Medvedev advances in Dubai, suggests ranking system rethink

Daniil Medvedev beat Shang Juncheng on Tuesday to reach the last 16 of the Dubai Open but implored tour organisers to limit ranking points to only the most prestigious events to reduce player workload.

A week after beating the Chinese world number 262 in Doha, Medvedev again faced Shang and won 6-1, 6-3 in his opening match in the 500-level event in the UAE.

After the victory, Medvedev said he would like to see more mandatory events in the calendar, but for ranking points only to be attributed to Masters-level events and Grand Slams in order to convince players to enter less tournaments.

“I would think the players would agree, from what I’m hearing, to making… even more mandatory tournaments,” the 11th-ranked Russian told reporters.

“I would say make four Grand Slams, I don’t know, 11 Masters, and that’s it. The other tournaments (500- and 250-level events), maybe make them without points or something.”

The 2021 US Open winner said that the chase for points to climb the rankings and reach the ATP Finals — reserved for the top eight in the world — causes players to increase their workload, sometimes to the detriment of their bodies.

“What happens is last year, Holger (Rune) got injured in Stockholm (250 event), everybody was like, ‘Yeah, but you don’t have to play it’. If he wants to be in Turin (for the ATP Finals), he has to, even if it’s not a mandatory tournament,” Medvedev said.

“Last year, I played in seven tournaments in a row. Did I have to? No. I played bad in the beginning of the year, maybe I can get 100 points here, 200 points here, be higher seeded next year.

“If there would be no points there, at least it is an easier decision. But it’s not going to happen.”

Medvedev will next meet a fellow former Grand Slam champion when he faces 40-year-old Stanislas Wawrinka in the round of 16.

Elsewhere in Dubai, second seed Alexander Bublik beat lucky loser Jan-Lennard Struff 6-3, 6-4.

Former world number three Stefanos Tsitsipas was eliminated in straight sets by Ugo Humbert, while Jiri Lehecka won 4-6, 6-4, 6-2 against Luca Nardi.

Rising star Jakub Mensik downed Hubert Hurkacz 6-4, 7-6 (9/7) to progress to the round of 16.