Djokovic and Alcaraz Set For Tense Number 1 Battle in Grass Season

| by Alex Waite

ATP world number one Novak Djokovic can retain top spot in the rankings if successful at Wimbledon, but number two Carlos Alcaraz is likely to provide a tough challenge.

Even after the 2023 Wimbledon, Djokovic can retain the number one spot in the ATP Rankings. However, Alcaraz could head into Wimbledon as the number one seed as he prepares to participate in the ATP 500 Queens event for the first time this year.

If Alcaraz is successful at Queens, he could temporarily overtake Djokovic, who is not scheduled to participate again until the 2023 Wimbledon gets started on Monday, July 3. At present, 20-year-old Alcaraz currently trails number one Djokvoic by over 400 ranking points.

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Moreover, world number three Danill Medvedev has a slim chance of breaking into the top two and putting pressure on Djokovic and Alcaraz. However, Medvedev is nearly 2000 points behind Djokovic and would need to win at the upcoming Halle Open, worth 500 points, and also be victorious at Wimbledon to remain in contention for the top spot.

Following a third career win at the 2023 Roland Garros, Djokovic has broken away as the current men's frontrunner for the season and the Serbian will be targeting his third Grand Slam of the year at SW19. Realistically, Alcaraz poses the biggest threat to the 36-year-old's top spot and the Spaniard can keep chase with a successful grasscourt campaign.

The recent updates to the rankings highlight a big shift in personnel compared to before the 2023 Roland Garros. Before the French Open, a potential four-way race was on for the number one spot between Djokovic, Alcaraz, Medvedev and Stefanos Tsitsipas.

But, Djokovic emerged from the competition in the top spot, while the likes of Tsipitas suffered the most as he dropped down to fifth in the rankings after a quarter-final defeat against Alcaraz. The Greek player was also overtaken by Casper Ruud in the ATP standings after the Norwegian reached his second consecutive Roland Garros final.

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