Tennis-Medvedev playing both hero and villain at Australian Open

Tennis - Australian Open - Melbourne Park, Melbourne, Australia - January 24, 2022 Russia's Daniil Medvedev celebrates winning his fourth round match against Maxime Cressy of the U.S. REUTERS/Loren Elliott

MELBOURNE (Reuters) - Daniil Medvedev has tapped into the energy of the crowd at Melbourne Park by playing both hero and villain, while the world number two's mind games have also earned him comparisons with American great Jimmy Connors.

Similarly to his run to the U.S. Open final in 2019, where the Russian antagonised fans at Flushing Meadows early on before ultimately winning them over, Medvedev has engaged with crowds at the Australian Open in his four victories so far.