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It’s time for another instalment of our ATP rankings updates! And this one has to be one of the most intriguing updates of the 2023 season so far. As you may have heard throughout the Italian Open, Alcaraz has officially reclaimed the number-one spot as of today – May 22nd. This has a direct impact on the French Open seeds for the men’s singles, and it could make the draw extremely interesting indeed.
Adding to that, not only has Alcaraz taken the number 1 ranking, but Medvedev has swept in and taken the number 2 ranking after his title run in Rome. This has pushed Novak Djokovic down to number 3 in the world in the week in which the French Open draw will be made. Therefore, the respective positions for these three guys in the Roland Garros draw is sure to create an absolute blockbuster event in Paris.
Anyway, I shall keep the details on Roland Garros to a minimum. Instead, let’s get back to business and look at the key rankings changes this week.
ATP Rankings Updates – Week Commencing May 22nd
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Because of the new format of the 1000-level events, the Italian Open is the sole ATP-graded tournament that has been completed in the last two weeks. There have been lower-level tournaments such as Challengers, yet these don’t typically influence the guys at the very top of the tree. However, since the Italian Open is a Masters 1000 event, plenty of points have been earned and lost over the last fortnight.
On that note, I’d like to begin by discussing the guys who are in the green following today’s update.
The Week’s Biggest Climbers – Hanfmann, Vukic, Purcell, and Medvedev Steal the Show
It has been an extremely strong rankings run for the Aussies this week, with two of them featuring as the top climbers. These two guys are Vukic and Purcell, who have produced 32 and 20-place leaps, respectively. Starting with Vukic, he made the finals of a Challenger in Portugal last week, securing enough points to take him into the top 100 – 95, to be precise. As for Purcell, he didn’t actually compete last week. But since this week’s updates have covered two weeks of tennis, his points from winning a Challenger in South Korea on May 12th have just gone on now.
This has pumped his ranking up by 20 places to his new position of 67. Yet even this increase doesn’t come close to the official climber of the week, Yannick Hanfmann. The German made the quarter-finals of the Italian Open after coming through as a qualifier, which is quite incredible really. Ultimately, he lost to the champion, Medvedev, in the quarter-final. But in doing so, he has managed to jump 37 spots up the ATP rankings to number 64. This is a huge deal with the French Open right on the doorstep.
With this said, it’s Medvedev who has made the biggest strides forward concerning the ATP top 10. In winning his very first Masters 1000 title on clay, he managed to rack up 1000 points and leapfrog Novak Djokovic. This takes him to number 2 in the world, and it guarantees that he will be the 2nd seed at Roland Garros. And to be perfectly honest, even though he doesn’t really like the clay, he’s definitely one of the guys to beat in Paris.
His 2023 season has been quite phenomenal, and it could well get even better at the French Open.
The Week’s Biggest Fallers – Molcan, Brooksby, Krajinovic, and Halys Slip
Now that we’ve addressed the guys in the green this week, let’s look at the guys in the red. Amazingly, six guys have suffered double-digit drops following the conclusion of the Italian Open. Yet these drops have been most significant for Molcan, Brooksby, Krajinovic, and Halys. Starting with the man who has dropped 24 places this week, it’s Molcan who has slid the furthest down the ladder. He has dropped to 83 in the rankings after losing in the second round of the Italian Open – not ideal going into Roland Garros. And this makes him the official ‘faller of the week’.
However, Brooksby was incredibly close to joining him with this award. The American dropped 23 places after missing the Italian Open through injury, and Brooksby is now on the verge of dropping out of the top 100. At 99 in the rankings, it’s not looking all that great for the young American at the moment. Then again, it’s not looking all that great for Krajinovic or Halys either. Krajinovic has taken an 18-place slide this week, taking him down to 92 in the rankings. And to specify, he got into the Italian Open due to a withdrawal, yet he lost his opener to Fucsovics.
Finally, we come to Halys, who has fallen by 16 spots to a new ranking position of 87. He was due to play in the Italian Open originally, but he withdrew due to injury. Of course, this meant he couldn’t defend any points earned from this point last year. This has caused the double-digit drop for the Frenchman this week.
Top Rankings Stories – The Djokovic Slump Ahead of Roland Garros
Although there has been some big movement both up and down the ladder this week, it’s the Djokovic story that is on everyone’s lips. Because he lost a grand total of 820 points last week, by losing in the quarter-finals, he has slipped to number 3 in the rankings. And as referenced above, this means that Djokovic will be seeded 3 at the French Open. It also means that Alcaraz and Medvedev will be seeded 1st and 2nd, respectively.
To highlight the impact of this – Alcaraz and Medvedev cannot play each other unless they both reach the final. However, Djokovic will need to play one of the guys before the final, if the seedings go to plan. Of course, he would then need to beat the other in the final. Again, this would be the case if the seedings go as planned.
With that said, we don’t know yet where Djokovic will be placed until the draw is done. This is scheduled for May 25th – definitely worth tuning in for.
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