Marking his maiden Grand Slam title by mimicking a goal celebration from a football video game could not have been more Daniil Medvedev.

Those who didn't play Fifa had no idea why Medvedev fell to the court, on his side like a dead fish, when he beat Novak Djokovic in their 2021 US Open final.

"Only legends will understand - what I did was L2+left," he told the New York crowd.

Among the laughs were plenty of baffled looks. But this amusing and authentic reaction remains the prime example of why Medvedev is considered one of the most engaging players in the modern game.

It is also why many fans will be rooting for the 29-year-old Russian at this year's US Open as he looks to get through one of the most testing periods of his career.

Despite dropping out of the world's top 10, the inimitable Medvedev remains extremely popular.

With many athletes reluctant to show too much personality - although that has started to change in the social media era - Medvedev is seen as a breath of fresh air.

"I just try to be myself," he told BBC Sport at Wimbledon last month.

"If some people find me interesting, I'm happy.

"Some people might think I'm boring, and that's OK. I don't have to be funny - it's not an obligation.

"Being myself is the easiest way to be because if you try to act - or over-act - people will see through it and you will lose yourself."

Earlier this year he was surprised by the ATP Tour presenting him with a book of positive comments from fans on social media.

One fan said he appealed because he "broke the mould" of how players act in front of the camera, while others highlighted his "natural" personality, humour and "charisma which nobody else can beat".

Does Medvedev, who kept the gift with him as he travelled around tournaments this summer, agree with those sentiments?

"I think so,” he smiled. "I think my friends would describe me as a fun person to hang around and talk to.

"They can discuss serious things with me too. I'm an all-round person and I think all-round people have charisma."

Man told to expect jail over asylum hotel disorder

Twenty-eight people have been arrested, and 16 of them charged, following demonstrations outside the hotel

A man has been warned he will likely be jailed for causing violent disorder during a protest outside a hotel housing asylum seekers.

Hundreds of people have demonstrated outside The Bell Hotel in Epping, Essex, in recent months, protesting against it being used to house asylum seekers.

Dean Smith, 51, of Epping, pleaded guilty to causing violent disorder at Chelmsford Crown Court on 17 July.

He was remanded in custody for sentencing on 6 October.

'The water had no mercy': Hundreds killed as floods ravage north Pakistan

2 hours ago Share Save Azizullah Khan BBC Urdu, reporting from Buner Gavin Butler BBC News, Singapore Share Save

BBC At least 314 people have been killed and 156 injured due to rains and flash floods in recent days

Nestled among the lush green mountains of Pakistan's north, and with a river flowing serenely through its centre, Bishnoi was, until recently, a beautiful village. But it had rained heavily on the morning of Friday, 15 August, and when the villagers woke early and went off to work they were unaware of how swiftly things were about to change. According to locals, a sudden torrent of water came surging through Bishnoi, "bringing huge rocks with it and crushing buildings in its path, destroying the entire village". When BBC Urdu visited in the aftermath, the area was dotted with large stones, concrete blocks and uprooted trees. Without heavy machinery, rescue workers and locals were busy clearing the debris using small tools. "There is a house under every stone. People try to look under these rocks to see if they can find someone," local Israr Khan explained. "The houses are buried under the ground." Across the wider province of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, at least 314 people have been killed and 156 injured due to rains and flash floods that began between Thursday and Friday night. Buner district, where Bishnoi is located, is the worst-affected, with 217 fatalities, according to the Provincial Disaster Management Authority (PDMA). Another local said many people had been killed in a house where wedding preparations were underway. Others told us there had been a total of 80 to 90 households in Bishnoi, most of them involved in farming. An estimated 50% of the houses have been completely destroyed in the flood. The rest are no longer habitable.

A devastating monsoon season

Monsoon rains between June and September deliver about three-quarters of South Asia's annual rainfall. Landslides and flooding are common, and 650 people have already died in this year's season. In Pakistan, at least 507 people have died and more than 700 have been injured in rain-related incidents since the monsoon started in late June, according to the National Disaster Management Agency. Punjab and parts of Islamabad are among the areas that have been battered by heavy downpours and flash floods so far this year. But neither have been hit harder than Pakistan's mountainous north, home to Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and one of the most glaciated areas in the region. Global warming is causing these glaciers to quickly thin and retreat, in turn making debris such as rocks, soil and other materials more vulnerable to being dislodged. And while the exact cause of the recent floods and landslides are yet to be determined, glaciologists say that ice melt is a contributing factor. Government forecasters have warned that heavy rainfall is expected until 21 August in the north-west, where several areas have been declared disaster zones.

Floods and landslides are devastating villages in Pakistan's mountainous north

In the Swat Valley, less than 100km from Buner, a school principal saved nearly 900 students from the floods. "It was exactly 09:00 when I had a last glance at the stream and sensed it was going to burst its banks due to continuing rains," Saeed Ahmad, 59, told Anadolu news agency. Mr Ahmad ordered an immediate evacuation, and within 15 minutes all teachers and children had left - moments before raging floodwaters surged through the school, washing away half the building, its boundary walls and playground. Sarwar Khan, a local councillor, said "this timely action by the principal saved 900 lives". Others were not so fortunate. Abdul Salam, who lives in Punjab, told BBC Urdu of the moment he realised his wife, two daughters and son may have been caught in the Swat Valley floods. "I started dialling numbers on my mobile phone like crazy, but I couldn't get in touch with my wife and children," he said. All four of them drowned. Meanwhile, in Buner, Asrar Khan said that 27 people from his village were still missing. When asked how the disaster unfolded, he took a deep breath. "It all happened before my eyes," he said - and explained that although he and others had managed to save some people, "the water was so strong it had no mercy on anyone".

'The search is ongoing'

Crops lay flattened on both sides of the road on the drive towards Buner's Pir Baba Bazaar. Trees were uprooted and vehicles were in ruins - sometimes stuck in mud, sometimes in walls. Arriving at the market, other details of the destruction were visible. The intensity of the floods were clear from the fact that the water had reached the third floor. Some shops had collapsed. Sugar sacks and women's clothes were littered in the mud, with vehicles passing over them. The shopkeepers had started working on their own, removing mud and water from their shops.

Getty Images Flood survivors and people from far-flung areas have helped with the relief effort

Melbourne-born Oscar Piastri will have his own grandstand at next year's Australian Grand Prix.

The 24-year-old is leading this season's drivers' championship by nine points from McLaren team-mate Lando Norris with 10 races to go.

Piastri has already won more grands prix in a single season than any other Australian driver since the world championship started in 1950, with six so far in 2025.

"It feels very surreal and I never thought this would happen, but the support is incredible and I can't wait to see it all come together next March," he said on X., external

The grandstand will be on the main straight, opposite the pit lane.

"Seeing all the fans in my own grandstand directly opposite the McLaren garage is going to be an amazing experience and I'm really looking forward to feeling the energy and the atmosphere," he added.

The season-opening race at Albert Park in Melbourne takes place from 6-8 March 2026.

Piastri, who has eight career victories in total but has yet to make the podium in three attempts in Australia, joins the growing list of drivers on the grid with dedicated grandstands.

Norris and seven-time world champion Lewis Hamilton each have stands at the British Grand Prix at Silverstone, with Hamilton's located along the main start-finish straight and Norris' 'Landostands' at Stowe Corner.

Four-time title winner Max Verstappen has grandstands named after him across the European leg of the F1 calendar, including his home Dutch Grand Prix at Zandvoort.

Other Australian drivers to be given the honour of a grandstand at Albert Park include three-time world champion Jack Brabham, 1980 title-winner Alan Jones, plus Daniel Ricciardo and Mark Webber.