Nadal, Medvedev Lead Five-Way Battle For No. 1 At US Open

Daniil Medvedev enters the US Open as the No. 1 player in the Pepperstone ATP Rankings but there will be fireworks at Flushing Meadows, where five players have a chance to claim the top spot.

When players next Monday drop their 2021 US Open points, Nadal will be in pole position to recapture World No. 1 for the first time since 2 February 2020. Medvedev, Stefanos Tsitsipas, Carlos Alcaraz and Casper Ruud need deep runs to challenge him.

Since Nadal did not compete last year in New York, he is not defending any points. When 2021 champion Medvedev drops the 2,000 points he is defending, Nadal will be No. 1 in the Pepperstone ATP Live Rankings with 5,630 points. 

Pepperstone ATP Live Rankings Points (as of 29 August)

^{*Zverev is not competing in the US Open due to an ankle injury}
The 36-year-old lefty will have a 590-point lead over Alexander Zverev, who does not have a chance to claim No. 1 because he is not competing at the US Open due to an ankle injury. Medvedev, who has held World No. 1 since the week of 13 June, will be 745 points behind. 

Medvedev, Tsitsipas, Alcaraz and Ruud will all need to at least reach the US Open final to have an opportunity to leave New York as World No. 1.

Tsitsipas will be confident after reaching the Western & Southern Open final. However, the Greek has not moved past the third round at Flushing Meadows in four previous appearances.

Alcaraz, who defeated Tsitsipas at last year’s US Open en route to the quarter-finals, has a chance to make history. If the 19-year-old Spaniard climbs to World No. 1 on 12 September, he will become the youngest No. 1 in Pepperstone ATP Rankings history, breaking the record Lleyton Hewitt set in November 2001 as a 20-year-old.

Ruud, who has climbed as high as World No. 5, can become the first Norwegian in Pepperstone ATP Rankings history to reach World No. 1.