by Kingsley Elliot Kaye
Daniil Medvedev’s loss to Gael Monfils in the second round of Indian Wells went on making the headlines quite a few days after the result on court. The gritty and entertaining Frenchman is a hard nut to crack for any player, and a defeat to him never comes as an absolute upset. But such match result meant that once more Novak Djokovic would return to be the best ranked player in the world, only three weeks after being dethroned.
Even though Medvedev may snatch back the crown very soon, since Djokovic will not be playing in the Miami Open, this overturn has brought back memories of the shortest reigns in the history of tennis: Pat Rafter’s one week at the top in July 1999 and Carlos Moya’s two weeks in March 1998.
This tennis year has definitely kicked off in amazing style and may open up to even more gripping scenarios in the race for the ATP crown. In fact the current leaders hold about 8,500 ATP points, which is a threshold within the reach of quite a few players. Eight players could have their say in claiming the crown at some time of the year.
How long will Djokovic be able to stave off the chasers? Unless US immigration law changes, his season risks being limited to clay and grass. And it will not be easy to better his summer 2021, when he triumphed at Roland Garros and Wimbledon, as well as reaching the final in Rome.
Medvedev is heading towards the European clay season and it is no secret he does not enjoy playing on this surface. Instead, he declares a fancy for grass courts, where he feels his game works out effectively. In terms of results the months from April to July have always been the least fruitful to the Russian. Will the plot be different in 2022?
Nadal has got off to a roaring start, his best ever, and the third best winning streak in ATP history. He is already nipping at the heels of the leading duo. Now he is awaited by his beloved clay. His 2021 campaign was quite below his standards, also hindered by imperfect physical conditions: “only” quarterfinals in Madrid, and Montecarlo, wins in Barcelona and Rome, and the painful defeat to Djokovic in Roland Garros semifinals. If he is able to keep up his stunning form, which appeared to be slightly slipping in the last days in Indian Wells, he could reap points and secure first position. Last year he put an end to his troubled season after Paris. This year, if he were to play at the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club and have a good run, he could raise the bar to such heights as not to be threatened by any other player, and the contest for Number One would just be game over. And this article would just be scrap paper or for the recycle bin.
What about the younger guns? Stefanos Tsitsipas has got off to a rickety start, with ups (semifinals at the Australian Open, final in Rotterdam) and downs (the way he was wiped away in Melbourne by Medvedev and by Felix Auger-Aliassime in Rotterdam). Not to mention his ill-swallowed loss to Jenson Brooksby in Indian Wells. After his elbow surgery he has succeeded in an outstanding comeback and has often showcased his best tennis but is still in quest of consistency.
His 2021 clay season was classy: final in Barcelona, where he lost to Nadal in one of the memorable matches of 2021, win in Montecarlo Open, his first in a 1000 ATP Master Series, and of course the final at Roland Garros where his dreams were only shattered in the fifth set by Djokovic. If he were to find his goods once more, he could add a few cherries to an already lush cake. And, why not, succeed in a breakthrough at Wimbledon? Which so far has escaped him. Some pundits have pointed out that his groundstroke preparation may be excessively wide for grass courts, but Stefanos has always said to feel confident he can perform proficiently on grass. Could this be his year?
Neither can we write off Alexander Zverev. Surely he can make up for this unexpectedly disappointing first part of 2022, which followed his triumph in the Master Finals in Turin. Considering his trophy cabinet (titles in Madrid and Rome) he could be a protagonist of the clay season. His blazing serve and return, as well as his well-balanced groundstrokes and excellent net coverage are bound to yield results sooner or later at Wimbledon. Over recent years he has always excelled in the American hard-court season and this makes him a serious pretender to the crown.
Andrey Rublev is one of the most consistent players on the tour. Last year he played two ATP Master 1000 finals (Montecarlo and Cincinnati). He is still striving to reach the final stages of Majors, where he has never gone beyond quarterfinals, but he could succeed at any time. This year he can already boast a 13-match winning streak, interrupted by Taylor Fritz in the Indian Wells semi-final. His famous 23 consecutive wins in ATP 500 Tournaments between 2020 and 2021 are evidence of his potential.
If Matteo Berrettini can sail injury-free, he could move up that extra notch and be a pretender as well. Last year he was pretty consistent on clay, reaching the final in Madrid and quarterfinals in Paris. He was outstanding on grass, winning the Queen’s Club Championship and just surrendering to Djokovic in the Wimbledon final. His game thrives on grass and he will be one of the favourites for victory this year. His American hard-court season was hampered by physical issues. Yet he still rose to the quarterfinals at the US Open. He is capable of collecting consistent points on all surfaces and at some time he could surface at the very top.
And now an 8th towering pretender to the crown. Carlos Alcaraz of course. The booming 18-year-old Spaniard made his debut in an ATP Masters 1000 last year in Miami, where he was ousted by Emil Ruusuvuori after an engaging battle. In Madrid he lost 6-1 6-2 to His Majesty of Spain Rafa Nadal. He’s gone a long way since then. Currently ranked 15th after his impressive run in Indian Wells, his progress appears limitless, and he is surging to the highest like the Great Swell. He often gives the impression he can win every tournament he plays. Wouldn’t that be enough to drive him to number one?
