The number one ranking in the world will be lost by Novak Djokovic after he was beaten by Jiri Vesely in the quarter-finals of the Dubai Tennis Championships.
The tournament was the first of the year after the Australian Open, where he was not allowed to compete because he was unvaccinated against Covid-19.
The Serbian will be replaced by the Russian on Monday.
I never thought I would have a chance against Novak.
The Czech Republic player, who is ranked 123 in the world, won the second set tie-break after being broken when serving for the match.
It is an amazing feeling and he is one of the greatest of all time.
It will be the first time in 18 years that no one other than Andy Murray, Roger Federer, and Rafael Nadal will be at the top of the rankings.
It is the longest time as world number one in the history of the men's game.
The 20-time Grand Slam champion was beaten on the clay of Monte Carlo by Vesely, and again on the hard courts of Dubai.
A double fault on break point at 3-3 in the opening set gave the initiative to Vesely, who went on to serve out and take command of the match.
In the second set, a fierce Vesely backhand saw him break the Serb, only for him to fight back and level at 5-5.
In the tie-break, a double fault at 4-3 down proved costly as he slipped to a surprise upset.
Russell is a tennis correspondent.
In the past two and a half years, Daniil Medvedev has won a maiden Grand Slam title and reached three other finals.
The absence of Novak Djokovic at the Australian Open accelerated his arrival at the summit, but he is a very worthy successor.
In the summer of last year, he showed signs of getting to grips with the grass of Wimbledon and the clay of the French Open.
With Masters Series events on the hard courts coming up in Indian Wells and Miami, Medvedev may have some clear road ahead.
I wouldn't bet against him regaining the world number one position in the future, and adding to his record of 361 weeks at the top.
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