via Reuters
Tennis – Australian Open – Melbourne Park, Melbourne, Australia – January 28, 2022 Russia’s Daniil Medvedev celebrates winning his semi final match against Greece’s Stefanos Tsitsipas REUTERS/Loren Elliott
via Reuters
Tennis – Australian Open – Melbourne Park, Melbourne, Australia – January 28, 2022 Russia’s Daniil Medvedev celebrates winning his semi final match against Greece’s Stefanos Tsitsipas REUTERS/Loren Elliott
It was a case of “so close, yet so far” for Russia’s Daniil Medvedev at the Australian Open 2022. He came agonizingly close to winning his second Grand Slam title. But the ‘King of Clay’, Rafael Nadal, showed why he’s one of the greatest of all time, and fought till the very end to enter the history books. The Spaniard became the first man to lift 21 Grand Slam singles titles.
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Despite losing the summit clash, Medvedev would be satisfied with his performance at the Grand Slam Down Under. He put on some valiant performances en route to the final. In the quarter-finals, he came back from two sets down to defeat Felix Auger-Aliassime in a five-setter thriller. His consistent showing at Slams has earned him a shot at the Number 1 spot in the ATP rankings.
via Reuters
Tennis – Australian Open – Men’s Singles Final – Melbourne Park, Melbourne, Australia – January 30, 2022. Russia’s Daniil Medvedev in action during the final against Spain’s Rafael Nadal REUTERS/Asanka Brendon Ratnayake
Daniil Medvedev can reach the top spot by the end of February
The Russian has a chance to topple Novak Djokovic from the top spot. The Serb was deported from Australia and as a result, he couldn’t defend his title Down Under, and subsequently, he lost 2000 ranking points. If Medvedev wins the Abierto Mexicano tournament, he will become the 27th player to claim the top spot. This will end Djokovic’s stay at the top for a record 361 weeks in total.
USA Today via Reuters
Sep 12, 2021; Flushing, NY, USA; Novak Djokovic of Serbia (L) congratulates Daniil Medvedev of Russia (R) 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: Robert Deutsch-USA TODAY Sports
However, Medvedev can reach the top spot even if he fails to win a title in Mexico, provided other scenarios go in his favor. Novak Djokovic will be playing at the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships in the same week Medvedev plays in Mexico.
If the Russian reaches the final in Mexico, he can claim the No. 1 ranking if Djokovic does not win the Dubai title. Further, if Djokovic loses in the Dubai semifinals, Medvedev will be World Number 1 if he reaches the Acapulco semifinals.
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If the Serb does not reach the Dubai semifinals, Medvedev will be guaranteed the top spot if he reaches at least the second round in Mexico. Lastly, Djokovic would have to surrender the top spot if he does not reach the Dubai quarterfinals, regardless of Medvedev’s result.
Depende de sí mismo 😱
Mira cómo @DaniilMedwed puede desplazar a Djokovic en el Ranking ATP a final de mes
— ATP Tour en Español (@ATPTour_ES) February 13, 2022
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It will be interesting to see who will be the top men’s player between the two at the end of this month. Who is your pick for the top spot? Let us know in the comments below.
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