“What a joke?” – Twitter reacts on Novak Djokovic being replaced as World No. 1 by Carlos Alcaraz
Fans of Novak Djokovic express their displeasure over the Serb not being awarded any ranking points for his 2022 Wimbledon triumph.
Follow Us
Carlos Alcaraz and Novak Djokovic (Image via Marca)
Novak Djokovic’s stay at the summit of the Pepperstone ATP rankings following his historic triumph at Roland Garros lasted for just a couple of weeks. Spanish sensation Carlos Alcaraz reclaimed the top spot in the ATP rankings following his maiden grass-court title win at the Queen’s Championships. Twitterati was not amused by the sequence of events, given that the Serb has won 3 of the last 4 Grand Slams, including last year’s Wimbledon Championships.
Though Novak Djokovic, who is unbeaten at Wimbledon since 2018, is the overwhelming favorite to get his hands on a record-equaling eighth Wimbledon crown, the same will not reflect in the seeding, given that the Championships made the switch to use the current ATP rankings as the barometer to declare the seeds since 2021.
The 20-year-old Alcaraz, who lost to Djokovic in the semi-finals of the French Open earlier this month, upstaged the Serb in the rankings by just 80 points following his win over Alex de Minaur at Queen’s.
Novak, who leveled Pete Sampras’ tally of seven Wimbledon Championships in 2022, did not earn the 2000 points that Grand Slam champions are usually awarded. Had that not been the case, he would still have his nose ahead of Alcaraz, who faced defeat in the quarterfinals at the hands of Jannik Sinner.
Fans react sharply to Novak Djokovic’s demotion in the rankings
The defending Wimbledon champion’s legion of fans were quick to take potshots at the ATP for what they believe is injustice meted out yet again to their superstar. Labeling the ATP rankings a “joke”, fans panned the ATP for not awarding Djokovic any ranking points whatsoever for his 2022 triumph.
Here are a few more reactions to the possible and likely outcome of Djokovic not being handed the top seed at Wimbledon next week.
One Twitter user highlighted the fact that eight-time champion Roger Federer was given an elevated seeding over his great rival Rafael Nadal, though the latter was the higher-ranked player leading up to the Wimbledon Championships in 2010, 2018, and 2019. This is no doubt true, but back then Wimbledon did not base its seedings solely on the basis of the ATP charts. The change was made only in 2021.
One particular Twitter user, evidently a fan of Sir Andy Murray, waded into the controversy by suggesting cheekily that when Andy was World No. 1, he had well over 12,000 ranking points, but now one only needs to have 7,000 odd points to top the charts.
To be fair to Carlos Alcaraz, it is not his fault that the ATP did not award ranking points to participants of the 2022 edition of the tournament. Seen in this regard, some of the vile comments directed at Alcaraz seem grossly unfair and cannot be condoned.
The seeding undoubtedly does give players a slight psychological advantage in major events, but as evident in the past, a player of Novak Djokovic’s caliber has not let a lower ranking affect their chances. One need not look far to seek validation for this, as it has hardly been a little over two weeks since the Grand Slam-hungry Serb (then the second seed) etched his name into the record books by winning the French Open title and in the process an unprecedented 23rd Grand Slam triumph.
In case you missed it:
- Daniil Medvedev calls Novak Djokovic and Roger Federer ‘Aliens’ after confessing of being INTIMIDATED by the grass courts
- “The end of a career in one picture”- Paula Badosa training alongside Stefanos Tsitsipas’ father in Mallorca doesn’t sit well with fans
Stay Updated!
Ritesh Pathak
(2150 Articles Published)