New York: Daniil Medvedev said the energy of the New York crowd helped instigate his stunning fightback that saw him fall just short against Rafael Nadal in a five-set classic in Sunday's US Open final.

"First of all I just want to congratulate Rafa, 19th Grand Slam title is something unbelievable, outrageous," Medvedev said. "What you've done for tennis in general, it's amazing for our sport. Thank you and congrats again." Medvedev has experienced a love-hate relationship with fans at Flushing Meadows after an obscene gesture in a third-round match prompted loud boos, to which the Russian later responded with a taunt of his own. But he won the crowd over during his run to the final, where he was attempting to become the youngest Grand Slam champion since Juan Martin del Potro won the US Open in 2009. "To be honest in my mind, I was already thinking, 'What do I say in the speech, it's going to be in 20 minutes," Medvedev recalled, having fallen two sets behind to Nadal.