Witness - a Russian player in the American Tennis Championship .. The fans attack him as he provokes them and makes fun of them

MELBOURNE (Reuters) - Russia's Daniel Medvedev overcame bad weather with fans at the US Open on Tuesday, apologizing to the fans for encouraging them to boo the tournament earlier for unacceptable actions on the pitch.

Medvedev entered the quarter-finals of the Grand Slam final against Stanislas Wawrinka at Arthur Ashe Stadium amid boos, but ultimately the crowd encouraged him, beating his Swiss opponent in a four-set playoff.

Asked in an interview on the pitch about how he described the relationship with fans in New York, the Russian said: "I have two words."

"The first is enthusiastic. The second word is controversial, because what I did is not good," he said. In a reference to the way the towel angrily grabbed one of the collectors, as well as an abusive signal addressed to the masses with his finger during his victory last Friday on Feliciano Lopez, which led to the punishment of a fine.

"A lot of people still support me, but there are also a lot of people who don't like me. All I can say is I'm trying to be normal. I have to tell you I'm sorry and thank you."

The 23-year-old Medvedev never looked forward to playing the villain at this year's tournament, but when fans turned against him during the third round tie against Lopez, the Russian welcomed the negative reaction.

The match ended with Medvedev raising his arms amid boos, thanking the crowd sarcastically.

"All I can say is that the energy you are giving me now will be enough for me in the next five games," Medvedev said at the time.

"The more you do, the more you will win, for you," said the fifth seed, who was fined after each of his first three games at Flushing Meadows for a total of $ 19,000.

The crowd repeated that by beating Dominique Cover on Sunday when he danced after the match.

But he was more restrained on Tuesday, and the crowd applauded him after his apology after the game, and expressed appreciation for his fighting spirit despite the injury in the left leg, which required time for treatment.

Medvedev said the pain was so severe that he had considered pulling out in the first set, but struggled to reach the semi-finals of a major tournament for the first time with a 7-6 6-3 3-6 6-1 win.

Wawrinka, 23, qualified for the quarter-finals after fourth-seeded Novak Djokovic pulled out of Group C with a shoulder injury.

Medvedev's mockery of the fans became the talk of the tournament, with opinions divided.

"There are a lot of young players doing things in tennis, maybe not the best behavior," said world number six Alexander Zverev.

But not everyone believes that Medvedev's actions are bad for sport.

"She's very cute," said Naomi Osaka, top seed in the women's singles. "Every day he has something new to say, for example, he wins and then he says, 'Because of you, I have the energy,' 'she said.