'Sorry guys and thank you!' Taped-up bad boy Medvedev battles past Wawrinka and into US Open semis

Russia's Daniil Medvedev overcame injury and rode out the boos at Arthur Ashe Stadium to beat Stan Wawrinka 7-6, 6-3, 3-6, 6-1 in a four-set thriller and book a place in the US Open semi finals on Tuesday.

Muscovite Medvedev has carved out a villainous persona for himself at Flushing, where he flipped off a booing crowd in earlier rounds, and then mischievously telling spectators he feeds off the negative energy directed at him.

And there was no love lost between him and New York's tennis fans when he stepped out to take on 'Stan the Man', being greeted by a chorus of boos at his first ever Grand Slam quarter final.

Daniil Medvedev arrives on Arthur Ashe against Wawrinka to his favourite song of the summer - a chorus of boos.

— Tumaini Carayol (@tumcarayol) September 3, 2019

It was touch and go whether Medvedev would finish the match, as a quadricep injury forced him to receive treatment, but he recovered to dominate from the baseline and overcome 2016 champ Wawrinka, the number 23 seed. 

Medvedev: "Sorry guys and thank you"

tennis has a new genius

— enrico maria riva (@enricomariariva) September 3, 2019

Medvedev was uncharacteristically apologetic in his on-court post-match interview, saying sorry to those who hadn't warmed to the lanky youngster on account of his behavior throughout the tournament. 

Stylistically Daniil Medvedev plays like dude at your local park who taught himself to play at 24 and then crushes all comers relying on strategy he learned as intramural ping pong champ — only at grand slam tennis level.

— Kurt Streeter (@kurtstreeter) September 3, 2019

"I have two words: first one, 'electric'. Second one, 'controversy'," he said, ATP Tour reported.

"What I've done is not good but many people still support me and many people don't like me. What I can say is that I try to be myself. I have to say 'Sorry guys and thank you'."

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