'Happy to Reach No 1': Daniil Medvedev Speaks Out on Replacing Djokovic as Top-Ranked Player
16:03 GMT 25.02.2022 (Updated: 11:44 GMT 10.12.2022)
© REUTERS / HENRY ROMERO
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Novak Djokovic's anti-vaccination stance has cost him dear: first the Serb lost the chance to become the first man to claim 21 Grand Slam titles after his controversial deportation from Australia. Now he has been knocked off his perch as the top-ranked men's tennis player as Daniil Medvedev replaces him as No 1.
Russian superstar Daniil Medvedev has expressed his joy at becoming the new World No 1 after the current holder and 20-time Grand Slam champion Novak Djokovic lost to Czech qualifier Jiri Vesely in Dubai, bringing an end to his four-year reign atop the official ATP rankings.
The reigning French Open and Wimbledon champion sat at the peak of the sport for 132 consecutive weeks since May 2018. Overall, Djokovic has held on to the No 1 ranking for a record 361 weeks.
Djokovic's defeat in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) also ensured that Medvedev will become the 27th player in the history of tennis to be crowned No 1.
But what is significant is that the Moscow-born star's accession will end the dominance of the Big Four on the rankings. Since 2004, no player other than Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal, Novak Djokovic and Andy Murray has climbed to the top of the ATP charts.
"Of course, I'm happy to reach No 1," Medvedev said of his historic feat. "It was my goal since I was young."
The reigning French Open and Wimbledon champion sat at the peak of the sport for 132 consecutive weeks since May 2018. Overall, Djokovic has held on to the No 1 ranking for a record 361 weeks.
Djokovic's defeat in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) also ensured that Medvedev will become the 27th player in the history of tennis to be crowned No 1.
But what is significant is that the Moscow-born star's accession will end the dominance of the Big Four on the rankings. Since 2004, no player other than Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal, Novak Djokovic and Andy Murray has climbed to the top of the ATP charts.
"Of course, I'm happy to reach No 1," Medvedev said of his historic feat. "It was my goal since I was young."
Medvedev is at present competing in the Mexico Open in Acapulco where he's set to face Nadal in the semi-finals. The Spaniard defeated him in an epic final at the Australian Open last month to make history in Melbourne.
