Daniil Medvedev has put an end this Monday to the monopoly of number 1 which, since 2004, Roger Federer (310 weeks), Rafael Nadal (209) and Novak Djokovic (361). The Russian tennis player has become the first player to enter the exclusive club where in those 18 years he only Andy Murray he had managed to enter 2016 and stay on top for 41 weeks.
“When you’re young, you think it’s impossible, that’s why you dream. But when that is closer to you, you dream less and do more to achieve it… It’s not even a dream anymore, it’s a goal, “he said Medvedev last week after winning their first game in Acapulco.
third russian
Medvedev is the 27 tennis player who is number 1 in the history of the ATP ranking since the classification was created in 1973 and the Romanian Ilie Nastase he was the first to get it. Before the Russian tennis player, his compatriots also achieved it Evgeny Kafelnikov (1999), for six weeks and Marat Safe (2000), for nine weeks.
the reign of Medvedev It seems that it will take a little longer, although his arrival has been helped by the situation experienced by Djokovic who, after being deported from Australia due to not being vaccinated with covid-19, was unable to defend the 2,000 points won last year with his title in Melbourne. The Serbian’s defeat in the Dubai quarterfinals this past week had already certified the momentary end of his dominance at the head of the ATP where he first arrived in July 2011.
On his way to No. 1 since playing his first professional match in 2016 in Nice, Medvedev has won 13 titlesincluding four Masters 1,000 (Cincinnati, Shanghai in 2019, Paris in 2020 and Canada in 2021) along with the Masters (2020), defeating Djokovic, Nadal already Thiem in the final and the US Open (2021), where he struck down Djokovic in three sets, preventing the Serbian from conquering the coveted Grand Slam.
Djokovic, 150 points
Medvedev He reaches the top thanks to those triumphs despite losing this year the final of the Australian Open against Nadal and falling in the semifinals of Acapulco, also against the Spanish tennis player. “He deserves more than anyone to be number 1. I will be the first to congratulate him,” he assured Djokovic upon his arrival in Dubai last week, aware that it was not in his hands to defend his reign.
With 8,615 points Medvedev exceeds by 150 points Djokovic, who will not be able to recover number 1 by not being able to play the Masters 1,000 in Indian Wells or Miami for not being vaccinated with covid-19. The 26-year-old Russian tennis player makes sure to maintain his privileged position at least until Monte Carlo, where Alexander Zverevthird at 1,100 points AND Nadalfourth at 2,100 points, would have mathematical options to unseat him, if Medvedev fails to add 330 points in those three tournaments.
ALL ISSUE 1’S (FROM 1973)
Player 1st time n.1. weeks N.1
1. Ilie Nastase (Rum) August 1973 40
2. John Newcombe (Aus) June 1974 8
3. Jimmy Connors (EEUU) Julio 1974 268
4. Bjorn Borg (Sue). August 1977 109
5. John McEnroe (USA). March 1980 170
6. Ivan Lendl (Che). February 1983 270
7. Mats Wilander (Sue) September 1988 20
8. Stefan Edberg (Sue) August 1990 72
9. Boris Becker (Ale) Enero 1991 12
10. Jim Courier (USA) February 1992 58
11. Pete Sampras (USA) April 1993 286
12. Andre Agassi (USA) April 1995 101
13. Thomas Muster (Aut). February 1996 6
14. Marcelo Ríos (Chi) March 1998 6
15. Carlos Moyà (Esp) March 1999 2
16. Evgeny Kafelnikov (Rus) Mayo 1999 6
17. Patrick Rafter (Aus) July 1999 1
18. Marat Safin (Rus) November 2000 9
19. Gustavo Kuerten (Bra) December 2000 43
20. Lleyton Hewitt (Aus). November 2001 80
21. Juan Carlos Ferrero (Esp) September 2003 8
22. Andy Roddick (USA) November 2003 13
23. Roger Federer (Sui) February 2004 310
24. Rafael Nadal (Spain) August 2008 209
25. Novak Djokovic (Ser) Julio 2011 361
26. Andy Murray (GB) November 2016 41
27. Daniil Medvedev (Rus) February 2022 1
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