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As many of you will know, Djokovic has been knocked off the top spot. After missing the Australian Open and failing to do too well in Dubai, he lost the number one ranking. His replacement is Daniil Medvedev. And in light of recent events, many are curious as to whether Djokovic can retake the top spot. As a quick reminder – Djokovic will miss both Indian Wells and Miami due to the vaccine mandate.
But here is where it gets interesting. Djokovic actually can take back the world number one ranking, despite not playing either event. I will show you why this is the case below.
Possible Number One Retake in March – The Facts
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It’s been quite some time since Djokovic was ranked anything but number one in the world. But times are changing, there is no denying it. The younger guys are coming through and the ‘oldies’ like Djokovic and Nadal are concentrating on slams, mainly. But Djokovic is far from done yet, as proven here.
Medvedev at Indian Wells
Everything is in the hands of Medvedev regarding the number one ranking in March. Of course, he is currently the world’s best player, as the rankings stand. He took over the top spot once Djokovic failed to perform well in Dubai. But although he has only recently taken the number one ranking, he could already lose it. That’s because he must ensure that he makes at least the quarter-finals in Indian Wells. If he fails to do this, Djokovic will retake the top spot in the rankings. Why is this the case?
Well, as things stand, Medvedev is 150 points ahead of Djokovic. That’s pretty small when you consider that Djokovic lost all of his points from the Australian Open in 2021. And Medvedev has points dropping off on March 21st. So unless he covers the points he will lose, Djokovic will take the top spot once more – without striking a ball.
Djokovic Zero Points in Indian Wells or Miami
This is the second biggest point that I feel needs to be pointed out. The rankings system with the ATP is a rolling system. This means that the points held only last for 12 months. And in 2021, Djokovic did not compete in either Indian Wells or Miami. So for the next two weeks, Djokovic does not have any points to defend whatsoever. Just to clarify, this shows that Djokovic could retake the number one ranking not from accumulating any points, but from Medvedev losing his points.
And once these two weeks are over, we are getting towards the clay-court swing. Sure, Djokovic does have points to defend in the clay-court part of the season. But we are concentrating on March here. What happens beyond this month really is up for debate.
At the time of writing, Medvedev is scheduled to play Gael Monfils in the round of 32 at Indian Wells. If he beats him, he then needs to beat Carlos Alcaraz or Bautista-Agut. But should he do both of these things, he will keep the number one ranking.
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