Written by Roberto Ferri, translated by Kingsley Elliot Kaye
If we had been braver, we could have resorted to the frequently used quote “It won’t last” and we would have hit the mark. In fact this week Novak Djokovic has officially returned to the top of the ATP Rankings thanks to Daniil Medvedev’s early loss to Gael Monfils in Indian Wells.
The Russian will have the chance to overtake again in Miami, and such a duel will bring back memories of the famous battle between Gilles Villeneuve and René Arnoux at Dijon 1979.
Using an expression quite typical of financial markets, we dare say that this news had already been broadly absorbed by our readers’ market.
Fortunately the tournament of Indian Wells has been lavish with novelties, in particular at the top of the rankings, as you can see below.
TOP 20 today, 21st March 2022:
| Position | Player | Country | Pts | +/- |
| 1 | Djokovic | Russia | 8465 | 1 |
| 2 | Medvedev | Serbia | 8445 | -1 |
| 3 | Nadal | Spain | 7715 | 1 |
| 4 | Zverev | Germany | 7025 | |
| 5 | Tsitsipas | Greece | 6055 | |
| 6 | Rublev | Russia | 5040 | 1 |
| 7 | Berrettini | Italy | 5035 | -1 |
| 8 | Fritz | USA | 3875 | 12 |
| 9 | Ruud | Norway | 3825 | -1 |
| 10 | Auger-Aliassime | Canada | 3768 | -1 |
| 11 | Hurkacz | Poland | 3586 | |
| 12 | Sinner | Italy | 3540 | -2 |
| 13 | Norrie | GB | 3530 | -1 |
| 14 | Shapovalov | Canada | 2885 | -1 |
| 15 | Alcaraz | Spain | 2771 | 4 |
| 16 | Schwartzman | Argentina | 2660 | -2 |
| 17 | Bautista Agut | Spain | 2375 | -2 |
| 18 | Opelka | USA | 2336 | -1 |
| 19 | Carreno Busta | Spain | 2220 | -3 |
| 20 | Basilashvili | Georgia | 1951 | -2 |
A few comments:
- Rafael Nadal is back on the podium (top three). He had been missing for more than seven months.
- Andrey Rublev overtakes Berrettini who maintains a consistent margin over his closest chaser, who is…
- …Taylor Fritz, the Indian Wells conqueror. After 2 years and 10 months the USA has a player ranked in the top 10. The last one was John Isner.
- Owing to the flu, which forced him to withdraw from Indian Wells, Jannik Sinner drops 4 positions.
- Carlos Alcaraz gains only 4 positions this week. We are just kidding, of course. It will come as no surprise that he may burst into the top 10 after the Miami Open ATP 1000, which will be starting this week.
NITTO ATP FINALS RACE
Taylor Fritz takes a giant step in the ranking of the best players of the ongoing season. Also Carlos Alcaraz is working his way up.
| Position | Player | Country | Pts |
| 1 | Nadal | Spain | 3350 |
| 2 | Medvedev | Russia | 1720 |
| 3 | Fritz | USA | 1430 |
| 4 | Auger-Aliassime | Canada | 1410 |
| 5 | Rublev | Russia | 1380 |
| 6 | Tsitsipas | Greece | 1350 |
| 7 | Alcaraz | Spain | 950 |
| 8 | Berrettini | Italy | 945 |
| 9 | Shapovalov | Canada | 920 |
| 10 | Bautista Agut | Spain | 890 |
NEXT GEN
The ranking reserved to the best under 21 players sees Jiri Lehecka overtake Jack Draper and Tseng Chun-hsin edges past Brandon Nakashima.
| Position | Player | Country | Pts | YOB |
| 1 | Alcaraz | Spain | 950 | 2003 |
| 2 | Sinner | Italy | 620 | 2001 |
| 3 | Lehecka | Czechia | 267 | 2001 |
| 4 | Draper | GB | 256 | 2001 |
| 5 | Musetti | Italy | 181 | 2002 |
| 6 | Stricker | Switzerland | 142 | 2002 |
| 7 | Tseng | Taipei | 130 | 2001 |
| 8 | Nakashima | USA | 120 | 2001 |
BEST RANKING
11 players who were already ranked in the top 100 have reached their career best:
| Player | Position | Country |
| Fritz | 8 | USA |
| Alcaraz | 15 | Spain |
| Paul | 36 | USA |
| Brooksby | 39 | USA |
| van de Zandschulp | 42 | Netherlands |
| Martinez | 48 | Spain |
| Giron | 53 | USA |
| Bonzi | 58 | France |
| Coria | 60 | Argentina |
| Altmaier | 71 | Germany |
| Otte | 73 | Germany |
