Novak Djokovic will narrowly cling to his World No. 1 position as the Madrid Open final approaches, with just a 5-point lead.
As the 2023 Madrid Open final approaches, the intense battle for the World No. 1 spot on the ATP Tour is heating up. Currently, Novak Djokovic holds the position with 6775 points, despite his recent withdrawal from the Madrid Open due to injury concerns.
His closest rival, young Spaniard Carlos Alcaraz, is hot on his heels with 6370 points to his name and the final at the 2023 Madrid Open that he has yet to play. Moreover, he's a big favorite to win as he's taking on a lucky loser Jan Lennard Struff.
The tennis community has been closely monitoring the ATP Rankings since Djokovic's withdrawal from the Madrid Open, calculating whether the Serb will maintain his position despite not competing.
And in case of the Spaniard's win, he will keep his spot, but by the slimmest possible margin. If Alcaraz beats his German opponent in the final, his point total will move to 6770 points, only five points behind the Serb.
Looking ahead, Djokovic's position at the top could be in jeopardy as the 2023 Roland Garros approaches. With only the Italian Open left to accumulate points before the major tournament, Carlos Alcaraz, Daniil Medvedev, and Casper Ruud have a chance to surpass Djokovic.
The Serb is defending 1000 points in the Italian capital and if Alcaraz wins in Madrid, it will be almost guaranteed that he will overtake the 35-year-old as he just needs to enter the competition to get points necessary for overtaking him.
So while Djokovic will keep the World No. 1 spot for a couple more weeks after the Madrid Open, he will almost surely lose it after the Italian Open, going into the 2023 Roland Garros, where he will attempt to win his 23rd Grand Slam title, as the second seed, or possibly worse.
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