Novak Djokovic’s loss to Jiri Vesely in the Dubai Championships quarterfinals on Thursday was more costly than simply losing a match.
With the loss, Daniil Medvedev is set to take over the top spot from Djokovic in the ATP World Rankings. It will be the first time in 18 years that none of Djokovic, Rafael Nadal, Roger Federer or Andy Murray will hold the top spot.
The last time that someone other than those four players was ranked No. 1 was Andy Roddick in February 2004. Federer jumped Roddick on Feb. 2 that year and held the spot for the next four years.
Djokovic has been the ATP’s top player for all but 13 weeks since November 2018, including every day since Feb. 3, 2020. Nadal held the spot for the other 13 weeks, from November 2019 until after Djokovic won the 2020 Australian Open.
Djokovic was on pace to keep that top ranking for the foreseeable future last year after he won each of the first three majors.
Since then, Medvedev defeated Djokovic in the US Open final, and Djokovic couldn’t participate in the Australian Open due to his unvaccinated status. Djokovic has stated he will not participate in any tournament with a vaccine mandate, which has paved the way for Medvedev to overtake him in the rankings.
Medvedev, who was the runner-up in the Australian Open, took advantage of Djokovic’s stumbles to overtake the top spot. Including the 2021 US Open, Medvedev won four tournaments in 2021, and he has been a finalist in his last two. He has been the No. 2 player in the world since May 2021.
