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Russian reflects on his journey to the elite group
One year ago, Daniil Medvedev was the No. 61 player in the ATP Rankings, six months on from lifting his first ATP Tour trophy in Sydney and eight months on from competing in the inaugural Next Gen ATP Finals in Milan.

Ever since, the Russian has been on a tear. And on Monday, the 23-year-old took the next step in his journey by breaking into the Top 10 for the first time, reaching a career-high No. 10.

“I am very proud to reach this step in my career. Some years ago I changed my life and really dedicated myself to this sport and the results have shown this,” Medvedev said. “This is hopefully the first step of many more goals. I am looking forward to the second half of the season.”

It has been an incredible 52 weeks for Medvedev, who has quickly become a consistent threat on every surface, capable of competing against the best players in the world. The 6’6” right-hander has won 56 matches over the past year, good for fourth-best on the ATP Tour.

Just 18 months ago, Medvedev earned his maiden tour-level crown in Sydney. Little did he know at the time that between then and now he would lift three additional trophies, including one at the ATP 500 tournament in Tokyo last October. Three of his four titles have come in the past 11 months.

“Growing up, I never thought I'd be a professional player in the Top 100. I went about it step-by-step, I never made any one big step,” Medvedev said after his Sydney victory, before pondering what it meant to lift a single trophy. “It would have been tough to imagine that, even two years ago.”


Medvedev says his rapid rise stems from a change in mentality during his offseason before the 2018 campaign.

“Starting from last preseason I became much more professional in everything I do, talking about preparation or even life apart from tennis,” Medvedev said. “I started to dedicate my life to tennis. I started to do everything I can to be better in tennis and I’m really happy that it worked out because the worst scenario is when you do everything and it doesn’t work out, then you start asking questions: ‘I am doing everything right, so maybe I should just take it easy and be where I am?’ So I’m really happy that it worked out and I’m continuing [forward].”

Before then, Medvedev admits to going to sleep at 3:00 a.m. the night before matches, not thinking it would mean much. But it would be tough to see the ball, to run, and more. Medvedev changed his habits, and it has shown in his results.

“I became more mature, which is normal. I was never dedicating myself to tennis until that moment. I was always taking it kind of easy and it was still working. I started to be Top 100,” Medvedev said. “I think it’s a lot of influence of my coach. My coach, we have a great relationship, he never tells me you should do this, he says, 'I think this will help you', and then you start asking yourself questions. ‘Is it true what he’s saying? Will it help me?’”


Medvedev has a great relationship with his coach, Gilles Cervara. And in 2017, while they were travelling from Montreal to Cincinnati, they had a memorable conversation at a small airport.

“I was talking with him and I said, ‘Why should I take tennis seriously? Why should I do everything professionally? It takes so much dedication, so much mental strength. I feel like when I do it, nothing works’,” Medvedev recalled. “He was laughing at me, saying, ‘Okay, we’ll see. We’ll see. Maybe you’re right’. Now he’s laughing about this saying, ‘Hey Daniil, do you remember what you said? What do you think about this right now’?”

<a href='https://www.atptour.com/en/players/dani ... ew'>Daniil Medvedev</a> celebrates his Monte-Carlo win against <a href='https://www.atptour.com/en/players/nova ... iew'>Novak Djokovic</a>

Not only has Medvedev dedicated himself to the sport, but it has paid massive dividends. He has earned three of his four Top 10 wins this season, with two of those triumphs coming en route to his first ATP Masters 1000 semi-final at the Rolex Monte-Carlo Masters.

Medvedev has also put himself in strong position in the ATP Race To London. Currently placed in the final qualifying spot, eighth, Medvedev is trying to earn a spot in the Nitto ATP Finals for the first time. He has appeared at The O2 once before, when he was honoured as the Tecnifibre Young Gun on the Road in 2016. But now he is in position to return to compete in the season finale.

“It’s an amazing tournament, an amazing experience. Just to be there means you’re one of the Top 8 players of the year and it’s an amazing experience probably,” Medvedev said. “I hope to feel it one day.”

ATPTour.com looks at the top Movers of the Week in the ATP Rankings, as of Monday, 15 July 2019

No. 13 (Joint Career-High) Roberto Bautista Agut, +9
The Spaniard became the sixth Spanish man to reach the semi-finals at Wimbledon after dropping just one set en route to the last four. Bautista Agut advanced to his first Grand Slam semi-final with consecutive victories against Karen Khachanov, Benoit Paire and Guido Pella. After delaying his bachelor party in Ibiza, the 31-year-old fell to eventual champion Novak Djokovic in four sets. Bautista Agut rises nine spots to equal his career-high ATP Ranking of No. 13, first achieved on 17 October 2016.

No. 10 (Career-High) Daniil Medvedev, +3
Medvedev reached the third round at Wimbledon for the second straight year to improve to 30-14 at tour-level this season. The Russian claimed wins against Paolo Lorenzi and Alexei Popyrin, before a five-set loss to David Goffin. As a result of his run to the third round, Medvedev jumps three positions to enter the Top 10 of the ATP Rankings for the first time at No. 10.

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No. 18 David Goffin, +5
The man who defeated Medvedev in the third round backed up his win against the four-time tour-level titlist with a four-set victory against Fernando Verdasco. Goffin’s maiden run to the last eight at Wimbledon, a first major quarter-final appearance since the 2017 Australian Open, came to an end at the hands of World No. 1 Novak Djokovic. The Belgian climbs to No. 18 in the ATP Rankings, his highest position since occupying the No. 12 spot on 4 November 2018.

No. 39 Sam Querrey, +26
The 31-year-old advanced to his third Wimbledon quarter-final in four years, improving his record at the All England Club to 23-12. Querrey battled past fourth seed Dominic Thiem in the first round before victories against Andrey Rublev, John Millman and Tennys Sandgren. Despite a straight-sets loss to Rafael Nadal in the quarter-finals, the American soars 26 places to No. 39 in the ATP Rankings.

Other Notable Movers
No. 26 Fernando Verdasco, +11
No. 45 Mikhail Kukushkin, +13
No. 48 (Career-High) Ugo Humbert, +18
No. 56 Joao Sousa, +13
No. 62 Adrian Mannarino, -20
No. 64 Nicolas Jarry, -11
No. 69 Philipp Kohlschreiber, -12
No. 71 Juan Ignacio Londero, -11
No. 72 Tennys Sandgren, +22
No. 88 Thiago Monteiro, +25
No. 91 (Career-High) Alexei Popyrin, +10
No. 94 Hugo Dellien, -11
No. 96 Mackenzie McDonald, -26
No. 97 (Career-High) Brayden Schnur, +15
No. 100 Denis Kudla, +11

Serbian has a 500-point lead over Nadal post-Wimbledon

Novak Djokovic took the lead in the battle for year-end No. 1 in the ATP Rankings from Rafael Nadal by winning his fifth crown at The Championships, Wimbledon, on Sunday. The Serbian passed Nadal in the ATP Race To London with 6,725 points, taking a 500-point advantage over the second-placed Spaniard (6,225), after he saved two championship points to beat Roger Federer 13-12(3) in the fifth set of the final at the All England Club.

It is the first time for three years that Djokovic has led the year-to-date standings after the conclusion of Wimbledon. In 2016, he had 8,040 points, for an 815-point lead over Andy Murray (7,225), who produced a sensational finish to the season with five straight titles, ending with victory over Djokovic in the title match at the Nitto ATP Finals for year-end ATP Tour No. 1.

So, once again in 2019, the stage is set for what could be an exciting battle with Djokovic bidding to equal Pete Sampras’ six year-end No. 1 finishes (1993-98) and Nadal going for a fifth top spot conclusion (2008, 2010, 2013, 2017).

ATP Race To London as of 15 July 2019

Player Points
1. Novak Djokovic 6,725
2. Rafael Nadal 6,225
3. Roger Federer 5,060
4. Dominic Thiem 3,315
5. Stefanos Tsitsipas 2,995
Both players will be fully aware that 12 months ago, after Wimbledon, Nadal led the 2018 ATP Race To London with Djokovic in fifth position (3,355 to Nadal’s 5,760). Djokovic won three further titles (including the US Open) from five finals, which included a 22-match winning streak, to finish the year at No. 1.

Last year, following The Championships, Nadal led second-placed Federer (4,020) by 1,640 points. In 2017, when the Spaniard finished year-end No. 1 for the fourth time, he led Federer by 550 points at this stage (7,095 to 6,545), with Djokovic in seventh position on 2,585 points.

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The 32-year-old Djokovic, who now holds a 35-6 match record in 2019, has already joined Nadal as a qualifier for the Nitto ATP Finals, to be held at The O2 in London from 10-17 November. In addition to the Wimbledon title, Djokovic won a record seventh Australian Open (d. Nadal) and also a 33rd ATP Masters 1000 trophy at the Mutua Madrid Open (d. Tsitsipas). He also advanced to his ninth Internazionali BNL d'Italia final (l. to Nadal).

ATPTour.com looks at the top Movers of the Week in the ATP Rankings, as of Monday, 22 July 2019

No. 38 (Career High) Nicolas Jarry, +26
In his third ATP Tour championship match, Jarry claimed his maiden title at the Swedish Open. The Chilean did not drop a set en route to the trophy, beating Cordoba titlist Juan Ignacio Londero in the championship match. Jarry joins his grandfather Jaime Fillol Sr. as a tour-level champion and soars 26 spots to a career-high No. 38 in the ATP Rankings. Read More.

No. 26 Dusan Lajovic, +10
Three months after contesting his maiden tour-level final at the Rolex Monte-Carlo Masters (l. to Fognini), Lajovic captured his first ATP Tour crown at the Plava Laguna Croatia Open Umag. The fourth seed defeated 2017 titlist Andrey Rublev in his opening match and overcame qualifier Attila Balazs in the championship match. Lajovic jumps 10 positions to No. 26 in the ATP Rankings, three places from his career-high mark of No. 23. Read More.

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No. 56 (Career High) Juan Ignacio Londero, +15
The Argentine battled through the draw in Båstad to reach his second ATP Tour final. Londero rallied from a set down against Hugo Dellien and 2018 runner-up Richard Gasquet to reach the semi-finals, where he defeated 2016 champion Albert Ramos-Vinolas. Despite falling to Jarry in the final, Londero rises 15 spots to a career-high No. 56 in the ATP Rankings.

No. 71 (Career High) Alexander Bublik, +12
The 22-year-old claimed four straight three-set victories to reach his first tour-level championship match at the Hall of Fame Open. Bublik defeated Alex Bolt, Viktor Troicki, Tennys Sandgren and Marcel Granollers, before a straight-sets loss to four-time winner John Isner. Bublik leaps 12 places to No. 71, a career-high position for the Kazakh, in the ATP Rankings.

Other Notable Movers
No. 49 Joao Sousa, +7
No. 51 Leonardo Mayer, +9
No. 63 Marco Cecchinato, -23
No. 65 Richard Gasquet, -15
No. 85 Albert Ramos-Vinolas, +14
No. 93 Steve Johnson, -25
No. 94 Bradley Klahn, -10
No. 100 Matthew Ebden, +10

ATPTour.com looks at the top Movers of the Week in the ATP Rankings, as of Monday, 29 July 2019

No. 25 Alex de Minaur, +9
The 20-year-old lifted his second ATP Tour title at the BB&T Atlanta Open, becoming the youngest winner in tournament history. De Minaur dropped just seven first-serve points throughout the week (116/123) and did not face a break point during victories against Bradley Klahn, Bernard Tomic, Reilly Opelka and Taylor Fritz. De Minaur rises nine places to No. 25 in the ATP Rankings, one spot below his career-high position achieved on 4 March. Read More.

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No. 49 Andrey Rublev, +29
The Russian reached his first ATP 500 championship match at the Hamburg European Open. Rublev overcame two-time ATP Tour titlist Cristian Garin, Casper Ruud, top seed Dominic Thiem and Pablo Carreno Busta to reach the championship match in northern Germany. Despite falling to defending champion Nikoloz Basilashvili in the final, Rublev soars 29 places to No. 49 in the ATP Rankings. It is the first time Rublev has occupied a Top 50 position since 9 September last year.

No. 69 Albert Ramos-Vinolas, +16
Ramos-Vinolas claimed his second ATP Tour trophy at the J. Safra Sarasin Swiss Open Gstaad. The Spaniard did not drop a set en route to the trophy, beating Henri Laaksonen, second seed Fernando Verdasco, Roberto Carballes Baena, Pablo Andujar and Cedrik-Marcel Stebe. Ramos-Vinolas jumps 16 positions to No. 69 in the ATP Rankings. Read More.

Other Notable Movers
No. 43 (Career High) Reilly Opelka, +14
No. 47 Pablo Carreno Busta, +12
No. 48 Filip Krajinovic, +10
No. 55 Nicolas Jarry, -17
No. 81 Leonardo Mayer, -30
No. 96 Bernard Tomic, +10