Since 2003, Tennis fans have lived one of the most prolific eras of this sport. Three absolute All-Time-Greatest, Roger Federer, Novak Djokovic, and Rafael Nadel have fought endlessly for the supremacy of the ATP Ranking. With them still active so far, only two players have been able to steal the top of the hill from them: the latest, Russian Daniil Medvedev.
The 26-years-old player is having the time of his life not only because he is enjoying the Acapulco sea while he advances in the Mexican Open, but due to Djokovic's recent fall against Jiri Vesely in the Quarter Finals of the Dubai Tennis Championships, a move that immediately puts him at the top of the ATP Ranking.
Nole has imposed a record as the player with the most weeks being the No.1 of the Ranking with 361, 79 of them consecutive since he pulled Rafael Nadal off the top on February 2020. However, the Serbian is still far away from the 237 weeks in a row Swiss Roger Federer remained at the top of the Tennis hill, from February 2004 to August 2008.
The last player that occupied the No.1 spot in the ATP Ranking before Federer, Djokovic, and Nadal
Before Roger Federer became the first place of the Tennis World Ranking in February 2004, with Rafael Nadal, and Djokovic still on their way to be able to dispute the crown with the Swiss, the King of the sport was American Andy Roddick. The Nebraska native had been on the spot for 13 weeks (November 2003 to February 2004).
The call to be the heir of Pete Sampras and Andre Agassi as the best American Tennis player was a curious case because he only could play 5 Grand Slams' finals, being able to only win one, the first one he disputed: the US Open in 2003 against Spanish Juan Carlos Ferrero.
Who has been able to take away the No.1 place of ATP's Ranking to Federer, Nadal, and Djokovic?
Prior to Daniil Medvedev, only one Tennis player has been able to displace the members of the Big Three out of the top of the ATP Ranking. It happened from November 2016 to August 2017 and it was the British Andy Murray, who has spent 41 weeks on the throne.
Murray conquered 3 Grand Slam titles during his career: the US Open of 2012 (against Djokovic), and the 2013 and 2016 Wimbledon editions (vs. Djokovic, and Milos Raonic, respectively). The right-handed Glasgow native also boasts two Olympic gold medals in singles: London 2012 (where he defeated Roger Federer) and Rio 2016.
Daniil Medvedev's achievments so far
Moscow's pride is just the third Russian to accomplish the feat of being the World's Best Tennis Player. The first one was Yevgeny Kafelnikov, who remained at the top of the ATP Ranking from May to June 1999. Then, Marat Safin held that honor but only two weeks, from November 20 to December 3, 2000.
Medvedev's history on the Grand Slams tells he won the US Open of 2021 and became the runner-up of the Australian ones of 2021 and 2022; in Roland Garros, he has only been able to reach the Quarter Finals (2021), and in Wimbledon, only the Fourth Round.
