The chances of Daniil Medvedev ending the year as world No.1 are slim but that doesn’t deter him from trying to achieve what he describes as a ‘childhood dream.’
Medvedev, who won his maiden Grand Slam title at the US Open last month, is currently second in the standings behind Novak Djokovic. A player who has triumphed at the other three major tournaments which have taken place this season. The Russian is currently more than 1000 points behind his opponent in the standings which is calculated based on points won and defended over a certain period. In recent months there have been adjustments made to the formula used to calculate the rankings due to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.
“Since I was six I dreamed about being number one,” Medvedev told AFP. “But he (Djokovic) is the real No. 1 this year. He won three Grand Slams. That is the reality.’
“It is one of my goals. I just need to win a hell of a lot of matches and Grand Slams.”
The 25-year-old is hoping to close the gap further on his Serbian nemesis this week at the BNP Paribas Open in Indian Wells. On Monday he overcame the windy and at times wet conditions to defeat Filip Krajinovic 6-2, 7-6(1), and move into the fourth round of the tournament. The match took place late at night after the evening session was delayed by an hour due to heavy rain.
“It was a really tough match,” Medvedev said afterwards. “The first set I got lucky in a few moments. The second set I started well, but he raised his level.’
“I am happy I managed to fight on every point and get it to a tiebreak. I was super solid in the tiebreak and really put the pressure on.”
Medvedev’s latest win is his 50th on the Tour this year out of 60 matches played. 38 out of those victories have occurred on a hardcourt. His win-loss for the past four tournaments played in North America currently stands at 18-1.
“I didn’t know before—they told on the court it was my 50th win of the season,” he said in his on-court interview.
“I’m really happy that I managed to get 50.”
Up next for the top seed in Indian Wells will be former ATP Finals champion and world No.3 Grigor Dimitrov. It is the first time the Bulgarian has reached the last 16 of the tournament in what is his eighth appearance at the event. Dimitrov defeated Reilly Opelka 6-3, 6-4, in his match on Monday.
Medvedev leads Dimitrov 3-1 in their head-to-head and has won their three most recent meetings.
