Daniil Medvedev could finish second in the world in Rotterdam
After Rafael Nadal had to cancel his start at the ATP 500 event in Rotterdam because of persistent back problems, Daniil Medvedev could oust the Spaniard from second place in the world rankings in the Netherlands.
by Michael Rothschädl
last edit: Feb 25, 2021, 06:36 pm
During the Australian Open, voices had already been raised that Daniil Medvedev could achieve something in the first Grand Slam of the year that had been an absolute rarity in recent years. In the event of a triumph, the Russian would have been among the top two in the world rankings from last Monday - a privilege that in recent years has only been reserved for Novak Djokovic, Rafael Nadal, Roger Federer and Andy Murray.
As is well known, nothing came of it at first, the 25-year-old had to watch in the final of the Australian Open with no chance as Novak Djokovic stormed to his 18th Grand Slam title - and his lead over the runner-up in the ATP charts, Rafael Nadal , further consolidated. Almost 2200 points separate the Serb and his first pursuer.
At the final: Medvedev beckons second place
But now Medvedev has another opportunity to drive the Mallorcan from this place. The Russian is still 115 points behind Nadal, but after he had to cancel his appearance at the ATP 500 event in Rotterdam due to persistent back problems, the Russian could finally move up to second place in the ATP ranking if he reaches the final.
This is not unlikely, as the ABN AMRO World Tennis Tournament in Rotterdam, which starts on March 1st, has Daniil Medvedev number one on the seeding list. The competition for the two-time Grand Slam finalist is tough. With Stefanos Tsitsipas, Andrey Rublev and Matteo Berrettini, three other top 10 players are starting in the Netherlands. The defending champion is Gael Monfils, who was successful in last year's final against Felix Auger-Aliassime.