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The ATP rankings updates that were released today (March 6th), symbolize the end of competitive play for February 2023. Once again, this seven-day period consisted of three different tournaments too, which is why I love the month of February so much on the ATP Tour. As for the three tournaments that were played, these included a couple of 500-level tournaments and a 250-level tournament. Or to be more specific, the two 500-level events were Dubai and Acapulco, whereas the 250-level tournament was the Santiago event in Chile.
As you may have seen, the two 500-level events were both played on hard courts, which attracted the world’s best players it seems. However, the event in Chile was played on clay, which is why the tournament had many South American players involved. Anyway, I state this purely to make you aware of which events have influenced the most recent ATP rankings updates. But being aware of the tournaments that have been played is just one part of the story here.
The other part is where players have moved in the rankings with regard to these tournaments – if they competed in them, that is. But whether they competed in these events or not, the ATP Tour waits for nobody. So on that note, let me now dive into the rankings adjustments as of March 6th, 2023.
ATP Rankings Updates – Week Commencing March 6th
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Compared to other rankings updates that I’ve done throughout February 2023, this one seems to be a little more ‘topsy turvy’, shall we say? While some guys have marched on up the ATP rankings ladder, some have failed to put in the performances required to improve their status on tour. With that in mind, let me focus on the guys that performed well this week, first and foremost.
After these players have been deservedly highlighted, I’ll move on to the section that no player wants to feature in – the ‘biggest fallers of the week’.
The Week’s Biggest Climbers – A Solid Week for Medvedev, Rune, Jarry, Paul, & de Minaur
It will come as no surprise that three of the five players that have made the cut this week were tournament champions. So to clarify, the champions of Dubai, Acapulco, and Santiago were Medvedev, de Minaur, and Jarry, respectively. However, only one of these guys can take the title of ‘climber of the week’, and that player is Nicolas Jarry. Since he won the tournament in Santiago, this man from Chile has risen by 35 spots in the rankings, securing a new position of 52.
This tops off quite a remarkable run of form in South America for Jarry, and his new ranking is thoroughly deserved. But with that said, there was some seriously good tennis taking place elsewhere last week. And besides Jarry, it’s de Minaur, as well as Tommy Paul who join him in the green this week. These guys produced some top-level tennis to make it into the finals in Acapulco, yet it was de Minaur who came out on top in a three-set thriller. Thanks to this run of form for both guys, they’ve each jumped 4 places up the rankings.
De Minaur is now ranked 18, whereas Paul is ranked 19. Yet besides these guys, there’s been movement at the top of the tree for Rune and Medvedev. Since Medvedev won the tournament in Dubai, he’s now ranked 6 in the world. And because Rune made the semi-finals in Acapulco, he is now ranked 8. This has also caused Rublev, Nadal, and Auger-Aliassime to move the wrong way down the ladder inside the top 10.
Additionally, this puts some extra pressure on the upcoming Masters 1000 events in Indian Wells and Miami.
The Week’s Biggest Fallers – Kyrgios, Musetti, and Nadal in the Red
The continued absence from the ATP Tour for Rafael Nadal means that he has slipped even further down the rankings this week. While the most recent update put him at number 8, he’s now dropped one more position to number 9 in the rankings, as of March 6th, 2023. And since he is not competing in the Indian Wells or Miami event, he’s at serious risk of dropping outside of the top 10. In fact, it’s pretty much a guarantee, which is a shame for the great Spaniard.
Speaking of guys that have been absent from the tour, Nick Kyrgios’ continued absence has resulted in a drop of 3 rankings spots this week to a new position of 22. Of course, dropping outside of the top 20 is far from ideal for this talented Aussie. Yet it would seem that his recent knee surgery has been a success, as he has hinted at a return to the ATP Tour for the upcoming Indian Wells event. This would be great for Nick Kyrgios and for the tournament as a whole, in my opinion.
Finally, both Kyrgios and Nadal are joined by Lorenzo Musetti in the red this week. The young Italian was the top seed in Santiago, but he ultimately lost his opening match to Jaume Munar of Spain. As a result, Musetti hasn’t managed to successfully defend points that were earned in the 2022 season, causing a drop in the rankings by 3 places. This puts him down at 21 in the rankings, although he has held onto his position as Italy’s number 2.
Top Rankings Stories – The Medvedev Hat-Trick
He may have only shifted by one position inside the top 10 this week, but this is the biggest ranking story for me, by quite a margin. Of course, Daniil Medvedev won the ATP 500 event in Dubai over the weekend, in pretty spectacular fashion. Going into the tournament, Medvedev had won back-to-back events, so his confidence was high. However, while he was the number 3 seed, he would need to beat Novak Djokovic if he was to win the title – among other great players!
With that said, Daniil Medvedev was absolutely flawless all week long. He didn’t drop a set in any of the matches played, and this included a comfortable 6-4, 6-4 victory against the world number one in the semi-finals. So because of this, Medvedev has officially won three tournaments in a row, keeping his win streak alive and taking his ranking up to number 6.
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