Daniil Medvedev: How the new men's world number one overtook Novak Djokovic

New men's world number one Daniil Medvedev says the only way to make him angry away from the tennis court is to knock on his hotel door at 6am seven days in a row.

Watching him play, it does not always appear that way.

In the heat of competition he can be irascible and cantankerous: the crowd's pantomime villain.

But the Russian can also be charismatic, spontaneous and wonderfully entertaining. By the end of a match he sometimes has the same crowd eating out of the palm of his hand.

On Monday, the 26-year-old became the first player other than Novak Djokovic, Rafael Nadal, Roger Federer and Andy Murray to climb to the top of the men's rankings since Andy Roddick 18 years ago.

The 2021 US Open champion has done so with a formidable serve, exceptional defence and brutal flat hitting from the baseline. He runs like a marathon runner, to quote Greek rival Stefanos Tsitsipas, and also reads the game exceptionally well.

Born in Moscow, Medvedev used to enjoy watching curling and snooker when growing up. He now prefers chess and video games.

He admits a weakness for desserts, and suggests that after abstaining during tournaments he can eat his way through the hotel's supply of tiramisu at the end of the week.

In his late teens, Medvedev moved with his parents to the south of France to train. He speaks fluent French (and English) as he lives in Monte Carlo with his wife Daria and has a French team headed by Gilles Cervara, who has coached him since 2017.

Medvedev was outside the world's top 50 when they started working together. They will sometimes vent their differences on the practice court, and Cervara left the players' box when the target of the Russian's vitriol at last year's Australian Open, but they seem a perfect fit.

The year