Medvedev ends Federer, Nadal, Djokovic and Murray's ATP Top 2 monopoly

For the first time since the week of July 18, 2005, someone other than Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal, Novak Djokovic or Andy Murray is in the Top 2 on the ATP rankings. Daniil Medvedev, a two-time Grand Slam finalist (at the 2019 US Open and 2021 Australian Open) has risen from No. 3 to No. 2.

Medvedev was guaranteed to reach No. 2 this week no matter how he did at the ATP 250 event in Marseille last week, but he went all the way to win the 10th ATP title of his career there anyway.

“It is always better when you step up the rankings when you do something great,” the Russian told ATPTour.com on Sunday. “I know that winning here didn’t give me the points to become No. 2, but it is great for the self-esteem that just before becoming No. 2 on Monday, I win a tournament.”

Federer, Nadal, Djokovic and Murray were the only four men to hold No. 1 or No. 2 in the 794 weeks of ATP rankings between July 25, 2005 and this week (not including the 22 weeks the ATP rankings were frozen in 2020 due to COVID-19). The last man to be in the Top 2 before them was Lleyton Hewitt, who was ranked No. 2 the week of July 18, 2005, before Nadal bumped him out and the streak began.

To illustrate how long ago that was, Federer had five majors at the time and Nadal had just one. Djokovic had a 3-3 record at majors; he's now 303-45. Medvedev was nine years old, and Coco Gauff was one.

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Medvedev had already joined rare company just by reaching No. 3 after this year’s Australian Open, as Federer, Nadal, Djokovic and Murray haven’t let many players into the Top 3, let alone the Top 2.

Djokovic first rose to No. 3 on July 9, 2007, behind No. 1 Federer and No. 2 Nadal, and in the 692 weeks of ATP rankings between that week and this week, one of Federer, Nadal, Djokovic and Murray also occupied the No. 3 spot for 511 weeks, almost three-quarters of the time (73.84%).

Federer spent 207 of those weeks at No. 3, Nadal 50 weeks, Djokovic 148 weeks and Murray 106.

Players other than Federer, Nadal, Djokovic and Murray to reach the Top 3 since Djokovic first joined Federer and Nadal in the Top 3 the week of July 9, 2007:

~ Andy Roddick: 1 week at No. 3 (former No. 1)

~ David Ferrer: 20 weeks at No. 3 (career-high)

~ Stan Wawrinka: 60 weeks at No. 3 (career-high)

~ Milos Raonic: 10 weeks at No. 3 (career-high)

~ Alexander Zverev: 32 weeks at No. 3 (career-high)

~ Grigor Dimitrov: 10 weeks at No. 3 (career-high)

~ Marin Cilic: 12 weeks at No. 3 (career-high)

~ Juan Martin del Potro: 4 weeks at No. 3 (career-high)

~ Dominic Thiem: 29 weeks at No. 3 (career-high)

~ Daniil Medvedev: 3 weeks at No. 3 (and now No. 2)

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Medvedev rising to a new career-high of No. 2 wasn’t the only notable move on this week’s rankings, with a slew of players moving up the WTA rankings after deep runs at the WTA 1000 event in Dubai.

Americans Jessica Pegula and Coco Gauff, both quarterfinalists in Dubai, were among those, with Pegula rising from No. 36 to a new career-high ranking of No. 33, and Gauff moving from No. 40 to a new personal best of No. 35, just two days after her 17th birthday.

Just a little further down the WTA rankings, a pair of players made their Top 50 debuts: Barbora Krejcikova, a former No. 1 in doubles, rose from No. 63 to No. 38 in singles after reaching the final in Dubai, while Swiss lefty Jil Teichmann jumped from No. 54 to No. 41 after reaching the semifinals.