By Roberto Ferri
Tenzing Norgay, does this name ring a bell?
He was the Nepali-Indian sherpa who tenaciously, one step after another, with Edmund Hillary, reached the top of Mount Everest on 23rd May 1953.
Over the last weeks a tennis player seems to have been following in Norgay’s steps and endeavouring with steadfast determination to climb up to the summit of the ATP Rankings which, unlike Norgay, he had already reached in the past: that player is Daniil Medvedev
In Dubai, he sealed his third consecutive title, after Doha and Rotterdam. In five weeks he has surged from 12th to 6th position. Yet, it’s not just a matter of figures. His game has been thriving in all domains. The semifinal he won against Novak Djokovic delighted viewers with tennis at its highest peak. In Indian Wells he will only be defending the 45 points he earned in 2022 and will be looking to continue his ascent.
TOP 20
| Position | Player | Country | Pts | +/- |
| 1 | Djokovic | Serbia | 7160 | |
| 2 | Alcaraz | Spain | 6780 | |
| 3 | Tsitsipas | Greece | 5805 | |
| 4 | Ruud | Norway | 5560 | |
| 5 | Fritz | USA | 3795 | |
| 6 | Medvedev | Russia | 3775 | 1 |
| 7 | Rublev | Russia | 3660 | -1 |
| 8 | Rune | Denmark | 3321 | 2 |
| 9 | Nadal | Spain | 3315 | -1 |
| 10 | Auger-Aliassime | Canada | 3245 | -1 |
| 11 | Hurkacz | Poland | 3110 | |
| 12 | Norrie | GB | 2815 | |
| 13 | Sinner | Italy | 2655 | |
| 14 | Zverev | Germany | 2500 | 2 |
| 15 | Khachanov | Russia | 2470 | -1 |
| 16 | Tiafoe | USA | 2395 | -1 |
| 17 | Carreno Busta | Spain | 2240 | |
| 18 | De Minaur | Australia | 2165 | 4 |
| 19 | Paul | USA | 2000 | 4 |
| 20 | Coric | Croatia | 1905 |
A few comments:
- Holger Rune achieved his best ranking, No. 8.
- Rafa Nadal is still 9th but after Indian Wells will inevitably drop out of the top 10 for the first time in 18 years.
- Sacha Zverev succeeds in reversing the downward trends of the last period and moves up two places.
- Alex de Minaur and Tommy Paul, winner and runner-up in Acapulco, are back in the top 20.
RACE TO TURIN
The race to play the Nitto ATP Finals in Turin is extremely sensitive to the weekly results, particularly in the early stages of the tennis season. The lead actors of the last week have grabbed the stage.
In particular:
- Alex De Minaur has leapt from 18th to seventh position
- Tommy Paul has moved up from No. 6 to No. 4
- Medvedev is third·
| Position | Player | Country | Pts |
| 1 | Djokovic | Serbia | 2430 |
| 2 | Tsitsipas | Greece | 1470 |
| 3 | Medvedev | Russia | 1430 |
| 4 | Paul | USA | 1085 |
| 5 | Norrie | GB | 1065 |
| 6 | Fritz | USA | 915 |
| 7 | De Minaur | Australia | 870 |
| 8 | Khachanov | Russia | 810 |
NEXT GEN
There are some movements and new entries in the Top 8 best players born after 2021. By winning the Challenger in Pau the 18-year-old French player Luca Van Assche joins his fellow countrymen in the élite. Meanwhile, America’s Alex Michelsen makes his debut position and Rune secures the second spot behind Carlos Alcaraz.
| Position | Player | Country | Pts | YOB | ATP Rank |
| 1 | Alcaraz | Spain | 550 | 2003 | 2 |
| 2 | Rune | Denmark | 495 | 2003 | 8 |
| 3 | Shelton | USA | 380 | 2002 | 41 |
| 4 | Fils | France | 330 | 2004 | 111 |
| 5 | Van Assche | France | 152 | 2004 | 110 |
| 6 | Cazaux | France | 138 | 2002 | 219 |
| 7 | Musetti | Italy | 135 | 2002 | 21 |
| 8 | Michelsen | USA | 118 | 2004 | 306 |
BEST RANKING
Seven players in the Top 100 have reached their career highest.
| Player | Position | Country |
| Rune | 8 | Denmark |
| Griekspoor | 36 | Netherlands |
| M. Ymer | 56 | Sweden |
| Etcheverry | 61 | Argentina |
| Varillas | 76 | Peru |
| Borges | 80 | Portugal |
| Purcell | 95 | Australia |
A special mention to Max Purcell, who won the 2022 Wimbledon men’s doubles title. He has made his mark in the singles too by breaking into the Top 100 for the first time in his career after winning the Challenger in Pune.
Translated by Kingsley Elliot Kaye
