Daniil Medvedev's rise to number one: How has he moved ahead of Novak Djokovic and what is next ahead of Indian Wells?

For Daniil Medvedev, the dream has become a reality.

After 18 years of Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal, Novak Djokovic and Andy Murray monopolising the world No 1 spot on the ATP Tour, there’s a new name atop the rankings. Medvedev has become the third Russian man to reach the summit after Yevgeny Kafelnikov and Marat Safin, and the 27th different world No. 1 in the history of the ATP Tour.

In some ways, it feels like it’s been a long time coming for Medvedev, in other ways not so much. Medvedev was not a hugely successful youngster who seemed destined for the top. There were no junior Grand Slam titles and his highest junior ranking was world No. 13. As talk of the ‘Next Gen’ started to emerge around five or six years ago, it was Alexander Zverev and Stefanos Tsitsipas who were tipped to take over rather than Medvedev, whose only Next Gen Finals appearance in 2017 saw him miss out on the final after losses to Borna Coric and Chung Hyeon.

Medvedev’s rise to No. 1 has been built on his hard-court skills. In 2018 he decided to take tennis more seriously and with a more professional approach; he finished the year with more wins on hard courts than any other player on tour. In the summer of 2019 he made the final in Washington, Montreal and Cincinnati. He then made his Grand Slam breakthrough at the US Open, reaching the final and losing to Nadal in five sets. A year later, Medvedev made the semi-finals of the US Open, losing to eventual champion Dominic Thiem.

By then it seemed like a question of when, not if, Medvedev would win a major, and he further stated his case as one of the very best in the world by winning the ATP Finals and then making the 2021 Australian Open final.

Even though he lost in straight sets to Djokovic, Medvedev would gain revenge later in the year with a surprisingly one-sided victory in the US Open final to win his first major. A memorable season was capped off with a flawless display in the Davis Cup finals, not dropping a set in five singles matches to help the Russian Tennis Federation lift the trophy.

And although there was disappointment and frustration after another runner-up finish at the 2022 Australian Open, Medvedev's rise to No. 1 was secured when Djokovic lost in the quarter-finals in Dubai last week.

It was in New York in 2019 that Medvedev’s personality started to shine through, embracing his role as a villain as the boos rained down from Louis Armstrong Stadium after he had shown the crowd the middle finger.

“I want all of you to know, when you go to sleep at night, I won because of you,” said a grinning Medvedev.

Winning more has not dulled Medvedev’s personality. In press conferences and on-court interviews he is sharp, intelligent and thoughtful with his answers. He has a playful side, as he showed with his ‘dead fish celebration’ after winning the 2021 US Open and his smirking ‘what would Novak do’ comment at the Australian Open. He also engages on social media and seems to see the funny side of most things.

But there is also a Djokovic-like anger that he has not yet been able to contain. It was startling - and not endearing - to see Medvedev berate the umpire during his semi-final win over Tsitsipas at the Australian Open, calling him “stupid” and demanding him to “answer my question”. Medvedev’s apology and explanation - "I can get really emotional, I have been working on it” – was taken straight from the Djokovic handbook.

Whether he harnesses that side or not, it seems unlikely that attaining the world No 1 status will change much for Medvedev. He has always sounded humble and grateful for what he has. In Acapulco last week, with top spot in the rankings up for grabs, Medvedev hit for two hours with Mexican youngster Rodrigo Pacheco as well as several practice partners provided by the tournament.

“I thought Daniil was someone who might think he was really special...because of his ranking and because he’s a possible No 1 in the world," said Roberto Llamas, one of the knock-up partners. "But after training I found him to be a very down-to-earth and humble person."

If getting to No 1 is the hard part for Medvedev, staying there might not be much easier. While Djokovic had a healthy lead at the summit over the last 18 months due to his success at Grand Slams, Medvedev has less than a 200-point advantage over Djokovic and is only 1,000 points ahead of world No 3 Zverev. There’s also the surging Nadal, who is up to No 4 after his unbeaten start to the year.

The continued uncertainty over when Djokovic will play next might make life more comfortable in the immediate future, especially as he is set to miss both ATP 1000 events in Indian Wells and Miami next month.

But the clay season also represents a significant challenge for Medvedev to overcome.

Clay is a surface that Medvedev is yet to conquer. He showed some positive signs in the last couple of years with runs to the semi-finals in Monte Carlo in 2019 and quarter-finals at the French Open on 2021. Still though, his game, with long backswings and flat groundstrokes, is not best suited to the dirt.

“My shots, my movement, my physical appearance doesn't suit clay,” he said with a smile last year.

The movement is getting better, his scrambling and retrieving is up there with the best in the world. That was evident in his battling five-set win over Felix Auger-Aliassiame at the Australian Open. But sliding around on clay is another skill, and one that Medvedev may still need to master. If he does there are plenty of points for him to gain on clay.

Whether he succeeds this year or not, it should be entertaining. Medvedev was once accused of being “boring” by Tsitsipas, but it would be hard to argue that these days. He still outhits most opponents with his all-court power, but there’s variety and a willingness to adapt during matches. In the US Open final last year he blew Djokovic away; against Auger-Aliassiame last month he scrambled for his life to stay in the match.

“He’s a chess player…he’s just a really good tactician on court,” was how seven-time Grand Slam champion Mats Wilander summed up Medvedev in Melbourne.

Medvedev’s rise to world No 1 comes at a difficult time with his native Russia at war with Ukraine. “It's not easy to see and hear this news,” he said last week. “This is a moment when tennis is not so important." In the context, tennis is not important, but Medvedev getting to No 1 is still an important day for him and an important day for tennis.