Alcaraz Ahead Of Djokovic In Olympics Race, Shelton Leads Charge Among US Men

Carlos Alcaraz maintained his lead over the rest of the field in the Olympics Race qualification in the same week Ben Shelton took over as the highest-ranked US men's player.

Two-time Grand Slam champion Alcaraz has earned 4,270 points since the Olympics Race came into effect on June 12, 2023, and which will last for 12 months. The Spaniard is ahead of second-placed Novak Djokovic of Serbia, who has earned 4,200 points.

Alcaraz and Djokovic account for the most points of any player, having won the two Grand Slams contested since mid-June. The 20-year-old won a maiden Wimbledon, which contributed to the bulk of his points total, while Djokovic won his 24th Grand Slam at the US Open. Both earned 2000 points for winning a Grand Slam.

Alcaraz and Djokovic have won almost twice as many points as third-placed Jannik Sinner and fourth-placed Daniil Medvedev. The Italian has tallied 2,635 points, thanks to title wins in Toronto and Beijing. While Medvedev, who reached two finals since the start of June, has recorded 2,625 points.

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However, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) has not yet made a formal decision on whether to extend the ban on Russian and Belarusian athletes from competing at the event next year. So Medvedev and Andrey Rublev (sixth place) will now be sweating on that decision.

Ben Shelton now leads the charge among American men. The 21-year-old from Atlanta won his first ATP Tour title last Sunday in Tokyo, for which he received 500 ranking points. That has had an immediate effect on the Olympics Race as Shelton overtook Sebastian Korda, Tommy Paul, and Taylor Fritz.

The Olympic tennis event will be contested by 64 players in the singles field, 56 of whom will qualify based on actual rankings on June 12, 2024. Each nation can only be represented by a maximum of four of its best-ranked singles players.

So that means being ranked in the Top 56 of the Olympics Race doesn't automatically qualify a player for the Olympic tennis event. In the case of the USA, Frances Tiafoe is 16th in the race but is the fifth-ranked American and would therefore miss out. But it is still early days and a lot will change between now and June of next year.

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With Title Win In Tokyo, Shelton Leads U.S. Men In Olympics Race Qualification