“It’s much easier when you’re like No.2, No.3 in the world”: Daniil Medvedev contrasts Top 10 security with ranking battles

Daniil Medvedev said “players don’t even know” when weighing up whether to compete or rest, as he addressed the structure of the ATP calendar during his press conference at the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships. The former world No. 1 is competing this week in Dubai while attempting to stabilise his ranking after an uneven start to the season.

Currently hovering just outside the Top 10, Medvedev acknowledged that position matters. “It’s much easier when you’re like No.2, No.3 in the world,” he said, underlining how security at the top alters scheduling choices. For players fighting to regain ground, the calculation is different.

The 2021 US Open champion has experienced both ends of that spectrum. After spending 16 weeks as world No. 1 in 2022, he now finds himself chasing seeding advantages and consistency. That context shaped his comments about ranking points and the indirect pressure they create across the 11-month season.

His remarks were prompted by a discussion about player workload and injuries, and he quickly referenced a specific case from last year: Holger Rune’s Achilles tendon problem in Stockholm. For Medvedev, the episode illustrated a wider structural issue.

Medvedev pointed to Holger Rune, who sustained an Achilles tendon injury during the Stockholm event late last season. The Achilles tendon, which connects the calf muscles to the heel bone, is particularly vulnerable to overload in a dense schedule, and Rune’s issue required careful management during a crucial phase of the year.

“Because what happens is last year, like, Holger got injured in Stockholm, everybody was like, Yeah, but you don’t have to play it. If he wants to be in Turin, he has to, even if it’s not a mandatory tournament. That is where it is borderline. Players don’t even know.”

Rune was chasing qualification for the ATP Finals in Turin at the time. While Stockholm was not classified as mandatory, the ranking points on offer were significant in the Race standings. Medvedev’s argument was that the distinction between mandatory and optional becomes blurred when qualification is on the line.

He extended the point to his own experience, recalling a stretch in which he entered seven consecutive tournaments after a slow start to the year. The decision, he explained, was influenced less by obligation and more by the incremental value of points.

“Last year I played in seven tournaments in a row. Did I have to? No. I played bad in the beginning of the year, maybe I can get 100 points here, 200 points here, be higher seeded next year, et cetera, et cetera. If there would be no points there, at least it is an easier decision. But it’s not going to happen.”

For Medvedev, removing ranking points from certain lower-tier events — while keeping them on the calendar — would simplify those choices. The incentive structure, rather than the volume of tournaments alone, is what he believes drives risk-taking.

Asked whether meaningful reform is possible, Medvedev was direct. He suggested a streamlined structure built around the four Grand Slams and an expanded Masters series, reducing the competitive weight of smaller events. But he also acknowledged the commercial barriers.

“I would think the players would agree, from what I’m hearing, to making more let’s say even more mandatory tournaments,” said Medvedev. “Because now it’s what? Nine, probably four Grand Slams.”

He then framed the issue in economic terms, noting that tournament licenses and broadcast agreements make contraction unlikely. In his words, “It’s business,” and organisers would not willingly forfeit revenue streams. “I think right now with how the ATP Tour, it’s never going to change, at least while I’m playing, many other guys. But in general, yeah, I would say make four Grand Slams, I don’t know, 11 Masters, and that’s it. The other tournaments, maybe make them without points or something. Not like exhibitions, but without points or something.”

The disparity between the very top and the chasing pack was another theme. Medvedev cited players such as Carlos Alcaraz, Jannik Sinner and Alexander Zverev as examples of competitors who can manage their schedules differently due to consistent deep runs.

“Well, I think it’s always there a bit, especially like let’s say you get closer to Turin, you’re No. 9 in the race, of course you are,” said Medvedev. “I know by experience, it’s much easier when you’re like No.2, No.3 in the world. You are like, I’m good there. Whenever you play only semis of the tournaments, that is where you can go like Carlos, Jannik, Sascha [Alexander Zverev], you can say okay.”

As he continues his campaign at the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships, Medvedev now prepares for his next challenge this Thursday against American Jenson Brooksby. Beyond Dubai, the focus shifts quickly to the Sunshine Double, with Indian Wells Open and the Miami Open looming as key events on the calendar.