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Carlos Alcaraz has officially defended his Madrid Open title in 2023. As you might recall, the sensational Spaniard won the title in 2022 by taking down Nadal, Djokovic, and then Zverev in the final. It was clear then that Alcaraz was pretty special, but he has gone on to surpass many of our expectations since then. Of course, he is now a Grand Slam champion, a 4-time Masters 1000 champion, and he is poised to regain the number one ranking once again after winning the Madrid Open.
This was the second time that Carlos Alcaraz has successfully defended a title in as many weeks. The first of these came when he won the Barcelona 500 event, beating Tsitsipas in the final. And after beating Struff in three sets yesterday, he has defended yet another title. However, besides the tournament win, there is something even more special on the horizon for Alcaraz, and this ‘something special’ will occur after the Rome Masters.
Because Alcaraz defended his title in Madrid, he successfully defended all 1000 points that he picked up in 2022. Djokovic on the other hand, lost 360 points by withdrawing from the tournament through injury. So as of the most recent ATP rankings updates, Alcaraz now has 6,770 points, whereas Djokovic has 6,775 points.
As you can see, this puts him within 5 points of the top dog, and I’d like to show you exactly why he will regain this ranking following the Rome Masters right now.
Number One Ranking Beckons for the Second Time
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This will not be the first time that Carlos Alcaraz holds the number one ranking. It will be his second, as he became the world number one after winning the 2022 US Open. However, this doesn’t make the achievement any less impressive, or any less significant as we approach the French Open. As for what must occur for Alcaraz to take over the top spot, let me give you the specifics below.
Simply Needs to Show Up
That’s right – because he won the 2023 Madrid Open, Alcaraz simply needs to show up and play his opening match in Rome to become the world number one. As referenced previously, he is just 5 points behind Djokovic in the ATP rankings. And because Djokovic has 1000 points to defend in Rome, while Alcaraz has zero points to defend, it’s inevitable that he will take over by showing up.
With that said, it’s obviously very likely that Alcaraz will compete in Rome next week as he is 100% fit and ready to rumble.
Djokovic Must Win Tournament to Stay Close
Looking at the current ATP standings, we can do a bit of math to figure out what’s going to happen after Rome. For Djokovic, he must win the tournament to retain all 1000 points. Even if he does this, Alcaraz will still surpass him in the rankings. But in terms of how far, this all depends on what round Alcaraz was to reach if Djokovic was to win the Rome Masters.
Should Djokovic fail to compete, however, or do poorly in the tournament, he will suffer a pretty hefty blow to his points total.
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