Danill Medvedev has ‘no reason to cry’ about losing No 1 spot to Carlos Alcaraz as he looks to the future

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Daniil Medvedev interview

Daniil Medvedev has shrugged off losing the No 1 spot in the ATP Rankings to Carlos Alcaraz as he admits he didn’t do enough points to stay ahead of the chasing pack.

Having failed to successfully defend his US Open title, Medvedev dropped to No 4 in the rankings with Alcaraz becoming the youngest No 1 on the back of winning his maiden Grand Slam at Flushing Meadows.

The Russian has also been overtaken by US Open and French Open runner-up Casper Ruud and reigning Australian Open and Roland Garros champion Rafael Nadal.

“To be honest, I didn’t feel much when I lost the No 1 spot,” Medvedev is quoted as saying by Eurosport.

“The ranking is the consequence of your results and if we take the American summer, for example, I did not take enough points to stay No 1, or even No 2 or 3.

“Whereas Casper, Carlos, Rafa of course, with the two Grand Slams he won at the start of the year, they took a lot more points. So, it’s just logical.

“I have no feelings about it, no reason to cry. I can only tell myself that I have to do better if I want to find this place in the future.”

Medvedev first reached No 1 in the rankings in February this year and he spent a total of 16 weeks atop.

He will return to action as the top seed the indoor Moselle Open and he has a bye into the second round.

The 26-year-old doesn’t have too many points to defend in the remainder of the year as his best performance in the final few months of last year was a runners-up finish at the ATP Masters 1000 Paris Masters.

The Paris event and the ATP Finals are also indoor events and Medvedev is excited about the final part of the campaign as he builds towards the 2023 season and hopefully a return to the top of the rankings.

“It’s a very important part of the season for me,” he said. “I really like playing indoors, so I only find positives in this part of the season.

“Indoor is very different, you always have to adapt. Paris and the ATP Finals are obviously the biggest [events].

“I will play three tournaments before Paris. I have great motivation. Of course, there is no Grand Slam ahead and it’s the only time in the season where you play tournaments without a Slam coming.

“But next year, the Australian Open will come very fast after the end of the season. So it’s important to gain confidence at the end of the year.

“It’s the best way to prepare for next season and especially the Australian Open. It’s important for me to take a lot of points indoors to be seeded as high as possible in Melbourne.

“With all the tournaments I will play, I can take as much as 3750 points. Of course, it will be almost impossible to reach that, but 2500, 3000, why not? It would be cool to end the year that way.

“If I manage to collect a lot of points, then, maybe, I’ll have a chance to regain the No 1 spot in the coming year.”

Daniil Medvedev

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