Daniil Medvedev can return to number 1 in the ATP ranking after the Masters 1000 in Rome. If Novak Djokovic fails to reach the semifinals at the Foro Italico, the Muscovite will return to the top of the world rankings, becoming the first No. 1 seed at a non- Big Four Grand Slam since Roddick in 2004.
The ATP ranking is experiencing a more tense situation than ever at the Rome Masters. In the Italian tournament, two elementary situations are defined for Roland Garros, although one is symbolic and the other can be truly dramatic. In this Italian tournament, Medvedev and Djokovic compete for number 1 in the world, and Nadal and Tsitsipas compete for number 4.
Daniil Medvedev, who held the top spot in the ATP rankings for three weeks between February and March, is closer than ever to regaining the top spot. And without playing , because the Russian has been injured for a while and will make his return next week in Geneva. The czarino, initial doubt for Roland Garros, now has number 1 almost “within reach”.
The accounts are clear: If Djokovic does not reach the semifinals in Rome, Medvedev will be number 1 after Rome and will play Roland Garros as number 1 . This has more value for Daniil than for Djokovic, but the reality is that the exchange of the first two seeds in a Grand Slam is not significant, since the potential crosses will continue to be just as likely to occur as before, without changing anything.
The only considerable variation that could exist is for Zverev to win Rome and Djokovic to lose in the Round of 16 , in which case Djokovic would drop to third place, potentially avoiding Nadal until the Roland Garros final if Nadal complies with the paragraph Next.
Nadal and Tsitsipas, critical situation
The other situation that really matters before Paris is who is number 4 in the world . If Tsitsipas does it, and Nadal plays as 5, the man from Manacori could face Novak Djokovic in the quarterfinals, something that has not happened since 2015 (the only time, along with Roland Garros 2006, that this confrontation took place in such an early round at Grand Slams). On the other hand, being 5 brings something good: avoiding Carlos Alcaraz until the semifinals , while being 4 could be measured in the quarterfinals.
Rafa Nadal will overtake Tsitsipas in the ranking if he wins the tournament, reaches the final and his opponent is not Tsitsipas, or reaches the semifinals and Stefanos falls in the quarterfinals or earlier. In all other cases, it will be the Greek who occupies the fourth seed of the French Open .
