On This Day: Medvedev breaks Big Four's grip on World No. 1

Daniil Medvedev broke the 'Big Four' monopoly on World No. 1 by rising to the top of the PIF ATP Rankings on February 28th, 2022.

Medvedev, then 26 years old, became the first man outside of Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal, Novak Djokovic and Andy Murray to hold the No. 1 position since Andy Roddick in 2004.

"Of course I am happy to reach No. 1. It was my goal since I was young and especially my goal in the latest times,” Medvedev said when he became the 27th player to join the ATP No. 1 Club.

Medvedev’s rise to the top spot was fuelled by his 2021 North American hard-court run, during which he was crowned champion at the US Open and at the ATP Masters 1000 in Toronto. At Flushing Meadows, Medvedev denied Djokovic’s quest for a calendar-year Grand Slam with a dominant, straight-sets victory in the championship match.

Less than six months later, it was Djokovic whom Medvedev surpassed for World No. 1 honours, becoming the tallest player (6’6”, 198cm) to achieve that feat.

A self-titled ‘hard-court specialist’, Medvedev stacked PIF ATP Ranking points with deep runs on his beloved surface. He finished the 2021 season by reaching the final at the Rolex Paris Masters and the prestigious Nitto ATP Finals. Medvedev reached World No. 1 a month following his run to the final at the 2022 Australian Open, where he let slip a two-sets-to-love lead against Nadal.

The 20-time tour-level champion Medvedev has spent 16 weeks at No. 1. After an initial two-week stint, Medvedev later reached the ‘s-Hertogenbosch final in June to reclaim the No. 1 ranking. He reached the Halle final the following week and won the Los Cabos title in August. But his reign at No. 1 ended after the US Open, which Carlos Alcaraz won to become the youngest No. 1 in PIF ATP Rankings history.

Learn more about the ATP No. 1 Club