Can Carlos Alcaraz replace Novak Djokovic as the World No. 1 before the 2023 season ends?

Alcaraz has a strong chance of dethroning the Serb great by the end of 2023.

Can Carlos Alcaraz replace Novak Djokovic as the World No. 1 before the 2023 season ends?

Novak Djokovic and Carlos Alcaraz (Image via Open Source)

Former World No.1, Carlos Alcaraz slipped down the ATP Rankings following his semi-final loss at the US Open against 2021 champion, Daniil Medvedev. Novak Djokovic claimed his 4th US Open title with his win at the Slam. The Spaniard is neither playing at the Davis Cup nor at the Laver Cup this year.

Djokovic defeated his Russian opponent, Medvedev, in the finals with a score of 6-3, 7-6, 6-3 over three sets. The following week, the Serb got promoted to the Top of the rankings list while Alcaraz slipped to the second spot. Djokovic, who is currently playing at the Davis Cup, recently announced what tournaments he’ll be playing at for the rest of 2023.

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The 36-year-old will be skipping several ATP events as he aims to keep his health in his prime and has set his eyes on the bigger prizes. The World No.1 will be seen next at the Masters event in Paris which will begin on the 30th of October. He’ll not be participating in the upcoming events in Astana or Tel Aviv. The Serb will not go to China for any tournaments as he recently issued an apology to his fans for the same.

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In the month of November, Novak will play at the Masters in Turin. He will play at the Finals of the Davis Cup in Malaga as well in the same month. Looking at Djokovic’s calendar, it seems that winning the Davis Cup will be the main goal for the 36-year-old in 2023. This means that Alcaraz need not worry about reclaiming the Top Spot by the end of the year. The 20-year-old will be getting several chances to reclaim the No.1 spot if it’s one of his goals.

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What does Carlos Alcaraz need to do to become World No.1?

Carlos Alcaraz is defending only 360 points by the end of this season. Novak Djokovic, on the other hand, is defending 2,850 points. The Serb currently possesses 3,260 points more than the World No.2. This decision of Djokovic to skip several key events at the ATP could very likely result in him losing his ranking as the No.1 seed.

Carlos Alcaraz during round of 16 at US Open
Carlos Alcaraz during round of 16 at US Open (Via Imago)

Alcaraz will have to get back on the court and earn the points in order to climb back up the rankings to dethrone the new US Open Champion once again. The Spaniard who took time away following the end of his US Open title run has confirmed his return back to the tennis courts pretty soon.

Alcaraz revealed that he will be returning to play at the China Open next week. His participation at the ATP 500 event could play a crucial role in the Spaniard’s goal to finish the year with his former ranking of World No.1. “The season has a lot of tournaments until the year is over...I’ll try to recover (No.1) ranking before the year ends,” Alcaraz had claimed earlier.

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