Novak Djokovic facing fresh ranking blow – but it may only be a temporary blip
Novak Djokovic could be set to face a pre-Wimbledon rankings blow, but any fall from grace may well be temporary.
Carlos Alcaraz is closing in on top spot in the ATP Rankings once again, with the Spaniard set to take over the world No 1 once again if he can take his first grass court title at the cinch Championships.
Djokovic has opted to follow his familiar pattern of not playing a pre-Wimbledon grass court event and that has opened the door for Alcaraz to be No 1 in the world heading into Wimbledon.
Anything less that a win at The Queen’s Club for Alcaraz would secure Djokovic’s position at the top of the ATP Rankings and the Serbian great seems perfectly positioned to claim a stranglehold on the rankings in the second half of 2023.
With Djokovic a red-hot favourite to win Wimbledon for a record-equalling eighth time, he will fancy his chances of opening up a lead at the top of the rankings list after the tournament at the All England Club.
Even though Djokovic won Wimbledon last year, he did not collect the 2,000 ranking points normally on offer at a Grand Slam after the ATP opted to strip the tournament of points following the decision from organisers to ban Russian and Belarusian players in response to the war in Ukraine.
That means Djokovic and the rest of the field at Wimbledon will be claiming fresh ranking points for each win on the famous grass courts.
It will be after Wimbledon that Djokovic will aim to build momentum in the race to finish 2023 as the year-end No 1.
He was banned from travelled to America in 2023 and the opening months of 2023 due to his decision not be vaccinated against Covid-19.
That meant he missed the 2022 Montreal and Cincinnati Masters events, denying him a chance to compete for 2,000 ranking points.
He was also absent from the US Open for the same reason, ensuring he missed out on the chance to snare 2,000 ranking points.
Alcaraz went on to win the US Open last year and he will be defending 2,640 ATP points in the events after Wimbledon through to the end of the US Open.
That includes his run to the finals of the clay court event in Hamburg, Germany and Umag, Croatia, last July.
Alcaraz may not play those clay court tournaments if he enjoys a lengthy run at Wimbledon and he will not be able to add to his current points total at the US Open, where he will defend his title.
So Djokovic will have a great chance to establish a stranglehold of the world No 1 ranking as he looks to finish 2023 as year-end top man for a record eighth time.
Djokovic is also closing in on another remarkable record, as he has currently been world No 1 for a record 389 weeks.
He could become the first man in the history of the game to top the rankings for more than 400 weeks if he performs to his expected levels in the second half of 2023.
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