What Djokovic Must Do To Retain World No. 1 After Rome
What Djokovic Must Do To Retain World No. 1 After Rome
Daniil Medvedev is currently No. 1 in the Pepperstone ATP Live Rankings, but Novak Djokovic has his destiny in his own hands this week in Rome. The World No. 1 has an opportunity to retain his spot atop the Pepperstone ATP Rankings next Monday based on his performance at this week’s Internazionali BNL d’Italia.
If Djokovic advances to at least the semi-finals at the Foro Italico, he will remain World No. 1. Anything less, Medvedev will take his place and begin his second stint at the sport’s pinnacle.
According to the Pepperstone ATP Live Rankings, Medvedev has 7,980 points, putting him 310 points ahead of Djokovic, who has 7,670 points. Djokovic’s total already incorporates the 10 points he will earn if he loses in the second round. Medvedev has moved ahead because he is only dropping 10 points this week, while Djokovic reached last year’s Rome final and is defending 600 points.
Pepperstone ATP Live Rankings (View Full Standings)
| Player | Points |
| 1) Daniil Medvedev | 7,980 |
| 2) Novak Djokovic | 7,670 |
| 3) Alexander Zverev | 6,850 |
| 4) Stefanos Tsitsipas | 5,580 |
| 5) Rafael Nadal | 5,445 |
Since Medvedev is not competing at the Foro Italico, Djokovic will claw closer to his rival with each match win this week. The Pepperstone ATP Live Rankings will reflect the points he earns, sending the Serbian closer to top spot.
But there is also a chance Djokovic could fall as low as World No. 3 next Monday. If Alexander Zverev lifts the trophy and Djokovic does not make the quarter-finals, the German will climb to a career-high World No. 2.
If Zverev triumphs and Djokovic advances to the quarter-finals, they will be tied on 7,840 points. The 37-time ATP Masters 1000 titlist would keep World No. 2 by winning the tie-breaker — the most total points combined from the Grand Slams, ATP Masters 1000 mandatory tournaments and Nitto ATP Finals main draws — against Zverev.
Scouting Report: Nadal, Djokovic & Tsitsipas Lead Rome Field
Although 10-time Rome titlist Nadal is No. 4 in this week’s Pepperstone ATP Rankings, he has slipped to No. 5 in the Pepperstone ATP Live Rankings. That is because the Spaniard is defending the 1,000 points he earned by emerging victorious last year at the Foro Italico. Stefanos Tsitsipas, who is defending 180 points from a quarter-final showing in Rome, is up to No. 4 in the Pepperstone ATP Live Rankings.
If Nadal lifts an 11th trophy at the Italian Masters 1000 event, he is guaranteed to keep World No. 4 next week. If the 35-year-old does not advance to the quarter-finals, Tsitsipas will move up a spot.
The Pepperstone ATP Live Rankings also show who has an opportunity to make a big move up and which players have work to do to avoid a sizable fall.
Home favourite Fabio Fognini is No. 56 in this week’s Pepperstone ATP Rankings. But because of the number of points players ahead of him have to defend, and he lost in the first round in Rome last year, the Italian was already up to No. 51 in the Pepperstone ATP Live Rankings before he earned his first-round win against Dominic Thiem.
Federico Delbonis is currently World No. 39, but slipped to No. 59 in the Pepperstone ATP Live Rankings after dropping the 205 points he is defending from making the quarter-finals as a qualifier last year. With his first-round loss against 15th seed Pablo Carreno Busta, Delbonis will only slide further the rest of the week as other players add points with wins.