Daniil Medvedev deserves to be No. 1, but to be looked upon as the best player he needs to win more Grand Slams: Mats Wilander
Daniil Medvedev ousted Novak Djokovic to become the men's singles World No. 1 for the first time in his career this week. The Russian is the first player outside the Big 4 of Djokovic, Rafael Nadal, Roger Federer, and Andy Murray to reach the top spot in the ATP rankings since 2004.
In an interview with Eurosport, former World No. 1 Mats Wilander spoke about the 26-year-old's recent achievements. The Swede maintained that Medvedev's consistency over the last 12 months deserved to be rewarded with the top ranking, but said the Russian must win more Grand Slams to be considered the best men's player in the world.
"I think that you can be No. 1 in different ways. I feel like Daniil Medvedev deserves to be there, but to really go out and be looked upon as the best player in the world every day, he most probably needs to win a couple more Grand Slams while he is No. 1 in the world," Wilander told Eurosport.
"But that's how the ranking works. That's how the computer works and if you play a lot of tournaments and you're consistent, you deserve to be there," he added. "But it must never be confused with being the best player in the world today and being the best player consistently over the last 12 months. There's a huge difference between the two."
It’s a huge honor to take over this spot. I’m sure everyone can understand it comes with mixed emotions that it happens this week. Thank you to my wife, team, sponsors, friends, & everyone that has helped along the way. It’s a long journey and I look forward to the years ahead https://t.co/YYGCHE4SBK
Citing the example of his recent loss to Nadal in the semifinals in Acapulco, Wilander said that Medvedev needs to add more versatility to his game. The Swede went on to claim that the Russian "has some distance to go" before he can be compared to the likes of Federer, Nadal and Djokovic when they were No. 1.
"[Daniil Medvedev lost] to Nadal in Acapulco in very humid conditions - the tennis balls are not flying through the air as quickly as they do in Australia and when they do hit the court, they stop skidding through the court because the surface was very slow," Wilander said. "So in Acapulco, I can easily explain why Medvedev lost because of the conditions."
"Compare that to when Federer, Nadal or Djokovic were No. 1. Often, they were the favourite in every tournament they played, whether it's clay, hard courts or grass - that's not the case for Medvedev," he added. "He has some distance to go before he is considered that."
Daniil Medvedev is the World No. 1, but the Big 4 are not out of the picture: Mats Wilander
During the interview, Wilander touched upon the dominance of the Big 4 in men's tennis and their stronghold at the summit of the game. The seven-time Grand Slam champion said the best era of men's tennis is coming to an end.
"Obviously, we have realised that the greatest era in men's tennis of all time with Federer, Nadal, Djokovic and, of course, Murray in there as well is coming to an end in one way," Wilander said. "One of them will most probably hold on for a few more years, but not all four of them."
The Swede pointed out that Medvedev is the player most people would have predicted to become World No. 1 ahead of his peers. But the Swede warned that the Big 4 are not "out of the picture" yet and will each have their eye on the top spot in the rankings.
"Daniil Medvedev, he's most probably the player that we would have guessed would get there before some other younger players like Alexander Zverev or Stefanos Tsitsipas," he said. "And to me it's natural, it's healthy for men's tennis, but it doesn't mean that the big four are out of the picture because they're still hanging in there and they're still very tough to beat in three out of five set matches."
"It pushes them to keep going and to raise their level because I'm sure being No. 1 in the world is still part of the goal, why the four of them are still continuing having dreams to improve and be a better tennis players," the Swede added.
Daniil Medvedev had none of the hype or profile of his peers as a youngster and he broke through at a later age than many of them, yet he has overtaken them all to become both the first grand slam champion and world number one of the Next Gen group. Well deserved.