It was a matter of time, now it’s a reality.
The Serb surprisingly lost to outsider Jiri Vesely at the ATP tournament in Dubai, so it’s clear that Medvedev is 440 points behind and overtaking Djoker.
ATP Acapulco
Nadal stunned by Russian invasion: ‘Seems incredible to me’
–
16 HOURS AGO
–
18 years after Andy Roddick was replaced as number one on February 2, 2004, for the first time a player other than a member of the so-called Big 4 around Novak Djokovic, Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal and Andy Murray is at the top of the ranking.
Medvedev in top form for years
The press is already predicting the beginning of a new era – is this really the case, or is it just a snapshot?
“Congratulations, Daniil. It is well deserved that you become number one,” wrote Djokovic on Instagram and Twitter in the evening. A point of view that one can certainly follow.
Medvedev has been at the top of the world at a consistently high level for years and has won 13 tournaments on the tour since his first title in 2018 (including ATP Finals 2020 and US Open 2021).
The 26-year-old has been in three Grand Slam finals in the past two years and is considered competitive on all surfaces – even if the clay court is certainly the least conducive to the Russian’s game, as he has bluntly admitted in the past.
Medvedev: sticking point clay court season
“I think my shots and my body don’t fit well on this surface,” Medvedev said before the start of his 2021 clay court season at the Masters in Madrid and continued: “The first week that I arrive on the clay, I hate it everything around me. I hate being on the pitch and it’s very rare for me.”
Medvedev curses the sand: It won’t be great love anymore…
However, he also gets used to the dusty surface, which quickly improves the situation. “What motivates me the most is being able to win games. A couple of years ago I was beating great players on clay, I was in great shape. So I know I’m capable I just have to rediscover the sensations that I find difficult on this surface,” Medvedev said last May.
In the Masters double pack on clay in Madrid and Rome, the Russian won just one match in 2021, at the French Open, the highlight on the red ashes, he made it to the quarterfinals. Nevertheless: The relatively weak results of the previous year offer the chance to score a decent point in the current season.
How long Medvedev can now establish himself at the top of the world rankings depends primarily on how quickly the acclimatization on sand succeeds.
Djokovic and the vaccination issue
Furthermore, the man from Belgrade is not vaccinated against the corona virus, which means that numerous tournaments are missing from the calendar. “It’s not really like I have a lot of choices,” Djokovic explained recently. “At the moment I have to see where I can play at all.”
“Incredible performance”: Djokovic congratulates Nadal on record Grand Slam
The fact is: If Djokovic doesn’t play the big tournaments, he loses a lot of world ranking points due to his outstanding last season with three Grand Slam titles and the final in Flushing Meadows and would probably not be a serious competitor to Medvedev for the tennis throne for the time being.
Zverev soon the first pursuer?
The situation with Alexander Zverev is completely different. The Hamburg player played at the same level as Medvedev and Djokovic last year and won the gold medal at the Olympic Games in Tokyo. At the start of the 2022 season, however, there were two sensitive setbacks for Germany’s best tennis player.
The Zverev scandal in the video: that made him freak out
The gap between Medvedev and Zverev will be 1065 points from Monday, which could well shrink in the clay court season. After all: Zverev was able to win six of his 18 ATP titles on sand, including the Masters in Madrid twice (2018 and 2021) and the Masters in Rome once (2017).
Even if Stefanos Tsitsipas (number four) and Rafael Nadal (number five) are not too far away, tennis fans can get used to the new picture of the world rankings with Medvedev as the industry leader for the time being. Indeed, it smells like the beginning of a new era.
Medvedev shocked by invasion: “Tennis not important”
ATP Dubai
Rublev sets an example after reaching the final: “Please no war”
–
9 HOURS AGO
–
ATP Acapulco
Medvedev and Rublev shocked by Russian invasion of Ukraine
–
17 HOURS AGO
—
