Can Daniil Medvedev Become World No.1? Safin Thinks So!

Former World no.1, Marat Safin has full faith that fellow countryman Daniil Medvedev can become world number one. 

A two-time Grand Slam champion, Safin has been appointed as the captain of the Russian ATP Cup squad which will see Medvedev attempt to steer his country to victory.

World no. 5, Medvedev, had an incredible 59 ATP match wins last season and already has seven ATP titles to his name. In 2018, he won in Sydney, Winston-Salem and Tokyo and this year, he won the titles in Sofia and St. Petersburg. He also won two ATP Masters titles this year in Cincinnati and Shanghai.

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Medvedev reached the finals of the US Open this year but lost to current world no.1, Rafael Nadal in an impressive match where he played for more than four hours despite starting two sets down. 

This year, Medvedev reached the finals of six ATP tour titles consecutively and was in the best form of his career, reaching a career-high rank of world no.4 showing a promising future for the young Russian. 

Safin believes that Medvedev will follow in his footsteps and become the second Russian to top the world ATP rankings.

He said:

“His all-around game… we just need to work on certain small things. I’m sure that his coach knows what to do and I wish him the best to start the year well by winning the ATP Cup.”

Medvedev has already earned himself a spot in the Top 5 and has promised to work much harder for the next season after his poor ending to this season by losing four matches consecutively.

The Russian has also been nominated for The Most Improved Player of the Year in the 2019 ATP Awards alongside Felix Auger- Aliassime, Matteo Berrettini and Stefanos Tsitsipas. Medvedev ranked at 16 at the end of 2018 and fought his way through to world no.5 at the end of this season.

Medvedev is confirmed to play in the World Tennis Championships in Abu Dhabi from December 19 with Rafael Nadal, Novak Djokovic, Stefanos Tsitsipas and Gael Monfils. Perhaps this may be a preview of Medvedev’s form for the new season and will be an event to look out for.