Carlos Alcaraz, Novak Djokovic, and also Daniil Medvedev are all going to fight for the World No. 1 spot on the ATP Tour at the 2023 Wimbledon.
With no points to defend from the last year's event, the calculations for the battle for the World No. 1 spot are a little bit easier. Players need to focus only on points that they can gain this year, and as always at Grand Slams, there's plenty on offer with the champion adding 2000 points to the ATP Rankings.
Entering the tournament as the top seed is Carlos Alcaraz, and the 20-year-old can keep the World No. 1 spot also after the tournament, but the fight for it will be fierce. Moreover, being the first seed is something that the Spaniard tries to avoid thinking about as it adds unwanted pressure.
"Well, honestly, I don't feel too much pressure about being No. 1. I know what I have to do. For me it's to play, play my best, try to win tournaments. If I would not do that, for me it doesn't matter. But I don't think about being No. 1 too much. I'm trying to put out all that pressure."
One of the players fighting for the top spot is also Daniil Medvedev, and the Russian's journey towards the spot that he occupied already in the past is the most tricky. He needs to win Wimbledon, while his two competitors for the spot can't make it past the fourth round.
That's probably highly unlikely as Djokovic is yet to lose on Wimbledon's Center Court since 2013. Therefore, the Serb will be the biggest favourite also to capture the World No. 1 spot, and provided that both himself and Alcaraz make it past the fourth round, it's only a two-way battle.
Entering the event, the Spaniard has 7675 points to his name, while the 36-year-old veteran has 7595 points, with only 80 points separating the two. An early exit for any of the two of the biggest favourites would mean different calculations, as obviously Alcaraz can stay the World No. 1 even if he loses in the first two rounds, provided that the Serb makes it only one round further.
Anytime Alcaraz and Djokovic lose in the same round, it's the Spaniard who would stay atop of the rankings, but the battle would probably go to the latter stages. As the first and second-seeded players in the draw, the two protagonists are likely to meet in the final.
In that case, the formula is quite simple, whoever wins the 2023 Wimbledon Championships will also see his name next to the World No. 1 spot next Monday. Like Alcaraz, Djokovic is also excited to return to the tournament where he won seven times in the past, especially when he has a chance to overtake his rival in the ATP Rankings.
"Obviously coming into Wimbledon, it's always an honor, it's always a privilege. It was always a dream tournament for me when I was a kid, so... Even though I have had plenty of success here in my career, have played this tournament so many times, I still feel like that young Novak coming to the tournament and really being able to live his dream."