Novak Djokovic Continues To Grace at World No.1 Spot As Daniil Medvedev Surrenders to Hubert Hurkacz at Miami Open 2022

In an intriguing quarterfinal at the Miami Masters, Hubert Hurkacz?toppled Daniil Medvedev 7-6(7), 6-3 in just over two hours to maintain his unbeaten streak in Miami since 2021. The Pole made a promising start to the contest, racing to a 3-0 lead in the opening set. Despite being down 2-5 in the first set, Medvedev showed resilience to push the set into a tiebreak. However, Hurkacz’s aggression and his ability to finish the points at the net bamboozled Medvedev. Eventually, the Pole edged past Medvedev 9-7 in the tiebreak to seal the opening set.

After losing the opening set, things went from bad to worse for Medvedev. He appeared physically spent during the second set and plenty of unforced errors from his racquet helped Hurkacz to take the second set 6-3.

The match was extremely important as far as Medvedev is concerned. Had he beaten Hurkacz to reach the semifinals, he would have reclaimed the World No.1 spot from Novak Djokovic. However, with his loss, another chance goes begging for the reigning US Open champion.

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Daniil Medvedev and his run at the World No.1 spot

Daniil Medvedev recently became the World No.1? during his semifinal run in Acapulco, dethroning Novak Djokovic for the first time ever in his career. However, his stay at the top spot was short-lived as he suffered an early exit at the Indian Wells Masters, the first tournament that he played after as the World No.1. At the ongoing Miami Masters 1000, Medvedev had another chance to return to the top spot. However, his quarterfinal exit at the hands of Hurkacz brings an end to his quest for the top spot, at least for this week in Miami.

How are things shaping up for Novak Djokovic?

20-time Grand Slam champion, Novak Djokovic, whose top spot was under threat this week in Miami is expected to return to the tour at Monte Carlo Masters. With the French government relaxing the vaccine mandate, there is finally some hope for the Serb. He should be aiming to recover the lost ground during the upcoming clay season in the lead-up to Roland Garros, where he is the defending champion.

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With clay not being Medvedev’s favored surface, Djokovic certainly has a chance to once again consolidate his position at the top spot. Djokovic suffered a Round-of-16 exit at the Principality last year. As a result, he does not have a lot of points to defend at Monte Carlo Masters. A deep run in Monaco this year will only help him solidify his position at the No.1 spot.