Carlos Alcaraz on Monday ensured top seeding at the French Open by beating Novak Djokovic for number one in the ATP rankings, while Daniil Medvedev’s Italian Open title allowed him to climb to second on his way to a second Grand Slam of the season .
Djokovic’s fourth-round loss in Rome as the defending champion saw him drop to third in the rankings. It would mean the Serbian star and Alcaraz could end up in the same area of ​​the Roland Garros key and meet in the semi-finals, depending on what happens on Thursday in Paris.
The French Open, which starts on Sunday, marks the first time Alcaraz has contested a Slam as the top seed. The Spaniard, who turned 20 at the beginning of the month, is 30-3 with four titles in 2023.
Alcaraz reached the top of the rankings for the first time when he captured the US Open title last September. At the age of 19, he became the youngest player ever to end a season at the top. But a foot injury prevented him from participating in the Australian Open in January, when Djokovic took the title for his second major, breaking Rafael Nadal’s record among men.
Djokovic is the player with the most accumulated weeks as number one – male or female – in the history of the computerized rankings.
In Paris, defending champion Iga Swiatek remains at the top of the WTA rankings and where she has been for more than a year. Her escort is Australian Open champion Aryna Sabalenka.
Poland’s Swiatek had to withdraw in the third set of her quarter-final match against defending Wimbledon champion Elena Rybakina in Rome due to pain in her right thigh. Swiatek later said that the problem was “nothing serious.”
Becoming champion at the Foro Italico, the Kazakh jumped two places to finish fourth, the best position of his career.
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