New world number one Daniil Medvedev is still a long way from Big Three's top level - Mats Wilander
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Published 01/03/2022 at 22:21 GMT
Daniil Medvedev can't yet be compared to Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic despite becoming the new world number one, says Eurosport's Mats Wilander. Wilander reckoned Medvedev's defeat to Nadal in Acapulco showed that he still has some way to go before he is the favourite in every tournament he plays - something the famed trio achieved at the height of their dominance.
Medvedev still a long way from the top level of Federer, Nadal and Djokovic, says Wilander
Mats Wilander says Daniil Medvedev cannot yet be talked about as a world No. 1 in the same breath as the 'Big Three' of tennis.
That trio of Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic - in addition to Andy Murray - have dominated the game collectively for an era, but though they won't be around for ever, their legacy will live on in terms of setting the benchmark for the next generation coming through.
Medvedev - having hit the top of the rankings last week - is at the head of that class, but Wilander says he still needs to take another step to reach a higher plane of greatness.
Wilander said: "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.
"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, 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.
"[He 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. So in Acapulco, I can easily explain why Medvedev lost because of the conditions.
"And that's his problem, that's why he cannot be considered the best player in the world every day, day in and day out, no matter what the surfaces or the conditions are.
"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 has some distance to go before he is considered that."
Wilander believes that men's tennis will soon have to move on from its standard-bearers, with age slowly catching up with them in different ways.
He said: "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.
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"One of them will most probably hold on for a few more years, but not all four of them.
"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.
"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, but 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 player."
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