still so many people don’t like me,” he said.
“I can just say, I try to be myself.
“I have to say sorry guys and thank you.”
The 23-year-old never sought to be the tournament’s pantomime villain but when fans turned on him during his clash with Feliciano Lopez on Louis Armstrong Court he embraced the negativity.
The crowd let him have it again after his fourth-round win on Sunday when he performed a dance after match point.
But he was far more reserved during his 7-6 (8-6) 6-3 3-6 6-1 victory over three-times grand slam champion Wawrinka.
The crowd applauded his post-match apology and appreciated him fighting through a left leg injury that required treatment twice.
Medvedev said the pain was so bad he thought he might have to retire but he battled on to reach his first semi-final at a major – and join Novak Djokovic, Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer in qualifying for the elite eight-man season-ending ATP Finals.
“It’s amazing. That shows what a great year I’m having, that the work I’ve been doing is paying off,” Medvedev said.
“But I don’t want to stop. Hopefully I can be there as one of the favourites.
Medvedev – who will face Grigor Dimitrov for a place in the final after the Bulgarian finally managed to record a victory over Federer – has a tour-leading 49 match wins in 2019.