"Still No. 1 without giving in to bullies or backing down for money, definition of a legend" - Tennis fans celebrate Novak Djokovic holding on to World No. 1 ranking

Daniil Medvedev was just one win away from taking back the World No. 1 spot from Novak Djokovic at the Miami Masters, but the Russian fell agonizingly short. The 26-year-old needed to reach the semifinals in Miami to reclaim the top ranking, but succumbed to a straight-sets loss to defending champion Hubert Hurkacz on Thursday.

Medvedev will therefore head into the clay season as the World No. 2, while Djokovic is assured of his 364th week atop the ATP rankings.

The 20-time Grand Slam champion has spent the most weeks at No. 1 among male players. If he can stay there for 13 more weeks, Djokovic will equal Steffi Graf's all-time record of 377 weeks.

What makes Djokovic's achievement even more impressive is the fact that he has only played three matches so far this year. Due to vaccine mandates, the Serb was prevented from playing in both Australia and the USA and was forced to drop a big chunk of his points.

Despite that, the World No. 1 managing to hold on to his position for almost the entirety of the early hardcourt swing was a reason for his fans to celebrate.

They wasted no time taking to social media to remind everyone that their favorite was the GOAT.

"Still No. 1 without giving in to the bullies or backing down for money. Djokovic is the definition of a legend," one fan tweeted.

"Novak Djokovic beats the past gen, current gen, and the next gen and stays as world#1, without setting his foot on the tennis courts. GOAT material," another fan tweeted.

Fans of other players were quick to respond, placing the blame on Daniil Medvedev for not being consistent enough to capitalize on the Serb's absence from the tour.

"Medvedev had one job; to keep Djokovic from No. 1 when he isn't even playing. He can't even do that," one user lamented.

Several of the World No. 1's fans, on the other hand, were very pleased with Hubert Hurkacz for helping the Serb keep hold of his spot at the summit.

Bagelled Federer on Centre Court at Wimbledon, and just beat Medvedev to ensure that Djokovic stays as the world #1. Hubi Hurkacz, we love you more than you'll ever know," one fan wrote.

Novak Djokovic has a chance to extend his lead over Daniil Medvedev at the Monte-Carlo Masters

The World No. 1 is defending 90 points fewer compared to Daniil Medvedev at the Monte-Carlo Masters

When the ranking points are updated on Monday, the World No. 1 will only have a 10-point lead over Daniil Medvedev.

But the Serb is defending fewer points than the Russian at the Monte-Carlo Masters, where both players are slated to play next. Djokovic is only defending 90 points in the ATP 1000 event following his quarter-final exit in the 2019 edition. Medvedev, on the other hand, reached the semifinals in 2019 and will be defending 180 points.

The pair will be joined by eight of the top-10 players at the Monte Carlo Country club, where action will begin on 10 April.