Daniil Medvedev, a Russian tennis player, started his quest for world number 1 by picking up his first win at the Mexican Open, Acapulco in the 2022 season.
The world number 2 beat France’s Benoit Paire 6-3, 6-4 in the first round of the Mexican Open. If he wins the ATP level 500 tournament, he will certainly oust Novak Djokovic from world number 1 regardless of the Serbian’s performance in Dubai this week.
In the first match since losing to Rafael Nadal in the final of the 2022 Australian Open, the first seed overcame the shrewd Paire. He came back from falling behind with a chance to break in the second set before picking up victory in 1 hour 42 minutes.
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“It’s always not easy to get up after resting for some time and being out of the competition,” said Medvedev.
“Sometimes things get better, sometimes they get worse. I felt my performance wasn’t good enough, but I was able to fight until the end against a very tough opponent and I’m happy to have won.”
With this victory, the Russian is now leading in the head to head against Paide by 3-0.
In the second round of the Mexican Open, the first seed will have a duel against either Spain’s Pablo Andujar or wildcard host Alex Hernandez, a 22-year-old tennis player who is ranked 566th in the world.
Even though he has a chance to become world number 1, he admits that fighting for world number 1 is not his priority.
“If Novak doesn’t play, then maybe it will be in my mind, because it will depend on what I can do,” said Daniil Medvedev.
The 26-year-old hasn’t always been perfect against Paire, but he is a more consistent player, which has proved critical. The world number 49’s unpredictable play also contributed as he appeared threatening in the second set.
Medvedev even showed frustration after he trailed 2-4 in the second set. But once he got back into rhythm on his serve, the Frenchman’s level dropped significantly and the first seed won the match after claiming the last game without reply.
