Former NextGen ATP Finals champion Hamad Medjedovic of Serbia counts Novak Djokovic as one of his idols. On Saturday in Rome, the 22-year-old delivered a response to the raucous crowd that was squarely supporting his opponent, Joao Fonseca, that was fitting of his legendary compatriot.
After dropping the first set against Fonseca, Medjedovic stormed to the second set, and took a 4-1 lead in the decider. Deep in the Rome night, things got tense—between the two players, and between Medjedovic and the crowd—as the fans tried to urge the Brazilian back into the match. Fonseca got both breaks back, saved a match point in the 10th game, and was ahead 6-5 when the two players sat for the match’s final changeover.
As the score got tighter, the crowd got louder in support of Fonseca, much to Medjedovic’s ire.
“Tell them to shut up and let me serve. I’ll play,” Medjedovic was heard saying to chair umpire Jimmy Pinoargote at one stage as he prepared to serve. The official responded: “Listen, it’s gonna be loud. There’s gonna be some people talking. I’m trying my best to control them. Keep playing. You have to play.”
