Although Daniil Medvedev didn’t take victory in his last outing at Indian Wells in October, it hasn’t stopped him aiming for the top as soon as he can. The Russian World number 2 has had another very good year on the tour, picking up the US Open title to go with the ATP Masters 1000 in Canada as well as winning tournaments in Mallorca and Marseille.
Despite his successes this season, Medvedev still finds himself quite some way behind world number 1, Novak Djokovic, in the rankings. The Serbian occupies the top spot in world tennis largely due to his haul of three major wins in 2021. Now, with only a handful of point scoring tournaments remaining before the turn of the year, it seems extremely unlikely that the Russian will unseat Djokovic from his throne.
However, the 25-year-old is determined to get his name in that number 1 spot over the coming months as he admitted it’s his ambition.
“Becoming the No 1 in the world is still the goal,” he said. “Though Novak did not play several Masters this year, he won three Slams and was in the final of the fourth, so it is logical that he is still No 1.
“If I’ll catch up with him this year, excellent, but if not I will try to do it down the road.”
Just down that road is the Australian Open, a tournament Medvedev was so close to winning at the start of 2021. Eventually succumbing to Djokovic in the final, the Russian is looking to go one better this time around and he’s in good shape to do so. The latest tennis odds from Coral have installed last year’s runner up as the second favourite for the upcoming tournament in Melbourne.
Of course, a lot of this also depends on whether Djokovic will take part in the first Grand Slam of 2022. As it was recently revealed by the Australian Immigration Minister, Alex Hawke, that the Serbian won’t be able to enter the country unless he’s fully vaccinated against Covid-19. But Djokovic isn’t prepared to disclose whether he has been immunised, as he believes it’s a private matter.
Djokovic is aiming to become the outright most successful Grand Slam player in the history of the game, as he’s currently level with Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer with 20 Grand Slam titles to their name. Although it’s not confirmed either way if Djokovic will play in the Southern Hemisphere, it’s not entirely surprising to see him still as the favourite to retain his crown.
The Australian Open is the one slam which Djokovic has won the most, since winning his first as a 20-year-old back in 2008, the world number one has since added eight more to his name. Make no mistake, the Serbian is desperate to make that ten wins in the Rod Laver Arena next year.
But even if Djokovic does get there, he’ll find an opponent in Medvedev who is not only aiming for the title, he’s also determined to be the top dog in world tennis, too. With the tournament taking place in mid to late January 2022, a win for the Russian would also be the perfect 26th birthday present for him to celebrate with a week or so later.
Sometimes things just come together at the right time, and this could be the year for Medvedev to achieve his ultimate goal.