For a player who has lingered in relative obscurity, the heated environment has been a welcome change.

“It’s probably the most electric atmosphere I’ve played in my whole entire life,” Medvedev said. “Sometimes you play a first round of an ATP tournament where there’s 50 people watching you on a small court. This is completely different. I’m trying to take this electricity, feed from it, and that’s helped me a lot these last two matches.”

The crowd first turned against Medvedev during his third-round match against Feliciano López on Friday. After losing a point, he angrily snatched a towel away from a ball man, incurring boos and an unsportsmanlike conduct code violation. Soon after, Medvedev raised his middle finger, out of sight of officials but clearly visible to much of the crowd and the cameras broadcasting the match. The gesture was replayed on the video screens inside the venue, Louis Armstrong Stadium.

Medvedev has been apologetic for those misdeeds and accepted the consequences.

“I caused it,” Medvedev said. “I’m not happy about it, but I have to deal with it, and I deal with it in my own way. The priority for me is to win the match, and if I have to win it by taking all the energy the crowd has, even if it’s against me, I have to do it. I’m there as a sportsman, and my first goal is to win the match.”