ATP rankings update: Daniil Medvedev begins second week as World No. 1 as tour heads to Indian Wells

Daniil Medvedev remained at No. 1 in the ATP rankings for the second week in a row, as the ATP tour took a one-week break for Davis Cup action.

Medvedev is the first player outside the Big 4, consisting of Novak Djokovic, Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal and Andy Murray, to be ranked No. 1 since Andy Roddick in February 2004.

The Russian will have a chance to increase his 150-point lead over his closest challenger Djokovic in the ATP rankings over the next month or so.

The reigning US Open champion is defending 270 points from last year's 'Sunshine Double', the American hardcourt stretch which consists of the Indian Wells and Miami Masters. He's also defending 250 points from his Marseille triumph last year, which will fall off on 21 March.

Djokovic, on the other hand, will be defending only 45 points during the same period. It is uncertain if the Serb will be able to compete in the US due to his unvaccinated status. As of now, the 20-time Grand Slam champion remains on the Indian Wells entry list with the main draw set to begin on Thursday.

With no tournaments being played last week, there has been little movement in this week's top 10. Australian Open champion Rafael Nadal, who remains unbeaten in 2022, is No. 4 in the ATP rankings, while 20-time Grand Slam champion Roger Federer, out of action since Wimbledon last July, is ranked 27th.

The top 10 for the week of March 7, 2022 is as follows:

1. Daniil Medvedev
2. Novak Djokovic
3. Alexander Zverev
4. Rafael Nadal
5. Stefanos Tsitsipas
6. Matteo Berrettini (+1)
7. Andey Rublev (-1)
8. Casper Ruud
9. Felix Auger-Aliassime
10. Jannik Sinner (+1)

Daniil Medvedev defending fewer ATP ranking points than Novak Djokovic during claycourt season

Novak Djokovic and Daniil Medvedev at the Rolex Paris Masters on November 7, 2021 in Paris, France.

The claycourt season will also be a good opportunity for Medvedev to build a lead over Djokovic. The Serb is defending more than 3,500 ranking points during the claycourt stretch, which includes points from winning the French Open and the 2019 Madrid Masters (pandemic-adjusted ranking points).

He made the final at the Rome Masters and the quarterfinals in Monte-Carlo, apart from winning the Belgrade 2 ATP 250 event and reaching the semifinals of the Belgrade 1 ATP event.

Medvedev, on the other hand, will be defending a little more than 1,000 points during the clay stretch. The Russian accumulated his points by reaching the quarterfinals at the 2021 French Open, the semifinals at the 2019 Monte-Carlo Masters (pandemic-adjusted ranking points), the round of 16 in Madrid and the round of 32 in Rome.