"Daniil Medvedev is having an amazing career and deserves to be fighting forNo. 1, I wish him all the best"" - Rafael Nadal
Rafael Nadal believes Daniil Medvedev will overtake Novak Djokovic to become World No. 1 "sooner or later." The legendary Spaniard declared Medvedev is having an "amazing career" and deserves to be fighting for the ATP top spot.
Djokovic started his 361st week as the top-ranked men's player on Monday but could lose the position next week. The 34-year-old dropped 2,000 points from his ranking tally after points from his 2021 Australian Open title dropped off this week.
After missing the 2022 Australian Open due to his deportation, the Serb is competing for the first time this year at the Dubai Championships this week. He has topped the ATP rankings since February 2020.
World No. 2 Daniil Medvedev is in action at this week's other ATP 500 tournament - the Mexican Open in Acapulco. Six scenarios could see the Russian overtake Djokovic when next week's rankings are released. The most straightforward one is if he wins the Acapulco title.
In an interview with ATP Media, Nadal discussed Medvedev's chase for World No. 1. He even pointed out he, Djokovic and Roger Federer can no longer play a full schedule.
"It’s obvious that sooner or later it’s going to happen, no?," said the Spaniard. "Novak [Djokovic] is 34, 35 this year, I am 36 [this year], Roger [Federer] is 40. The watch never stops, so that’s the circle of life. It's normal that the young generation is coming and is going to go higher in the rankings than us because we can’t afford [to play] a 100% full calendar and because they are very good."
The 21-time Grand Slam champion also praised the success Medvedev is having and argued he is worthy of the prestigious position.
"Daniil [Medvedev] is a very solid player, he is having an amazing career and, in some ways, I think he deserves to be fighting for number one, without a doubt. So, I wish him all the best," Nadal added.
Rafael Nadal will return to action at the Mexican Open in Acapulco this week
This week, Rafael Nadal will compete for the first time since winning the Australian Open at the Mexican Open in Acapulco. The 35-year-old is a three-time champion at the ATP 500 tournament.
The World No. 5, seeded fourth in Acapulco, will face Denis Kudla in the event's opening round on Wednesday. In the second round, he would then face either Grigor Dimitrov or Maxime Cressy. In the semifinals, the Spaniard could meet No. 1 seed Daniil Medvedev, who he defeated in last month's Australian Open final.
ATP 500 Acapulco projected quarter-finals
(1) Medvedev vs (7) Fritz
(4) Nadal vs (5) Berrettini
(8) Carreno Busta vs (3) Tsitsipas
(6) Norrie vs (2) Zverev
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