This Russian tennis superstar is a massive Reds fan -- and he can prove it

CINCINNATI — How does a Russian professional tennis star become a Reds fan, let alone a baseball fan? Through a combination of old school and new school ways.

Daniil Medvedev, currently the No. 7 ranked ATP player in the world, is in town to play the Cincinnati Open. He told the Cincinnati Enquirer last weekend during the Mason, Ohio, event that he was first exposed to baseball while playing on a PlayStation Portable gaming system. But last year after an early-round defeat from the tournament, he attended his first Reds game at Great American Ball Park.

“I liked playing baseball, so I knew the rules in a way. When I lost here last year, I went to see a game,” Medvedev explained to the Enquirer. “I was like, ‘Why haven’t I gone before?’ I started watching baseball more than any other sport, except tennis. Since they were the first team I saw live, why not be a Cincinnati Reds fan?”

On Monday night, before the Reds played the Cardinals, Medvedev threw a ceremonial first pitch while wearing a personalized team jersey. It was a perfect strike to his catcher, reliever Sam Moll. Several Reds, including pitcher Andrew Abbott, were among those to come up afterwards and say a quick hello.

Medvedev — a former No. 1 player who has won the 2021 U.S. Open and the 2019 Cincinnati Open among other titles — has taken his Reds fandom seriously. During a recent Tennis Channel interview, the 30-year-old was quizzed on Reds season stats and trivia and aced all the questions.

"I'm a fan for one year, so don't ask me something more than one year [ago]," he said.

"Who has the most home runs on the team and how many?" was among the questions asked

"Sal Stewart, 26," Medvedev replied.

"Who has got the most wins?"

“Chase Burns, that’s too easy. I think it’s 14-2," he answered.

Medvedev has a harder time keeping up with the Reds when on tour, especially in Europe. But he told the Enquirer that he can keep up with earlier day games and kept up while playing in his previous tournament, the Canadian Open.

"I know pretty much every player and every stat," Medvedev told the Enquirer. "When I'm a fan of something, I like to really be into it. That's my team."