Daniil Medvedev Regains No.2 Spot After Rafael Nadal’s Loss to Alexander Zverev

World number three Daniil Medvedev planned to make a solid comeback on the clay courts this year after a brief break to his tour as he tested positive for Covid-19. As a result, he skipped both Monte-Carlo Masters and Barcelona Open, got pulled down by Rafael Nadal in the ATP rankings; the Spaniard is currently ranked number two.

Daniil Medvedev had a dismal run at the Mutua Madrid Open 2021

After his defeat to Cristian Garin in the third round of the Madrid Open, the chances of Medvedev reaching the number two spot became thin. But, luck favored the Russian in the form of Alexander Zverev. The German defeated Rafael Nadal in straight sets 6-4,6-4, in the quarter-finals of the Madrid Masters.

Also read: “Court Is Damaged”: Daniil Medvedev Complains at Mutua Madrid Open 2021 While Bagging His First Clay-Court Win in 739 Days

Rafael Nadal currently has 9810 points had entered Madrid, intending to defend the 180 points he earned at the same tournament in 2019, where he reached the semi-finals.

After an abysmal performance against Zverev today, the Spaniard failed to reach the semis and is all set to lose the 180 points he had to defend. This loss brings down his total points earned to 9630 when the updated ranking points release on Monday(10/05/2021).

On the other hand, Medvedev gains 80 points and takes his tally to 9780 points. The Russian had a tough comeback at the Madrid Masters as he struggled to find his range right from the first match.

Medvedev can hold onto his No.2 spot if he plays well at Rome

During his second-round match against Davidovich Fokina, the Russian vocally expressed his displeasure towards the red-dirt. Even in his third-round match against Garin, Medvedev argued with fans in the stadium.

Garin, being a clay courter took advantage of the surface and outplayed the Russian with his strong baseline play and defeated Medvedev in three sets 6-4,6-7, 6-1.

Coming to Rafael Nadal, he will still be seeded number two for the Rome Masters as the tournament’s draw takes place tomorrow, and the updated rankings will reflect from Monday(10/05/2021) onwards.

The rankings tussle between Medvedev and Nadal will get intriguing in the coming weeks. If Medvedev can show an improvement on the red turf at the Rome Masters, Nadal will be seeded number three at Roland Garros as he will be defending a total of 910 points in Italy.

Also read: How Can Daniil Medvedev Topple Novak Djokovic From ATP’s Summit After Mutua Madrid Open and Italian Open 2021?