Daniil Medvedev becomes first non-Big 4 player to reach World No. 2 ranking since 2005, criticizes people who dismiss NextGen
Daniil Medvedev rose to a career-high ranking of No. 2 in the ATP rankings on Monday. That means Medvedev is the first player not named Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal, Novak Djokovic or Andy Murray to occupy the World No. 2 spot in more than 15 years.
Rafael Nadal was the World No. 2 until Sunday but Daniil Medvedev has overtaken the Spaniard, who has dropped 180 points this week as per the new COVID-affected ranking system. Medvedev also won the Marseille title on Sunday, beating Pierre-Hugues Herbert in the final, to underline his newfound consistency and dominance at non-Slam events.
In that context, the Russian is not happy with the treatment meted out to the younger generation by the media and fans alike. Medvedev claimed on Sunday that players other than Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic don't get enough credit for their achievements.
"It's disappointing when people bring the new generation down," Medvedev said. "They are like 'There is nobody to watch after Big 3'."
The 25-year-old went on to say that he didn't understand the cynicism of the tennis community, especially since they didn't express such negativity before the the arrival of the Big 3. Medvedev stressed that no player has ever had the magnetic pull of Federer, Nadal and Djokovic, and implied that it was unfair to compare the younger players with the legenday trio.
"But how did they do before? Nobody had the records of the Big 3! We are trying to win tournaments and just give our best," Medvedev added.
The last non-Big 4 player before Daniil Medvedev to be ranked World No. 2 was Lleyton Hewitt in 2005
While Daniil Medvedev was passionate in his defense of the 'Next Gen', he was also happy about achieving tennis history on Monday. The Russian has had quite a run since last year, having won the titles at the 2020 Paris Masters, the 2020 ATP Finals, the 2021 ATP Cup and now the 2021 Open 13 Provence.
It has been this scintillating run of form that has propelled Medvedev to become the new World No. 2, and the first non-Big 4 player to hold the position since Lleyton Hewitt in 2005. The Russian claimed after his Marseille win that it was more satisfying to achieve the landmark after doing 'something great'.
"I am really happy," Medvedev said. "I knew that I would become No. 2, but it is always better when you step up the rankings when you do something great."