Medvedev: ‘It’ll be hard to become World’s No. 1 while Djokovic and Nadal still on courts’

MOSCOW, November 23. /TASS/. Clinching the top spot in the ATP (the Association of Tennis Professionals) World Rankings will be extremely hard, while Novak Djokovic of Serbia and Spain’s Rafael Nadal are still hitting the tennis courts, Russian tennis star Daniil Medvedev told TASS on Monday. Medvedev currently occupies 4th place in the ATP World Rankings with 8,470 points, as Djokovic ranks first with 12,030 points, while Nadal trails behind in second place with 9,850 points. "It’s still a long way to get to the top of the line [in the ATP World Rankings]," Medvedev said in an online interview with TASS. "You have to complete the season better than all the rest to become the World’s No. 1 and sometimes 8,000 points can be sufficient but on other occasions 12,000 points are not enough," he continued. "It all depends on me, the more tournaments that I’ll have like in Paris and London, the more chances I’ll get to top of the ATP rankings." "However, it will be more complicated to achieve this aim with Rafa [Rafael Nadal], Roger [Federer] and Novak [Djokovic] still locking horns on the courts, but I will try to do my best," Medvedev added. Late Sunday, Medvedev won the ATP Finals in London, securing a 4-6, 7-6 (7-2), 6-4 victory over Austria’s Dominic Thiem. It was the first win for the 24-year-old Russian tennis star in his second-time appearance at the ATP Finals tournament. On their path to the finals, both Thiem and Medvedev enjoyed victories over Serbian player Novak Djokovic and Spanish national Rafael Nadal. Last year, Medvedev lost three games at the ATP Finals finishing at the bottom of the Group Stage during his inaugural appearance at this prestigious tennis tournament. This year, the Russian national won all three matches within the Group Stage. The ATP Finals tournament was held during the week of November 15-22, 2020 in London and the competition had $5.7 million in prize money up for grabs. This high-profile sporting event is now scheduled to move to Italy’s Turin in 2021. Earlier this month, Medvedev took home his first title this season, winning the 2020 Paris Masters title. In his final match on November 8, the Russian tennis star snatched a comeback victory of 5-7, 6-4, 6-1 over Germany’s Alexander Zverev. Medvedev is now the fourth Russian to win the Paris tournament, after Marat Safin (2000, 2002, 2004), Nikolai Davydenko (2006) and Karen Khachanov (2018). In early September, Medvedev reached the semifinals stage of the 2020 US Open, where he lost in three sets to Dominic Thiem of Austria 2-6; 6-7 (7-9); 6-7 (5-7). The Austrian player eventually won the Grand Slam tournament in the United States defeating Germany’s Alexander Zverev in the final. Medvedev made global headlines in the summer of 2019 with his maiden Grand Slam final appearance at the US Open, losing a dramatic five-set thriller to Spain’s Rafael Nadal. Read more