Daniil Medvedev defeated Daniel Merida Aguilar in four sets to keep his Wimbledon dreams alive.
The former semi-finalist lost the first set 4-6, but refused to be beaten, taking the next three sets 6-3, 7-5, 6-2, to secure his place in round three.
There, he will meet either Brandon Nakashima or Jan Lennard Struff.
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Medvedev will be keen to continue his charge towards the Wimbledon title, knowing what it could mean for his ranking.
Daniil Medvedev insists he can still return to world number one
During his latest post-match press conference, Medvedev was asked if he still thinks reaching world number one is possible.
“Well, I think, first of all, it’s possible for literally everyone,” said Medvedev.
“You just need to play super good, super consistent, etc.
“Me, same.
“I know if I manage to do the right things and maybe be better in a couple of components, meaning play like in Rome and Roland Garros and don’t lose first rounds, stuff like this, you can get more points, because at one point I think I was second in the race, now I’m not.
“I don’t know how far Sascha [Zverev] is off Jannik [Sinner]. I think he was pretty far at one point, but now probably cut back after Roland Garros.”
Live ATP Race
| Rank | Name | Country | Points |
| 1 | Jannik Sinner | Italy | 6,050 |
| 2 | Alexander Zverev | Germany | 5,290 |
| 3 | Carlos Alcaraz | Spain | 3,650 |
| 4 | Flavio Cobolli | Italy | 2,670 |
| 5 | Daniil Medvedev | Russia | 2,520 |
| 6 | Ben Shelton | USA | 2,020 |
| 7 | Arthur Fils | France | 1,940 |
| 8 | Tommy Paul | USA | 1,925 |
| 9 | Alex de Minaur | Australia | 1,920 |
| 10 | Jakub Mensik | Czechia | 1,905 |
Medvedev currently sits fifth in the ‘Live ATP Race’, having accumulated 3,530 fewer points than Jannik Sinner this season.
He is, however, doing better in the ‘Race’ than the rankings themselves, which is a good sign for the Russian, as it suggests he is playing better in 2026 than he has over the past 12 months.
Live ATP Rankings
| Rank | Name | Country | Points |
| 1 | Jannik Sinner | Italy | 11,550 |
| 2 | Carlos Alcaraz | Spain | 8,160 |
| 3 | Alexander Zverev | Germany | 7,230 |
| 4 | Felix Auger-Aliassime | Canada | 4,390 |
| 5 | Alex de Minaur | Australia | 3,960 |
| 6 | Ben Shelton | USA | 3,770 |
| 7 | Daniil Medvedev | Russia | 3,670 |
| 8 | Flavio Cobolli | Italy | 3,110 |
| 9 | Taylor Fritz | USA | 3,015 |
| 10 | Novak Djokovic | Serbia | 3,010 |
Medvedev has a mountain to climb if he is to reach world number one, but he isn’t counting it out.
“It’s possible for everyone,” he said.
“You just need to be super consistent, super strong, and win a lot of matches. Of course, for example, if you ask me at this moment, I’m far from these guys in the points, but at the same time, this is sport, and everything is possible.
“For me, motivation is to try to play my best, maybe win here, and then you get 2,000 points.
“Then rankings are always secondary, because it comes with good results.”
Daniil Medvedev says if winning a Grand Slam is more important than reaching world number one
Medvedev was then asked if he believes becoming world number one is ‘secondary’ to winning Grand Slams.
“I think Grand Slam is a higher achievement. Once you win a Grand Slam in a year, you already pretend to be world number one,” he said.
“Of course, there are three other Grand Slams. If it’s another guy winning it, maybe they’re going to be the number one.
“But 2,000 points is a lot, and probably if you won a Grand Slam, you will play good in other tournaments, as well.
“That’s what happened for me, for example. The year I won the US Open, I stayed number one, keeping these points in my pocket, because I think I got number one, like, not exactly after the Australian Open, but close to it. And then I kind of stayed number one till the US Open. Then I lost, I think fourth round to [Nick] Kyrgios, dropped the points, and then I was not world number one.
Daniil Medvedev’s world number one timeline
- September 2021 – Won first Grand Slam at the US Open
- January 2022 – Reached Australian Open final
- February 2022 – Becomes world number one
- March 2022 – Drops world number one ranking to Novak Djokovic
- June 2022 – Regains world number one ranking from Novak Djokovic
- September 2022 – Drops world number one ranking to Carlos Alcaraz
- Total weeks at world number one – 16
“For me, yes, ranking is secondary, but it shows how well you have been playing for the last 52 weeks, and it’s a big achievement if you manage to play better than all the other guys in the world in these last 52 weeks.”
Medvedev is unlikely to record a 17th week at world number one anytime soon, although he would do his chances a world of good if he could go all the way and win the Wimbledon title.
The Russian will return to play his third-round match on Friday, July 3.
