DANIIL MEDVEDEV has been accused of swearing at the Paris Masters crowd after being booed.
However, the Russian tennis star has claimed “I was just checking my nails” in response.
Medvedev was booed throughout his round of 32 match with Grigor Dimitrov at the Accor Arena on Wednesday.
The boos were so intense that the 27-year-old was punished for refusing to play at one point during the match.
Following his three-set loss to his Bulgarian opponent, Medvedev was jeered whilst walking off the court.
It was at this point that he was caught on camera appearing to gesture towards the crowd.
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The footage shows Medvedev extending his middle finger as he looked at his hand before waving it in the direction of the fans.
His actions were met with more boos and jeers from the crowd as he disappeared down the tunnel.
Questioned on the distance whilst he spoke to the media after the defeat, Medvedev refuted the claims.
“No, I didn’t,” he argued. “I just checked my nails, like this. No, really, it’s nothing more than that. Why would I do that to this beautiful crowd in Paris-Bercy?”
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The world number three is no stranger to playing in front of a hostile crowd.
He previously clashed with the crowd at the US Open back in September, calling fans “stupid” and telling them to “shut up” during his second round match.
Medvedev went on to reach the final in New York, but was beaten in straight sets by Novak Djokovic.