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INDIAN WELLS, Calif. – Without having made it to the U.S., Novak Djokovic is back to the No. 1 spot in the rankings.

But he’ll be absent in Miami again, as Medvedev – who is just 20 points behind him – defends quarterfinals points.

It’s a strange week, in that the reconfigured schedule for 2021 means that players are dropping points from Acapulco and Dubai and Santiago in 2021.

So there are plenty of ups and downs in the rankings.

And the rankings themselves don’t look quite right. Even the ATP has Tweeted that there’s been a bug.

We are currently experiencing a technical issue affecting the calculation of the ATP Rankings on our platforms. We are working to resolve this issue as soon as possible.
— ATP Media Info (@ATPMediaInfo) March 21, 2022

So until that’s resolved, we’ll go with the “live rankings“, and will adjust later as necessary.

WTA Rankings Report – As of March 21, 2022

ON THE UPSWING

Novak Djokovic (SRB): No. 2 =======> No. 1 (Novak Djokovic can’t get into the U.S. unvaccinated, so he’s missing Indian Wells and Miami. Still, because Daniil Medvedev didn’t do enough in the desert, Djokovic takes back the No. 1 spot).

Rafael Nadal (ESP): No. 4 =======> No. 3 (Nadal’s effort in Indian Wells and Alexander Zverev’s lack of success there in singles means the 35-year-old is back to No. 3 in the rankings).

Taylor Fritz (USA): No.20 =======> No. 13 (Taylor Fritz didn’t just win the biggest tournament of his career, he also leaped into the top 15 and is the No. 1 American again).

Carlos Alcaraz (ESP): No. 19 =======> No. 16 (When your ranking is now lower than your age, you’re doing something well. Alcaraz’s effort to the semis in the desert was a great sign of things to come).

Gael Monfils (FRA): No. 28 =======> No. 24 (Monfils looked impressive last week – uintil he ran into a kid half his age).

Grigor Dimitrov (BUL): No. 35 =======> No. 30 (Dimitrov, despite being a quarterfinalist last fall, still moves up because those points don’t drop off until October. His being seeded at the next couple of Slams is a good thing).

Jenson Brooksby (USA): No. 43 =======> No. 39 (Brooksby impressed again at Indian Wells, beating Khachanov and Tsitsipas before falling to defending champion Cameron Norrie in the round of 16. He’s into the top 40 with another career best).

Botic van de Zandschulp (NED: No. 47 =======> No. 42 (The phlegmatic Dutchman reaches another career high after beating Félix Auger-Aliassime in the second round, then losing to Kecmanovic).

Miomir Kecmanovic (SRB): No. 61 =======> No. 48 (Kecmanovic moves up 13 spots in a run to the quarterfinals. He dfeated Marin Cilic and Matteo Berrettini along the way, losing to eventual champion Taylor Fritz).

Jaume Munar (ESP): No. 99 =======> No. 84 (He’s a ways from his career high of No. 52, reached in May 2019. But Munar put a dent in it by qualifying at Indian Wells, and going to the third round. He upset No. 16 Pablo Carreño Busta in a third-set tiebreak in the second round, and lost to eventual champion Fritz in the third round – also in a third-set tiebreak).

Nick Kyrgios (AUS): No. 132 =======> No. 102 (Kyrgios’s ranking is starting to make a little more sense, after he reached the quarterfinals at Indian Wells, losing a three-setter to Rafael Nadal. Hopefully for him, he can build on it in Miami).

Fernando Verdasco (ESP): No. 150 =======> No. 123 (Verdasco has been playing a ton this year, grinding it out mostly on the Challenger circuit. He did the South American clay-court swing but did not try his luck at Indian Wells. He moves up 27 after winning the Challenger in Monterrey, then making the quarterfinals at the Phoenix Challenger last week. He’s in the Miami qualifying, but has a tough draw in No. 1 seed Joao Sousa in the first round).

J.J. Wolf (USA): No. 209 =======> No. 167 (Wolf has been operating on a protected ranking of No. 127. But he’s getting close to getting back there, especially after moving up 42 spots this week. He qualified and won a round at Indian Wells, and made the semis in Phoenix. The loss of the signature mullet doesn’t seem to be having a Samson effect).

ON THE DOWNSWING

Daniil Medvedev: No. 1 =======> No. 2 (Medvedev wasn’t No. 1 for long. But he’s only 20 points behind Djokovic. So if he can get past the quarterfinals next week, he can get it back in two weeks).

Jannik Sinner (ITA): No. 10 =======> No. 11 (Sinner is having a bit of a sophomore year in the sense that it’s all not coming – seemingly – quite as easily).

Cristian Garin (CHI): No. 25 =======> No. 29 (Garin seems to be going through some things, and he withdrew from Indian Wells. He won the 250 in Santiago last year during the first week of IW; and so drops those points).

Aslan Karatsev: No. 22 =======> No. 32 (Karatsev lost his opener to Steve Johnson at Indian Wells. And he drops his points from his surprise win at the 500 in Dubai a year ago, during the second week. So that puts him out of the top 30).

Lloyd Harris (RSA): No. 32 =======> No. 44 (Harris lost in the third round at IW to Berrettini, but he drops points from his run through the qualifying all the way to the final in Dubai a year ago).

Dominik Koepfer (GER): No. 51 =======> No. 64 (Koepfer lost in the second round, and drops points because he made a run to the semifinals in Acapulco a year ago).

Lorenzo Musetti (ITA): No. 56 =======> No. 76 (As much noise as the 20-year-old made, coming up right behind countryman Jannik Sinner, it’s been a bit of a slog of late. Just two weeks ago he was at a career high. But he drops 20 spots after losing in the second round at Indian Wells, and the second round at the Phoenix Challenger last week. Musetti was another one with big points to defend, after qualifying and reaching the semis in Acapulco a year ago, He has third-round points to defend in Miami as well).

Facundo Bagnis (ARG): No. 82 =======> No. 104 (Bagnis, 32, is out of the top 100 after losing in the second round at both Indian Wells and Phoenix. He reached the final of the 250 in Santiago a year ago).

Pierre-Hugues Herbert (FRA): No. 111======> No. 134 (Limited in his options because he’s opted not to get vaccinated, Herbert drops the points from his effort in getting to the final in Marseille a year ago. He beat Nishikori, Norrie, Tsitsipas and Humbert before losing to Medvedev. He’s back in action on the Challenger circuit this week in Europe).

Milos Raonic (CAN): No. 156=======> No. 176 (Raonic has played one match since making the round of 16 a year ago in Miami. When those points drop off, he’ll drop even more – to somewhere outside No. 220).

Jeremy Chardy (FRA): No. 160 =======> No. 200 (Chardy hasn’t played since last year’s US Open, saying he suffered an adverse reaction to the vaccine last summer, but largely being under the radar since then. He drops 2021 Dubai quarterfinal points).