The Novak Djokovic effect: How Carlos Alcaraz has been forced to up his game for No 1 ranking
Carlos Alcaraz has already improved on his ATP Rankings points tally from last season yet he is facing an uphill battle for the No 1 ranking due to the Novak Djokovic effect.
Spaniard Alcaraz finished the 2022 season at No 1 in the world on the back of winning his maiden Grand Slam at the US Open, becoming the youngest player to do so at the age of 19 years and seven months.
The teenager played in 17 tournaments and accumulated 6,830 points during the season with the bulk of that coming from his US Open title run (2,000 points) and the Miami Open and Madrid Open where he earned 1,000 points for each title.
Djokovic, by contrast, finished the year fifth in the year-end rankings with 4,820 points from 14 tournaments as he missed the Australian Open and US Open due to Covid-19 vaccination entry regulations.
On top of missing those two majors, Djokovic also didn’t pick up any points for his Wimbledon title win as the ATP didn’t award points for the tournament due to the Russian and Belarusian player ban.
Instead his points came from winning the ATP Finals (1,500), Rome Masters (1,000), finishing runner-up at the Paris Masters, winning the Astana Open (500) and the Tel Aviv Open (250).
The 2023 status quo
Ten months into the 2023 season Alcaraz has already surpassed his 2022 mark by 1,535 points as he is currently on 8,355 points. He won five titles last year and he is already on six trophies in 2023 yet he finds himself second in the race.
The reason?
Djokovic has upped the game as the Serbian was able to compete in all four Grand Slams this year, winning the Australian Open, French Open and US Open. The Serbian is currently on 8,945 points from 10 events, having won half of the tournaments he has played in.
Of course, all is not lost for Alcaraz as he is only 545 points behind Djokovic in the ATP Live Race To Turin rankings and there are still a lot of points up for grabs. There are two ATP 1,000 events left on the calendar – the ongoing Shanghai Masters and Paris Masters – while Alcaraz is also scheduled to compete at the Swiss Indoors.
Djokovic, meanwhile, will only compete at the Paris Masters before both players head to the ATP Finals in Turin where more points will be on offer.
Alcaraz didn’t compete at the ATP Finals last year so his points tally will be even bigger this year, but it is no wonder that Djokovic is always on the Spaniard’s mind.
“I think (about Djokovic) almost in every practise, I am not going to lie,” Alcaraz said ahead of the Shanghai Masters. “I train with a goal. I go to the tournaments with a goal. To try to end the year as No 1.
“Novak Djokovic is on my mind in almost every practise. I have to practise my best. I have to go for 100 per cent in every ball to be able to catch him.”
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