Russian ace Medvedev reclaims first place in world

Daniil Medvedev has officially regained his place as world number one in the updated ATP ratings, marking the second time the Russian star has topped the men’s tennis rankings ahead of the likes of Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal.

Medvedev moved to the top of the stack on Monday with 7,950 points. The 26-year-old replaces Djokovic, who slipped to third overall with 6,770 points, while Germany’s Alexander Zverev climbed into second with 7,075.

Spanish grandmaster Rafael Nadal – who has made a remarkable start to 2022 by winning both Grand Slam titles on offer – is fourth on 6,525 points.

Due to the ATP ranking system, 2021 US Open winner Medvedev is enjoying the fruits of his efforts over the previous 52 weeks.

Medvedev had spent a three-week stint as world number one earlier this year when he overtook Djokovic in February, making the Russian the first man outside of Djokovic, Nadal, Roger Federer, and Andy Murray to climb the rankings since 2004.

The current ranking marks the first time since 2003 that none of Djokovic, Nadal, and Federer have occupied at least one of the top two spots in the standings.

Medvedev has had a mixed start to the current season after beating Nadal in an epic Australian Open final but mostly struggling in subsequent tournaments before announcing a break for hernia surgery in early April.

The Russian was back in time for the French Open but only made it to the fourth round on his least favorite surface.

Medvedev returned to the grass field in ‘s-Hertogenbosch in the Netherlands last week and reached the final at the Libema Open before being shocked by Dutch wildcard Tim van Rijthoven on Sunday.

The Russian took the defeat with flying colors and congratulated Van Rijthoven by saying: “Amazing week. [You] destroyed world No. 2 in straight sets in the final so I guess it must be a good feeling!”

“A great match today. let it go I remember you from juniors, you have the talent so now you need to do more games like this and more tournaments like this. Congratulations to you and your team.”

While the lawn swing is underway, Medvedev and his Russian counterparts will be banned from playing the biggest event on the surface after Wimbledon organizers ruled that Russian and Belarusian players would not be invited due to the conflict in Ukraine.

In terms of rankings, it’s a blow for the likes of Djokovic, who will lose the 2,000 points he secured by winning the Wimbledon title last year, despite the Serb losing the London Grand Slam over his ban on Russian and Belarusian stars sharply criticized.

ATP chairman Andrea Gaudenzi recently signaled the organization would be ready to reverse its stance if Wimbledon relents, while Medvedev has also hinted he would still be keen to play if given the chance.

However, a change of heart from Wimbledon organizers, the All England Club, seems unlikely as the SW19 showpiece begins on June 27.

Elsewhere in the ATP rankings, Russia’s Andrey Rublev retained his place in the top 10 and currently sits in eighth place with 4,125 points.