RUSSIAN Daniil Medvedev returned for a second stint as the men’s world No. 1 on Monday, replacing Novak Djokovic at the top of the world rankings.
German Alexander Zverev rose to a career-high second spot with Djokovic slipping to third following his defeat to Rafael Nadal in the quarterfinals of the French Open, which the Serb won last year.
It was the first time since November 2003, that none of Djokovic, Rafael Nadal, Roger Federer, or Andy Murray appeared in the top two rankings spots in the men’s game.
Medvedev, 26, won his maiden major title at last year’s US Open and reached the 2022 Australian Open final. He was glad that his rise to the top spot was “step by step.”
“The number one is really tough because that’s where you need to be consistent throughout 52 weeks,” Medvedev, who lost to Dutch wildcard Tim van Rijthoven in the final of the ATP 250 event in Netherlands on Sunday, told the ATP.
“I would say even if you won two, three slams in a year but then you don’t play any other tournament you’re not going to get to number one.”
Medvedev is yet to win a title in 2022 and he did not hide his disappointment with his performance in recent months.
“At the same time, I still have the points that I earned through the tough process from last 52 weeks and I’m happy that it managed to be enough to be more than any other tennis player in the world right now,” he said. — Reuters
