Carlos Alcaraz could be back as world No 1 soon and Novak Djokovic may be powerless to stop him

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Novak Djokovic beat Carlos Alcaraz at the ATP Finals
Novak Djokovic beat Carlos Alcaraz at the ATP Finals

Novak Djokovic is reigning supreme at the top of men’s tennis after another remarkable year for the Serbian maestro, but his status as world No 1 could be under threat once again very soon.

Djokovic already had more year-end No 1 rankings than any other male player heading into 2023 and his success in finishing an eighth year at the top of the rankings ensured he matched the record set by Steffi Graf on the WTA Tour.

The Serbian finished both 2011 and 2012 top of the pile, with another pair back to back in 2014 and 2015.

Andy Murray and Rafael Nadal interrupted his dominance in 2016 and 2017 respectively but Djokovic was back on top in 2018, 2020, 2021 and now this year.

Pete Sampras is his nearest challenger on the ATP Tour with six year-end No 1 rankings, all in successive years from 1993 to 1998, with five each for Jimmy Connors, Roger Federer and Nadal.

Djokovic has stated how important that No 1 ranking is to him and his remarkable consistency was highlighted as he began his 400th week at the top of the ATP rankings on Monday, setting another record that may never be broken.

“It’s a pretty good achievement, 400 weeks at No. 1. It’s never been done in history. Someone will eventually break it, but hopefully it stays there for a long time,” said Djokovic.

“It always has been a huge objective and huge goal of mine to be No. 1 in the world. Other than Grand Slams, that’s what counts the most. To finish off the year as No 1 in the world at this stage of my life and career is something really amazing.

“At the beginning of the year, I really wasn’t prioritizing that, I must say. I was prioritizing more Grand Slams. Because of the great results, particularly in Grand Slams, accumulated points, I think I put myself in a very good position to fight for year-end No 1.

“This has been one of the best years. I wouldn’t say the best, but one of the best. I mean, the fact that I’ve won three out of four slams and played a final the fourth and it’s still not the best year of my life, it’s quite nice to have that kind of situation.”

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Djokovic’s victories over Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner confirmed Djokovic still has a big edge over his nearest rivals at the top of the men’s game, yet he heads into 2024 with pressure on his status as world No 1.

Alcaraz missed last year’s Australian Open due to injury, meaning he will have a chance to compete for 2,000 fresh ranking points in the opening Grand Slam of next year.

Djokovic also had 250 ranking points to defend from his win in the ATP Tour event in Adelaide last January, meaning a total of 2,250 ranking points will come off his current total by the end of the 2024 Australian Open.

That drop in points would see Djokovic fall to a points total of 8,995, with Alcaraz currently sitting on 8,855 in second place in the rankings.

Djokovic may not play in Adelaide again in January, but he is likely to have an extended run at the Australian Open, where he is a ten-time champion.

However, Alcaraz could get close to knocking Djokovic off the top of the ATP rankings if he performed well in one of the warm-up event ahead of the Australian Open.

He would then have a chance to eat into Djokovic’s lead at the top of the rankings if he went deep into the draw in Melbourne.

It is had to imagine Djokovic losing before the semi-finals at the Australian Open, as his record there is second to none in the history of tennis.

Yet there is a good chance that Alcaraz will be much closer to his big rival at the top of the rankings by the time the final ball is struck in the next big tournament on the tennis calendar.

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