Daniil Medvedev is officially the new number one in world tennis, displacing Novak Djokovic from the top.
The 26-year-old Russian won the US Open last year and reached the final of this year’s Australian Open.
Djokovic slipped to second place having only participated in a single tournament this season due to his refusal to be vaccinated against COVID-19. The Serb was unable to compete in Australia, clearing the way for Rafael Nadal to take his 21st grand slam title and stand alone at the top of the list of players with the most major titles.
For the first time since February 2004, when Andy Roddick briefly topped the rankings, the world number one is not Djokovic, Nadal, Roger Federer or Andy Murray.
Medvedev is the third Russian to lead the standings. So did Yevgeny Kafelnikov and Marat Safin.
“Of course I am happy. It has been my goal since I was young,” Medvedev said.
Djokovic had been at the top of the rankings since February 3, 2020. He had been at the top for 361 weeks, the longest since the rankings were computerized in 1973.
The Serb called Medvedev “very deserving” of number one in a tweet last week.
“It’s good for tennis that there is a new number one,” Jiri Vesely said after defeating Djokovic in the Dubai Championships quarterfinals last Thursday, which ensured Medvedev would move to the top of the standings.
Medvedev is a very tall player (1.98 meters, 6-6 feet) and has an unorthodox style. He exploits his height well to make winning shots and changes tactics in the middle of the game.
He has played in four major finals, winning one: He defeated Djokovic at the 2021 US Open. He fell to Nadal in the 2019 US Open and 2022 Australian Open finals, and to Djokovic in last year’s Australian Open.
The Russian has 13 titles, including four Master 1000 tournaments and the 2020 ATP Finals.
Alexander Zverev remains third and Nadal moved up to fourth after winning the Mexican Open this weekend, in which he beat Medvedev in the semifinals. The Spaniard has 15 wins without losses so far this year.
In the women’s branch, Ash Barty remains first and Barbora Krejcikova moved up to second place, displacing Aryna Sabalenka to third. Iga Swiatek, for her part, climbed four positions and was fourth.
