Daniil Medvedev 's first stint as the World No. 1 lasted for less than a month after he crashed out of the Indian Wells Masters in the third round.
The Russian tennis ace suffered defeat at the hands of Gael Monfils in California, as the Frenchman came from a set down to secure a victory.
Medvedev appeared to let his emotions get the better of him as he was blown away in the third set. After being broken in the first game of that deciding set, Medvedev took his frustrations out on his racket and smashed it into pieces. He made such a mess that, after the pair changed ends, Monfils was left to sweep up pieces of plastic from the baseline with a towel.
The 26-year-old Medvedev, competing as a neutral athlete, needed to reach at least the last eight to maintain his place at the top of the pile.
Now that he has failed to do so, Novak Djokovic will once again wear the crown despite being absent from this tournament due to travel rules preventing him from entering the US because he is unvaccinated against Covid.
