Novak Djokovic will not relinquish his World No. 1 ranking before April 1st, meaning his dominance at the summit of men's tennis will go on for at least another month.
Djokovic has not played since losing to Jannik Sinner in the Australian Open semifinal. His reign as the king of Melbourne Park came to an end, but he won't be knocked off from the top spot thanks to an enormous lead over his closest rivals.
Moreover, Djokovic is in a position to gain points between now and the start of the clay swing. The Serb is only dropping semifinal points from Dubai, which he won't be playing this year. He has already traveled to the United States for the spring hard courts in the company of Rafael Nadal.
Last season, he was unable to enter the US territory to compete in Indian Wells and Miami because he was not vaccinated against COVID-19, and he saw his waiver request rejected by the authorities. This year, he will partake in both tournaments as the top seed.
By contrast, Djokovic's challengers, which include Carlos Alcaraz, Jannik Sinner, and Daniil Medvedev, are defending a ton of points at the March Masters. Alcaraz, who is the World No. 2, doesn't have any chance of overturning the gap after a subpar Golden Swing in February.
Djokovic already holds the record for the most weeks at No. 1, and he is primed to break a prestigious record on April 1st. He will be the oldest World No. 1 in ATP history (record currently held by Roger Federer).
The 36-year-old will also compile 418 weeks at No. 1, which would be twice the number of weeks Nadal spent at World No. 1 (209). It is a staggering achievement, considering that 418 weeks is the equivalent of eight calendar years that Djokovic has been at the top of the sport.
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