'100% Grand Slam': Daniil Medvedev explains why major titles are his ultimate goal over rankings

Daniil Medvedev has declared that he'd rather win another Grand Slam than reclaim the World No. 1 spot. The Russian tennis player famously broke the Big Four's dominance at the top of the rankings back in 2022.

After more than 18 years with three players monopolizing most Grand Slam titles, and only Andy Murray briefly joining them at World No. 1, Daniil Medvedev ushered in a new era of competition for the top ranking. Since then, Carlos Alcaraz, Jannik Sinner, and even Novak Djokovic (who started 2024 at No. 1, 12 years after first achieving it in 2011) have all held the coveted position.

Medvedev has lost some of the spotlight he enjoyed for many years at the forefront of the Tour. With a new generation of players pushing harder than ever (five players in the top 10 are 23 or younger), the Russian has slipped in the rankings, even falling out of the top 10 for a few months.

He recently reached an ATP final again at the Halle Open this week – after more than a year without reaching a final, and following four consecutive semifinal losses. However, he fell to the talented Kazakh Alexander Bublik in straight sets. This was Medvedev's last grass-court tournament before Wimbledon, where he has a significant number of points to defend after reaching the semifinals in 2024, and faces the risk of dropping out of the top 10 once more.

Grand Slam dream still alive

The Russian still dreams of lifting another major title. He won the 2021 US Open, defeating Novak Djokovic in the final, and has lost in five other major finals. Having won a major and been World No. 1 a couple of years ago, Medvedev recently told Tennis World Italia that he values winning another major title over reaching the top of the ranking.

"100% Grand Slam. First of all, when you win a tournament of this level, you usually move up in the world ranking, gain many points and get closer to the world number one. Both things have value. I think only Marcelo Ríos has been number one without winning a Grand Slam," the Russian commented on the Chilean former Australian Open runner-up.

"We talk a lot about it, but we almost never say: 'He's the one who won a Grand Slam, but he was never the world number one.' Nobody says that," added the 29-year-old player.

Medvedev recently learned his path at Wimbledon, where he will debut against France's Benjamin Bonzi. As the 9th seed, he faces a potential matchup with Taylor Fritz (5th) in the fourth round and Alexander Zverev in the quarterfinals – Medvedev notably defeated the German in the Halle semifinals recently.