Mats Wilandertechnical analyst at Eurosport, pulls out the scalpel to break down the new number one condition of Daniil Medvedev, and that he achieved in the last Acapulco tournament to the detriment of Novak Djokovic. Wilander believes that he has the right consistency and that by virtue of that he deserves to be at the top but points out that he lacks superiority over his rivals in all conditions and surfaces, he still sees him as somewhat fragile and vulnerable in that sense.
Best tennis player by ranking, but not so much the best tennis player on a day-to-day basis
I think that having Daniil Medvedev as number one in the world means that he is the most consistent player in the last 12 months from where we can count the ranking. Is he the best tennis player in the world on a day-to-day basis? Yes, some days he is, but obviously losing to Rafa Nadal 6-3 6-3 in Acapulco does not mean that he is the best player every single day. In terms of consistency, he deserves this where he is.
The ‘Big Four’ can still give a lot of war even if it has been displaced
Obviously we have also realized that the best tennis era of all time with Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic and of course Andy Murray is coming to an end. One of them will probably last a few more years, but not all four. Daniil Medvedev, he is probably the player we sponsor as the one who will be there, ahead of other youngsters like Alexander Zverev or Stefanos Tsitsipas. And for me this is something natural, it is something healthy for men’s tennis, but it does not mean that the Big Four is out of the picture, I am sure that they will continue to fight there and will continue to be very difficult to beat in five sets. This motivates them to persevere and increase their level of tennis because being number one in the world is something that is still part of their goals. It is why all four still continue to have dreams of improving and being better tennis players.
The two realities of the ranking and being number one in the world
I think Daniil Medvedev will find out how to take advantage of being number one in the world and how that can help him. It is evident that you are the focus of everyone when you are number one, everyone wants to beat you. It’s the biggest victory his rivals can get, beating number one. From my own experience when I became number one in 1988 after winning the US Open and beat number one at the time, Ivan Lendl. After that, I won three Grand Slams in a single year and I was number one clearly in terms of level of tennis. But while I lasted as number one, 20 weeks, I wasn’t the best player in the world, I didn’t really deserve to be considered the best tennis player in the world, but I did deserve it because of my consistency during the previous 12 months. I think he can be number one in different ways. I feel like Medvedev deserves it, but then going out on the court and being number one every day, maybe he needs to win two more Grand Slams while he’s still number one. But that’s how rankings work. That’s how the computer system does it and if you play a lot of tournaments and are consistent, you deserve to be the best. Of course, it should never be confused with being the best really today and being the best during the last 12 months, there is a big difference between these two realities.
The defeat with Nadal in Acapulco leaves much to be desired
Losing to Rafa Nadal in Acapulco with those humid conditions, the balls didn’t fly in the air as fast as they usually do, like they did for example in Australia. The track was very slow. I think that in Acapulco, you can easily explain why Medvedev lost because of the conditions. And this is his problem, so he cannot be considered the best tennis player in the world every day, no matter what surface or what conditions. That did not happen when Roger Federer, Rafa Nadal or Novak Djokovic were number one in the world. They were often the favorites in every tournament they played, be it hard, clay or grass. This is not the case for Medvedev. He still has a certain way to go. That match against Nadal in Acapulco shows that he is not that far from level on the court. But he can be the best over any of the Big Four on any surface.
