“We are going to see the old see-saw battle between Novak Djokovic and Daniil Medvedev,” Paul Annacone over the handover of the top position in the ATP ranking ladder
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Paul Annacone, Daniil Medvedev, Novak Djokovic
As, after Daniil Medvedev’s defeat at the Indian Wells 2022, Novak Djokovic is set to restart his journey as the World No. 1 on Monday, former American tennis player and tennis instructor Paul Annacone expressed his views on the subject.
In an interview with Tennis Channel, the former world No. 12 stated, “Novak seems to be around that No 1 ranking for about the last 30 years in a row. [We are going to see] the old see-saw battle between him and Medvedev”.
The tennis expert went on to highlight Medvedev’s nervousness and unease. It shall be noted that the Russian has a dismal record in Indian wells, having played here five times and only making it to the Round of 16 once. Furthermore, Annacone praised Monfils for defeating the Russian, despite the fact that the Frenchman was trailing by one set. “I think he was not comfortable playing here in Indian Wells, it’s tough conditions here for people that hit the ball really flat. Clearly, Medvedev was unsettled here and Gael took care of him, “ said Paul Annacone.
“I think he is going back there and get comfortable being there”- Paul Annacone
Daniil Medvedev successfully unseated Novak Djokovic from the No. 1 ranking last month, but after the BNP Paribas Open, Medvedev will hand it back to the Serb. When the 26-year-old lost 4-6, 6-3, 6-1 to Gael Monfils in the third round, that seemed a foregone conclusion. Of course, it won’t be official until the new ATP rankings are released next Monday. Medvedev’s reign at the ATP ranking ladder will span a total of three weeks. The honour will then be returned to Djokovic, the previous holder.
However, the American coach who has mentored big names like 20-time Grand Slam winner Roger Federer, 14-time Grand Slam winner Pete Sampras, and 2017 US Open champion Sloane Stephens, firmly believes that the Russian will “Get comfortable” at the no. 1 position. “You can never take that away from Medvedev, I think he’s going to get back there and get comfortable being there [in the future].”
In addition, with the Miami Open 2022 lurking in the shadows of the Indian Wells 2022, the US Open champion has a good chance of returning to the top.
The former World No.1 to be back in the business again
Last month, Medvedev broke Djokovic’s long reign as the world’s No.1 player, with the Serbian’s lack of participation in the Australian Open due to his reluctance to be vaccinated against Covid-19 adding to his drop in ranking points. Following Djokovic’s loss in Dubai last month, Medvedev was able to claim the No. 1 ranking for the first time in his career, but the Russian struggled to live up to expectations in his debut tournament as the world No. 1.
Despite being absent from the Indian Wells Masters event due to his stance on Covid vaccinations, Djokovic will return to the top of the ATP rankings on Monday, amidst much controversy and conjecture. He will also forgo the Miami Open later this month.
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Pritha Ghosh
(414 Articles Published)