“I think Daniil Medvedev deserves it” Rafael Nadal on the Russian standing a chance to be new World No. 1
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Rafael Nadal and Daniil Medvedev
After an absence of 3 weeks, 2022 Australian Open champion Rafael Nadal and runner-up Daniil Medvedev will be back in action. The two players will take the court in the 2022 Acapulco Open where Medvedev is the top seed while Nadal is the 4th seed at the tournament where he has been a 3-time former champion and holds the distinction of being both the youngest and the oldest champion at the tournament.
The 2022 Acapulco Open could be a special event in the history of the sport as it could be the tournament that might give the ATP Tour its 27th player to reach the summit of the rankings on the Tour. Currently ranked World No. 2, Daniil Medvedev has a good chance to become the latest player to climb the top of the rankings and displace Novak Djokovic from the top. Medvedev will also become the first player in 18 years apart from Nadal, Djokovic, Roger Federer and Andy Murray to be ranked number 1.
“It’s obvious that sooner or later it will happen, right? Novak is 34, 35 this year, I’m 36, Roger is 40. The watch never stops. So it is the circle of life. It’s normal for the younger generation to arrive and rise higher than us in the rankings. We don’t have the means to play a full schedule and what’s more, they are very good.
“Daniil Medvedev is a very solid player, he has an incredible career and, in some respects, I think he deserves to fight for number one, no doubt. So, I wish him all the best,” said Nadal during his interview in Mexico ahead of his first-round match at the Acapulco Open where he is looking for his 93rd career title and his 3rd of the season having won 2 titles from 2 tournament appearances so far.
Rafael Nadal and Daniil Medvedev to headline the tournament on Day-2
Medvedev will start his campaign to become the new world number 1 against American Benoit Paire while Nadal will grace the court later in the day against Denis Kudla. Nadal was earlier set to play against Reilly Opelka but the American had to withdraw to get some rest after successive tournaments and Kudla was brought in as the replacement.
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Sarthak Shitole
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