Novak Djokovic to return to No. 1 spot after Daniil Medvedev's defeat against Gael Monfils at Indian Wells

Novak Djokovic will return to the No. 1 position on the ATP rankings charts after Gael Monfils upset current No. 1 Daniil Medvedev in the third round of the Indian Wells Masters on Monday.

Medvedev climbed to the top spot a couple of weeks ago after the Serb lost early in Dubai. But the former's 4-6, 6-3, 6-1 loss at the hands of Monfils means he will trail Djokovic by 55 ranking points when the rankings are updated on 21 March.

It is pertinent to note that ranking points do not update midway through the Indian Wells Masters, given it is a two-week event.

However, the reigning US Open champion can regain the top spot at the Miami Masters, provided he makes the semifinals. The conditions in Miami are more conducive to the Russian's tennis, and one would expect him to deliver the goods after this surprise defeat.

Medvedev will also benefit from the fact that the 20-time Major champion will not be in action in Miami either since he cannot enter the USA due to his unvaccinated status.

The live ATP rankings (and not the one on the ATP site) show Novak Djokovic leading the pack with 8,465 points to his name. Daniil Medvedev is on 8,410 points after dropping points from his Marseille win last year.

Alexander Zverev is a distant third with 7,025 points, but he is the biggest loser, having dropped 490 points after losing in the second round against Tommy Paul. The German is also dropping points from his win in Acapulco last season.

Rafael Nadal occupies the fourth spot with 6,605 points. The Spaniard is into the fourth round at the time of writing after beating Dan Evans 7-5, 6-3. Should the 21-time Major champion win the Indian Wells Masters, he will climb to the 3rd spot with 7,515 points in his kitty.

Doing so will also significantly increase Nadal's chances of regaining the top spot during the clay season, which is largely his domain.

Novak Djokovic to begin 362nd week as World No. 1

The Serb at the 2021 Australian Open

Novak Djokovic has spent a cumulative 361 weeks at the top of the rankings charts. When he returns to the No. 1 position next Monday, he will begin his 362nd week at the top.

He is now well ahead of second-placed Roger Federer's tally of 310 weeks as the World No. 1. Given the Swiss is on his last legs, it is doubtful he will return to the top spot, let alone hold the position for over 50 weeks.

The Serb is now 15 weeks behind all-time leader Steffi Graf's tally of 377 weeks as the World No. 1. No player to date has surpassed the German in this regard.