Novak Djokovic returns to world No. 1 but could be set for clay battle with Carlos Alcaraz ahead of French Open
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Published 03/04/2023 at 06:08 GMT
The ATP world No. 1 spot could be poised to change hands several times over the clay season as Carlos Alcaraz and Novak Djokovic battle to top the rankings. Djokovic has returned to the world No. 1 spot after Alcaraz lost in the semi-finals of the Miami Open. However, Alcaraz is set to return in Monte Carlo, where he could have the chance to reclaim the No. 1 spot once more.
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Djokovic has returned to the ATP summit for an eighth spell after Carlos Alcaraz lost to Jannik Sinner in the semi-finals of the Miami Open.
But Djokovic's lead over Alcaraz is slender – just 380 points – which suggests there could be plenty of twists and turns in the battle for No. 1 over the clay season and beyond.
Djokovic back on top again
Alcaraz became the youngest world No. 1 in ATP history when he won the 2022 US Open.
He stayed top for the rest of the year, despite missing the Nitto ATP Finals due to injury, but then slipped to world No. 2 after Djokovic won the Australian Open.
Alcaraz returned to the top after winning Indian Wells and has spent 21 weeks as world No. 1, more than Daniil Medvedev (16), Andy Roddick (13), Boris Becker (12), Marat Safin (9), John Newcombe (8) and his coach, Juan Carlos Ferrero (8).
He is currently 16th in the all-time ATP list for weeks spent as world No. 1, just behind Ilie Nastase (40), Andy Murray (41) and Gustavo Kuerten (43).
Djokovic, meanwhile, recently broke Steffi Graf’s record for the most weeks in history as world No. 1.
Djokovic reached 380 weeks before he was knocked off top spot for the seventh time – and now has the chance to move further clear of Graf.
But when could Alcaraz reclaim the No. 1 spot from Alcaraz?
Race hots up ahead of French Open
In terms of ranking points to defend, there is almost nothing to separate Alcaraz and Djokovic over the clay season.
Alcaraz has 1,860 points against his name from winning Barcelona and Madrid, making the Monte Carlo Masters second round, and making the French Open quarter-finals.
Djokovic has 1,870 points from winning Rome, making the Serbia Open final, Madrid semi-finals, Monte Carlo second round, and French Open quarter-finals.
Who will separate first?
The first battle ground on clay will be Monte Carlo, where Alcaraz and Djokovic both have the chance to gain points after losing early in 2022. Both are on the entry list and there will be huge anticipation over a second career meeting between the pair after Alcaraz won the first match in three sets in Madrid last year.
Nadal is also entered to play Monte Carlo, although he has said he is not certain he will play as he continues to recover from injury.
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After Monte Carlo, Alcaraz is set to defend his title in Barcelona while Djokovic plays in Bosnia & Herzegovina, which is being held in place of the Serbia Open due to renovations at the Novak Tennis Centre in Belgrade.
Alcaraz will have maximum points to defend in Madrid after winning the title there last year, beating Djokovic and Rafael Nadal in back-to-back rounds. But the world No. 1 could gain points if he plays the Italian Open for the first time. Djokovic is defending champion in Rome so won’t be able to improve his points tally.
If the world No. 1 spot changes hands several times before the French Open, which starts on May 28, it could again be up for grabs in Paris.
The Grand Slam could be one of the most highly-anticipated tournaments this year with Djokovic and Nadal both potentially aiming for a record-breaking 23 major title and the world No. 1 ranking also in the mix. There might be the chance too for Alcaraz to face Djokovic and/or Nadal for the first time at a Grand Slam.
Nadal will be defending champion at the French Open and will be bidding to win the Slam for a 15th time. Djokovic and Alcaraz both lost in the quarter-finals last year so will have the same amount of ranking points to defend.
Who else could get to world No. 1?
Right now, it looks like world No. 3 Stefanos Tsitsipas is the only player likely to join Djokovic and Alcaraz in the world No. 1 battle over the clay season.
Tsitsipas’ form over the Sunshine Double was hampered by a shoulder injury but he spoke about wanting to get in the best shape for clay, where he has had some of his best results. Tsitsipas is currently 3,190 points behind Djokovic, but does have plenty of points to defend before the French Open.
He will be defending champion in Monte Carlo and also made the final in Rome and semis in Madrid last year. In Paris he could make up ground as he lost in the last 16 in 2022.
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Stefanos Tsitsipas won Monte Carlo in 2022
Image credit: Getty Images
World No. 4 Casper Ruud will be hoping to rediscover his best form over the clay season after a disappointing start to the year.
Ruud has the chance to gain points in Monte Carlo and Madrid, where he will be defending just 100 combined, but after dropping a large chunk of points following an early exit at the Miami Open, he is 2,155 points behind Djokovic
Nadal will be looking to break into the top 10 again after seeing his record-breaking streak ended at 912 weeks.
The 22-time Grand Slam champion has slipped down to No. 14 in the rankings and the date of his return from injury seems uncertain.
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