Novak Djokovic gets huge rankings boost after sensational Australian Open win

Kevin Palmer
Novak Djokovic and Carlos Alcaraz
Novak Djokovic and Carlos Alcaraz at the Australian Open

Novak Djokovic was in danger of suffering a damaging rankings collapse as he headed into his Australian Open quarter-final against Carlos Alcaraz, but he has flipped that concern on its head with his sensational four set win.

The 10-time Australian Open champion is closing on a record-breaking 25th Grand Slam title after a stunning 4-6, 6-4, 6-3, 6-4 win against Alcaraz, with the victory giving his ATP Ranking an instant boost.

In what may be Djokovic’s final year as a professional, this could be his final push to win a remarkable 11th title in Melbourne and he needs to make that happen to avoid a potentially damaging slide in the ATP Rankings.

While rankings are no longer a major concern for a player who has held the world No 1 ranking for longer than anyone in tennis history, his meeting with Alcaraz at the quarter-final stage of the Australian Open is evidence of the challenges he could face for the rest of 2025 if he loses in Melbourne.

Djokovic has slipped to No 8 in the live rankings and as he is set to place a reduced schedule compared to most of his rivals in the top 10, he may not have a chance to collect enough ranking points to stay in the top eight positions in the rankings.

That could be significant by the time he plays at the French Open in June, as it could mean he would not be among the top eight seeds for the second Grand Slam of the year.

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If Djokovic slips out of the elite list at the top of the men’s game, he could face world No 1 Jannik Sinner, world No 2 Alexander Zverev and No 3 Alcaraz as early as the fourth round.

Yet he has given his hopes of avoiding that fate a big boost with his win against Alcaraz, as his live ranking had already jumped up to No 6 after the win.

If he beat Alexander Zverev in the semi-finals on Friday, Djokovic will leap above Casper Ruud to No 5 in the rankings and victory in the final on Sunday would give his 2,000 ranking points and see him shoot up to No 4 in the updated rankings on Sunday.

The concern for Djokovic will be the hamstring issue that arose mid-way through the first set against Alcaraz and he admitted he didn’t know if he would be fully fit when he plays Zverev.

“I guess the key is recovery for me now,” he said after the Alcaraz win. “To be honest, that is all I’m thinking about. The extra day without a match comes at the perfect time for me.

“Let’s see if it’s going to be good enough on Friday. Hopefully I can come out and feel my best because Sascha is playing some of the best tennis he has ever played. We have an agreement that as long as I’m playing, he has to let me win Grand Slam matches!”

The good news for Djokovic is he doesn’t have too many points to defend ahead of the French Open as he suffered an early exit at Indian Wells last year before pulling out of the Miami Open.

He will have ranking points to defend from his run to the semi-finals of the Monte Carlo Masters, but he could enter additional tournaments to boost his ranking if it does slide ahead of the second Grand Slam of the year.

READ MORE: John McEnroe issues honest Novak Djokovic verdict as Henman, Wilander, Henin assess Carlos Alcaraz blockbuster