Medvedev withstands the pressure
Zverev missed number one on the rollator
Alexander Zverev (25) could have become the new number one in the ATP rankings in just over a week – although he is injured. But Daniil Medvedev (ATP 1) withstands the pressure of the point system.
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It was almost two months ago that Alexander Zverev (25) injured his ankle badly against Rafael Nadal (36) in the semifinals of Roland Garros. Since then, the German has been missing from the tour and has not been able to collect any ATP points. And yet he could have climbed the tennis throne.
The results of the current world number one Daniil Medvedev (26) in the coming weeks will be decisive for this. If the Russian performs too badly at the current tournament in Los Cabos (Mexico) and at the subsequent ATP 1000 tournament in Montreal, Canada, Zverev would be at the top on August 15th.
Reaching the final in Mexico saves Medvedev
What does that mean specifically? The starting position first: At the beginning of this week, Medvedev (7625 points) was in first place ahead of Zverev (6850 points).
Winning the tournament in Los Cabos would give the 1.98 meter giant 250 points. It would be the most manageable scenario, in which case Zverev would not be able to reach number one. Now the Russian is in the final after his semi-final victory, he is at least 150 points safe.
But even with that, the place at the top for Zverev cannot be achieved for the time being. Because: Next week the Masters will rise in Montreal, where Medvedev has 1000 ATP points to defend due to his victory last year. However, the 26-year-old would still be a few points ahead of the Hamburg player even if he lost the first round and would still be number one.
This hurts to watch: Here Zverev bends after the rally(00:32)
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Nadal passes Zverev
It would have been more complicated if Medvedev had been eliminated in the semifinals in Mexico. Then he would now have a total of 7715 points. Had he then not made it to the round of 16 in Montreal, he would have ended up behind Zverev and the injured Tokyo Olympic champion would have ascended the throne. The 25-year-old would then have become the first German after Boris Becker (54) to climb to the top of the ATP ranking.
But now the US Open finalist from 2020 has to be patient. At the Masters in Cincinnati and at the US Open (from August 28) he would lose 1720 points if he didn’t get fit in time. Then at least Nadal, who has no points to defend at any of the three major events, would pass the German. Novak Djokovic (35), who is currently not allowed to enter North America due to his lack of vaccination, poses no danger. (che)
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