Daniil Medvedev: Why is he losing No.1 ranking to Novak Djokovic after Indian Wells and how can he get it back in Miami?
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Updated 15/03/2022 at 09:31 GMT
Why is Daniil Medvedev losing the world No.1 ranking to Novak Djokovic after Indian Wells and how can he get it back at the Miami Open? Medvedev's third-round loss to Gael Monfils means that Djokovic will move back to the top of the ATP rankings next week. However, Medvedev has a chance to return with a good performance in Miami.
Highlights: Medvedev loses ATP No.1 ranking after defeat to Monfils at Indian Wells
Daniil Medvedev’s first reign as world No.1 will be short-lived.
Medvedev replaced Novak Djokovic at the top of the ATP world rankings on Monday, February 28 and was playing his first tournament as No.1 this week at the BNP Paribas Open at Indian Wells.
But his third-round defeat to world No.28 Gael Monfils means that Djokovic will reclaim top spot next week, even though he is not playing Indian Wells or the Miami Open due to being unvaccinated and unable to travel to the United States.
Why is Medvedev losing the world No.1 spot?
Medvedev is falling from No.1 because he has 250 points dropping from his ranking total next week, and his early exit at Indian Wells means he will not make them up there.
He will move to 8410 total ranking points when the rankings are calculated next Monday, 55 points behind Djokovic.
“Is it better to be No. 1 for, let’s say one week in your life, or never touch it?” Medvedev said after his loss to Monfils.
“I think it’s still better to at least touch it.
“Well, now I know I’m going to lose it, so I have Miami to try to get it back. Usually feeling a little bit better in Miami in terms of tennis, so we’ll try to play good there. I thought it could give me more motivation, well, I had motivation. It’s just that, yeah, I didn’t find my best tennis.”
Rafael Nadal could overtake Alexander Zverev as world No.3 if he continues his perfect start to the year. He is 17-0 for the season after beating Dan Evans in the third round at Indian Wells.
How can Medvedev return to No.1?
Medvedev has an opportunity to return to the top of the rankings by the end of the month.
He is playing the ATP 1000 Miami Open, which starts on March 23, and a run to the semi-finals would earn him enough points to overtake Djokovic.
Medvedev made the quarter-finals in Miami last year, losing to Roberto Bautista Agut, and will be the top seed as Djokovic won’t be playing.
If Medvedev loses before the quarter-finals then Djokovic will be No.1 when he returns to the court for the Monte-Carlo Masters on April 10.
Before losing to Monfils, Medvedev’s only two defeats this year had both come against Nadal, in the final of the Australian Open and semi-finals of the Mexican Open. He says his short spell at the top of the rankings is a reminder of the remarkable consistency that Nadal, Djokovic and Roger Federer have shown over the last 15 years.
“I always say, when I play my best tennis, my good tennis, it’s really tough to beat me,” Medvedev said.
“But that’s the toughest part of tennis is to reproduce it time after time. That’s where the Big Three are just unreal because no matter which conditions, no matter which surface, they are always winning tournaments a lot of the time or winning some crazy matches. Yeah, I’m going to need to try to do better.
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“So I’m going to try my best, on the practice courts, on the matches, Grand Slams, Masters Series, to win as many tournaments and gain as many points and try to be world No.1 for a long time.
“You never know how your career's going to turn. I want to try to be better than I was here, maybe fighting better. If it doesn't happen, I think it’s the same. But the top 100, the top 10, some people stay there for a long time, some people do not. I think to have this achievement in your career is definitely still a good thing.”
Where is Medvedev in all-time world No.1 standings?
With three weeks spent as world No.1, Medvedev’s stint at the top of the rankings is the third-shortest in ATP history behind Pat Rafter (one week) and Carlos Moya (two weeks).
If he returns to the top of the rankings after Miami he could then soon overtake fellow Russian Yevgeny Kafelnikov, Marcelo Rios and Thomas Muster in the all-time standings.
The trio all spent six weeks at the top, just behind Juan Carlos Ferrero and John Newcombe (both eight), and another Russian, Marat Safin (9).
Djokovic holds the record for most weeks as No.1 with 361 and he will extend that this month.
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