Medvedev breaks away from an impressive lineup in the 3 spot

Having spent the bulk of his career in the shadow of his countryman Federer, Wawrinka made a breakthrough at the major level in 2014 in Melbourne by beating Nadal in the final. The Swiss followed that up with a win over Djokovic in the 2015 French Open final then defeated the Serb again in the US Open final in 2016. Being the only player outside of the Big 4 to win multiple majors since 2005, Wawrinka appeared to be poised for more, but a knee injury sent him to the sidelines for an extended period. He’s worked his way back into the Top 20, but he has a lot of players to overtake in order to try and beat his career-high ranking, with time not on his side.

Dominic Thiem

It’s been a while—about 16 years—since someone besides Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal, Novak Djokovic or Andy Murray held the No. 2 spot in the ATP rankings. On March 15, though, that will finally change, when Daniil Medvedev officially takes over that position.

His forthcoming climb from No. 3 is a notable achievement, considering the players that have gotten to that spot in the rankings, but were blocked by the Big 4 of going any farther:

David Nalbandian

Reaching a Grand Slam final before Federer, his junior rival, Nalbandian never played in another after Wimbledon in 2002. Still, he maintained a prominent place in the rankings for several years, peaking at No. 3 in 2006. At the end of the prior year, he won the Tennis Masters Cup (beating Federer in a five-set final), and in 2007, he captured the last two Masters events of the year in stunning fashion. In Madrid, the Argentine defeated No. 2 Nadal, No. 3 Djokovic and No. 1 Federer in his last three matches. He then topped Federer and Nadal again weeks later on his way to victory in Paris.

David Ferrer

Over the course of his recently concluded career, Ferrer was a model of consistency, and in his most successful years, was generally considered among the “best of the rest.” The Spaniard reached multiple Masters finals—winning Paris in 2012—and the championship round at Roland Garros in 2013, which brought him to his career-high rank. His combined record against the Big 4—including an 0-17 mark versus Federer—would get him no farther.

Milos Raonic

With one of the best serves in tennis and a powerful all-court game, the Canadian hit No. 3 toward the end of 2016, the same year he reached his first major final at Wimbledon. It’s hard to pinpoint many on-court weaknesses that have kept him from rising further up the rankings. However, it’s primarily been his body that’s betrayed himm as he’s dealt with injury after injury over the years.

Juan Martin del Potro

When it comes to injuries, no one may be more snake-bitten as the “Tower of Tandil.” Back when del Potro won the US Open in 2009—defeating Nadal and Federer in his last two matches—it appeared that he was going to be challenging for the No. 1 spot and Grand Slam titles. However, multiple wrist injuries hindered his progress, and he was forced to work his way back up the rankings on many occasions. In his latest comeback, in 2018, he reached a personal-best No. 3, but soon after, the Argentine suffered a freak knee injury that’s left him on the outside looking in since.

Stan Wawrinka

Having spent the bulk of his career in the shadow of his countryman Federer, Wawrinka made a breakthrough at the major level in 2014 in Melbourne by beating Nadal in the final. The Swiss followed that up with a win over Djokovic in the 2015 French Open final then defeated the Serb again in the US Open final in 2016. Being the only player outside of the Big 4 to win multiple majors since 2005, Wawrinka appeared to be poised for more, but a knee injury sent him to the sidelines for an extended period. He’s worked his way back into the Top 20, but he has a lot of players to overtake in order to try and beat his career-high ranking, with time not on his side.

Dominic Thiem

If anyone was going to break through to No. 2, it seemed that it was going to be the Austrian, given his success over the past several years. He hit No. 3 in the world before last year’s shutdown, having reached multiple Grand Slam finals over the past several years. When play resumed, he won his first major title at the US Open, rallying to beat another member of the three-in-the-world club, Alexander Zverev, in the final.

(Photos: Getty Images)

If anyone was going to break through to No. 2, it seemed that it was going to be the Austrian, given his success over the past several years. He hit No. 3 in the world before last year’s shutdown, having reached multiple Grand Slam finals over the past several years. When play resumed, he won his first major title at the US Open, rallying to beat another member of the three-in-the-world club, Alexander Zverev, in the final.

(Photos: Getty Images)