As the defending champion, the Russian lost nearly 1000 ranking points at the Masters 1000 event, bringing his lead over World No. 2 Alexander Zverev down to just 125 points. However, still reeling from the injury he suffered during the semifinal at Roland Garros this year, Zverev will fail to capitalise and himself drop 1000 points next week, when he will be unable to defend his title in Cincinnati.

This leaves the door open for Rafael Nadal to usurp the top spot of the men’s rankings. Following his triumphs at the Australian Open and French Open this year, Nadal has successfully kept his place in the top 5.

Since injury and subsequent surgery derailed the second half of his 2021 season, following Montreal, Nadal will not be defending a single ranking point till the end of the season. This puts him in pole position to end the year as World No. 1, but with Medvedev’s early defeat on Wednesday, he could reach the position as early as the US Open.

The Spaniard confirmed on Tuesday that he will travel to Cincinnati to play the Masters 1000 event there in the run-up to the US Open. In the American midwest, Medvedev will be defending 360 points from his semifinal finish last year.

If Nadal lifts the title there (1000 points), and Medvedev fails to at least reach the quarterfinal (dropping 270 points), the Spaniard will be the new World No. 1 and enter the US Open as the top seed.

Live ATP Rankings as on 11.08.2022

However, chances of Nadal going all the way in Cincinnati are slim. All of the best men’s players in the world, barring Zverev due to injury and Novak Djokovic due to his unvaccinated status, are expected to make up a stacked draw in Cincinnati.

Nadal, playing his first competitive event since withdrawing from the Wimbledon semifinal, is likely to be focusing more on match sharpness and fitness, rather than on winning the trophy.