“A lot of legends haven’t made it to number one” Daniil Medvedev shuts down critics for mocking his 2-week stay as World No. 1
Follow Us
Daniil Medvedev
World No. 2 Daniil Medvedev is back on track on his quest to recapture the position as the top-ranked player. Having reached the top of the rankings on 28th February 2022 after his semi-final run at the 2022 Acapulco Open, Medvedev lost his top spot after he was defeated in the 3rd round of the 2022 Indian Wells Masters.
With only a handful of points between him and Novak Djokovic when he replaced the Serbian at the top, despite Novak not playing at the tournament, Medvedev fell a place in the rankings as he reached the 4th round of Indian Wells last year but could not improve or match the result, hence dropping down to the second place only after staying 2 weeks at the top.
While the see-saw battle between him and Novak will continue for a while before either of the two players takes a big lead by winning some big tournaments, Medvedev received criticism and trolling for being replaced from the top in just two weeks, especially with Novak not being active on the Tour during then. Daniil however has hit back on many of these critics in his own style.
Currently playing at the 2022 Miami Masters where, if he reaches the semi-finals this week, he will be crowned the World No 1 once again, Medvedev is into the third round after starting his campaign with a straight-set win over former Miami champion and former World No. 1 Andy Murray in the second round. Being asked the question once again about his ranking, Medvedev slammed his critics with a fitting reply.
“I was number one. It’s something that no one can take away from me, it’s done. Although it was only two weeks, but I was there. A lot of great players, legends of our sport haven’t made it to number one, so I’m happy about that. When I lost in Indian Wells after not playing well, I went back to the practice court with the aim of making the semifinals in Miami and recovering it,” said Medvedev during the press conference as reported by journalist Mario Boccardi.
Daniil Medvedev is yet to reach the semis in Miami Masters
However, the path won’t be easy for the Russian player who is yet to go past the quarter-finals of the tournament reaching the last-8 in 2021. He is making his 4th appearance at the tournament this year and will need to secure his best result at the tournament to claim the World No. 1 rank back.
Medvedev however has a tough draw on the way to the semi-finals. With a third-round meeting against Pedro Martinez next, Medvedev will play the winner of the match between Jenson Brooksby and Roberto Bautista Agut with Brooksby looking n great form currently. In the quarter-finals, he can expect defending champion Hubert Hurkacz which will be yet another big test for Daniil.
Upon reaching the semis, he is guaranteed to reclaim the top spot and can focus on winning yet another Masters title and his first in Miami. He is likely to face Stefanos Tsitsipas in the semi-finals and Alexander Zverev in the finals, if the top seeds are able to win their respective matches.
Also Read: “What Andy Murray is doing is incredible” Daniil Medvedev impressed by the Brit’s fighting spirit and determination despite having achieved great success
Stay Updated!
Sarthak Shitole
(3462 Articles Published)