USA Today via Reuters
Sep 12, 2021; Flushing, NY, USA; (L-R) Novak Djokovic of Serbia and Daniil Medvedev of Russia celebrate with the finalist and championship trophies, respectively, after their match in the men’s singles final on day fourteen of the 2021 U.S. Open tennis tournament at USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center. Mandatory Credit: Danielle Parhizkaran-USA TODAY Sports
USA Today via Reuters
Sep 12, 2021; Flushing, NY, USA; (L-R) Novak Djokovic of Serbia and Daniil Medvedev of Russia celebrate with the finalist and championship trophies, respectively, after their match in the men’s singles final on day fourteen of the 2021 U.S. Open tennis tournament at USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center. Mandatory Credit: Danielle Parhizkaran-USA TODAY Sports
Russian tennis player Daniil Medvedev is one of the most lethal athletes on the tour. With each year passing by, he has been growing immensely as a top player in the game. In the previous season, Medvedev was the only player that managed to win a Grand Slam title, having beaten World No. 1, Novak Djokovic, in the final of the US Open.
If there has been any player that has come close to dethroning Djokovic from the top spot of the ATP rankings, it has been the Russian player.
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Novak Djokovic not being present has opened doors for others
With Djokovic being absent from the Australian Open 2022, the chances of Medvedev capturing the top spot from him have increased. The Serb, being the defending champion, will lose a huge number of points.
Since Novak won’t be competing in Melbourne, he will lose 2000 points as he won the tournament last year. On the other hand, Daniil was the finalist and will be defending 1200 points.
However, if he manages to reach the semifinal, which will hand him 720 points, 480 points less than last season, he still would surge ahead of the Serb as the points lost by Djokovic would be huge.
via Reuters
Tennis – ATP Masters 1000 – Paris Masters – Accor Arena, Paris, France – November 7, 2021 Russia’s Daniil Medvedev congratulates Serbia’s Novak Djokovic on winning the final match REUTERS/Christian Hartmann
Too much trouble for the Serb mentally
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Speaking about recent developments in the game, Djokovic arrived in Australia with an exemption from competing. However, there was a lot of activity taking place in his situation, and even had his visa was canceled twice.
After failing to overcome the latest ruling, Novak was forced to leave Australia. Sadly, he won’t be competing in Melbourne anytime soon.
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On the other hand, this development leaves the door open for many top players to make an impact during the first Grand Slam season of the year. It will be interesting to see how Daniil performs during the two weeks. The Australian Open 2022 begins tomorrow and we wish all players the best of luck.
