UK: 18+ USA: 21+ | Begambleaware.org | T&Cs apply | Play Responsibly
At the time of writing, the 2023 Indian Wells Masters has reached the semi-final stage. And to the delight of Carlos Alcaraz fans, his quest to regain the top spot in the ATP rankings is still ongoing. I say that because Alcaraz has reached the semi-finals of the Indian Wells 2023 event, and he is set to take on Jannik Sinner in the semi-finals on Saturday. However not only is he chasing the number 1 ranking, but he is also chasing his first Indian Wells title.
If you cast your mind back to last year, you may recall that Alcaraz lost to Rafael Nadal in the semi-finals. That particular match was plagued by ridiculous winds, and while many thought that the apprentice would become the master that day, they’d have to wait for the Madrid Masters for this to happen. Nevertheless, the 2022 Indian Wells event already showed that Carlos Alcaraz was a bit special. And he did achieve the world number 1 ranking after winning the 2022 US Open.
Since then, he has lost the top spot to Novak Djokovic, who isn’t competing in Indian Wells due to ongoing COVID-19 regulations in the USA. But if he wins the Indian Wells event this time around, he will officially take back the number 1 ranking. Let me give you the specific elements that are at play here to give you a thorough understanding of this battle for the top spot.
ATP World Number One – Alcaraz or Djokovic After 2023 Indian Wells?
Contents
When the 2023 Indian Wells tournament comes to a close on Sunday, the number one ranking will either stay with Djokovic or transfer to Alcaraz. These are the only two possibilities once the tournament has ended. And in terms of the dynamics that you need to pay attention to concerning this battle, I’ve shared them below.
The Current Points
As I’m sure you’ll probably know, the ATP rankings are based on points that are accumulated over a 12-month rolling period. And as things currently stand, Novak Djokovic is ranked number 1 because he has 7160 points. With that said, Carlos Alcaraz has the number 2 ranking since he has 6780 points.
The Impact of Djokovic Not Competing
Although there is a lot of hype about the potential for Alcaraz to take the top spot this week, there is something that many people are forgetting. While yes, Djokovic is not competing in the 2023 Indian Wells tournament, it’s important to remember that he didn’t play last year either. Therefore, due to how the rankings are calculated, he isn’t actually going to drop any points this week. This is also true for the 2023 Miami open, as he missed the full sunshine double in 2022.
Alcaraz’s Chances of Winning the Tournament
Based on the way that Alcaraz has been playing recently, I do believe that he has every chance to win the tournament. He has a tough battle against Jannik Sinner coming up in the semi-final. Yet if he wins this, he will likely play Daniil Medvedev, who will be on a 19-match win streak at that point. So obviously, it won’t be easy, but I believe that it is certainly possible.
Subscribe to Punditfeed on Google News for all the latest updates from the world of sports!
