SUMMARY
- Daniil Medvedev won his first Grand Slam title in style against Novak Djokovic.
- He celebrated by pulling off the Dead Fish move on the court.
Back in 2021, Novak Djokovic was on a mission to win the 21st Grand Slam of his career at the US Open. However, Daniil Medvedev proved to be too good for the Serb, who dashed his dreams of winning the calendar slam that year. Medvedev was a man on a mission on that fateful evening, as he claimed his maiden major title. The biggest talking point was not Daniil’s victory though; it was his ‘Dead Fish’ celebration instead.
Daniil enjoyed a dream run at Flushing Meadows as he decimated his opponents en route to the final. He took the bull by its horns and handed Djokovic a crushing defeat. Medvedev beat Novak 6-4, 6-4, 6-4 and avenged his Australian Open finals loss earlier that year.
The Russian player outplayed Novak in every way. He was aggressive from the get-go with a strong baseline play, thus denying Novak any room to play with. Medvedev’s serves were huge, and as Djokovic dumped the ball into the net on his return, Daniil celebrated by pulling off a classic move seen in video games like FIFA.
Man denies one of the greatest tennis players of all time an historic grand slam, and pulls out the dead fish/brick fall celebration from FIFA 😂
“L2 + left. Only legends will understand” – Daniil Medvedev pic.twitter.com/qso1gB1xly
— Footy Prime The Podcast presented by TonyBet.ca (@footy_prime) September 13, 2021
Medvedev flopped onto the court and stuck his tongue out, resembling a dead fish. Following his victory, Daniil explained why he celebrated in such a way.
“I like playing FIFA, and it’s called the ‘dead fish’ celebration, I talked to my friends and they all think it’s legendary. I didn’t do it to be in the newspapers, I wanted it to be special for the people I love,” he said (via Marca).
Tennis is not the only sport Daniil Medvedev is passionate about. He is an avid gamer and has teamed up with e-sports companies in the past. As Medvedev’s celebration went viral, there was a special gift in store for him.
EA Sports showers Daniil Medvedev with gifts
The Russian player’s celebration endeared him to a lot of fans. Medvedev did not catch the attention of just tennis fans; he also managed to grab the attention of EA Sports.
In the days following his US Open victory, Daniil revealed he got some gifts from EA Sports. “Yeah they actually did send me a few codes for me and my friends to have on FIFA so I gave it to all my friends that played but no Ultimate Team players,” he divulged.
Daniil Medvedev was on the hunt for his first major title for years before he won the US Open in 2021. He had made it to the finals in the past, but he could not cross the finish line. When he did, Daniil made sure it would be talked about for years.