Medvedev refuses to wash his hair as superstition keeps Wimbledon run going

Daniil Medvedev refused to wash his hair before his second-round Wimbledon victory over Adrian Mannarino due to a superstition he started in 2022. The Russian was forced to play on consecutive days due to delays in the Championships’ schedule caused by rain. Medvedev overcame Briton Arthur Fery in the first round in SW19 on Wednesday, before defeating Mannarino 6-3 6-3 7-6 on Thursday. The world No 3 revealed afterwards that he has a very unique routine for such tight turnarounds. Back in 2022, Medvedev lost the Halle Open final against Hubert Hurkacz the day after his semi-final. He said he had prepared for the final as if it was a new match, separate from his semi-final. Having been defeated by Hurkacz, Medvedev revealed he now treats a match played the day after his previous outing as if he is returning to play the same encounter. His routine includes not washing his hair. Daniil Medvedev refused to wash his hair before facing Adrian Mannarino (Image: BBC) ‘A couple of years ago I had this against Hurkacz and I lost and I had prepared, let’s call it, for a new match. I finished the match like a normal tournament and the next day I have to play again,’ Medvedev said in his on-court interview. ‘This [routine] didn’t work out at all, so I changed it. I won’t do everything as if the [previous] match has finished, I didn’t even wash my hair! I said, ‘I will wash it after the next match’. ‘It works! So I’m going to continue like this, if I have two matches [in successive days].’ Medvedev insisted in his post-match press conference that his form is improving, believing he played better against Mannarino than he did against Fery. He admitted he was ‘nervous’ to play a day after his tough encounter with the 20-year-old. Daniil Medvedev is into the third round at Wimbledon (Image: Getty)