Medvedev breaks character with epic celebration: 'I couldn't control it!'

There was only one thing more epic than Daniil Medvedev’s dramatic escape against Arthur Fils on Thursday at the BNP Paribas Open: his victory celebration.

After a brilliant get on his third match point drew an error From Fils, Medvedev started jumping in ecstasy and threw his arms in the air like he’d hit the lottery. Known for his non-celebrations — with his "dead fish" flop after winning the 2021 US Open a notable exception — Medvedev's ecstatic reaction quickly went viral.

“If I would make a winner on match point, I would probably be less excited," Medvedev explained. "Because I was surprised, I thought the point is over and we go again, and he missed it. It happens. I was surprised, and that got my adrenaline too much. I couldn't control it!” he said with a smile.

Post-celebration, he apologised to Fils for his unusual reaction. "The adrenaline got me going. I jumped next to him. Then I was, like, 'Sorry, man, I usually don't celebrate like this.' But it's OK, it can happen," he shared.

The victory clearly came as a huge relief to the No. 6 in the PIF ATP Rankings. Medvedev, who suffered a close second-round defeat to #NextGenATP star Learner Tien at the Australian Open and squandered four match points en route to his quarter-final loss to Tallon Griekspoor at the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships, acknowledged confidence is key.

“I lost three very tight matches this year, two of which I was really close to winning — Tien and Griekspoor. The more you lose matches like this, the more you lose confidence in these tight moments,” he said. “I remember one time in 2018, I was surprised, I didn't follow the statistics, but I had like 20 tie-breaks won in a row, something like this. This is a matter of confidence. Sometimes you are; sometimes you are not.”