The 12-time title winner then addressed the crowd in his on-court interview, saying: “I want all of you to know when you sleep tonight: I won because of you,” as he fanned himself and leaned into the ‘bad guy’ role.
It seemed to work, with Medvedev then going on to receive huge support in the final as he was able to come back from two sets down against Rafael Nadal, ultimately falling in five, with the crowd cheering him on.
Former world No 24 Annabel recalled his antics from 2019, saying: “It was amazing, it was just extraordinary and I think it was so fun to watch him being the villain, he was like a pantomime villain, you could almost see him playing his matches with a black cloak on.
“Everyone was booing him constantly, and then the way that he turned it around in that final against Nadal and then by the end of it, you know, the cheeky smile, he’s got a lot of charm, twinkle in his eye. The crowd, he won them over.”
The world No 2 will likely be relishing the chance to play in front of the fans in Flushing Meadows this year, who by now will be well aware of the Russian’s big personality.
The US Open is available to watch on Prime Video from Monday 30th August.