One of the tallest men in the Top 10 has reconfigured the ATP landscape.
Daniil Medvedev made history today rising to world No. 2.
A day after the 25-year-old Russian captured his 10th career title in Marseille, he supplants Rafael Nadal as the second ranked man on the ATP Tour.
It's a historic ascension: for the first time since 2005 a man not named Novak Djokovic, Roger Federer, Andy Murray or Nadal holds the world No. 2 ranking.
"It’s a really cool achievement," said Medvedev the first man outside the Big 4 to hold No. 2 since Lleyton Hewitt. "[That] makes me happy about this achievement, but of course as soon as you touch something new you want to go higher and higher."
Next stop No.1?
Medvedev says he will work for this goal, but does not expect any favors from Djokovic and Nadal when it comes to ascending to the top spot.
"For sure I mean it's a great challenge," he told Tennis Now. "The higher you go, I always said that to become No.2 tomorrow it's going to be a goal I already achieved, so the next one is No.1 - there is nothing higher than that. Of course for this I feel like you need to win Slams, especially with Rafa and Novak playing. You know they are not going to let you just get there with some good results on 500 and Masters, so you need to make some amazing results. But if I continue the good work, if I continue to show some of the results I was capable of, I definitely have the chance, but it's not easy, especially with all the guys that are fighting against you on tour, 365 days, all year long."