Defending champion Alcaraz suffered a shocking defeat in the semi-final of the ATP 250 tournament on Saturday, as Nicolas Jarry claimed a remarkable 7-6 (7-2), 6-3 victory over the world No 2. This loss means that the Spaniard has not won a title since his Wimbledon triumph in July of last year, and he has only reached one final since then, which was at the Cincinnati Open in August. Alcaraz, who is 20 years old, has openly expressed his desire to reclaim the top spot in the ATP Rankings, but achieving this feat before the Indian Wells Open seems highly unlikely.
Novak Djokovic has held the No 1 ranking since the US Open last year, and the 24-time Grand Slam champion is expected to compete next at the ATP Masters 1000 Indian Wells event in early March. As a result of Alcaraz’s semi-final defeat, Djokovic will extend his lead in the rankings by 750 points on Monday. The battle for third place between Daniil Medvedev and Jannik Sinner has also intensified.
Novak Djokovic – 9,855 points
Carlos Alcaraz – 9,105 points
Daniil Medvedev – 8,265 points
Jannik Sinner – 8,100 points
The challenge for Alcaraz lies in the fact that he has 300 more points to defend at the upcoming Rio Open, which will further widen the gap to 1,050 points. However, if he manages to secure a title in Brazil, the deficit will be reduced to 550 points. The Mexican Open, starting on February 26, is not currently part of Alcaraz’s schedule, but he could potentially receive a wildcard entry to the ATP 500 event. In order to surpass Djokovic, he would need to win another title, shrinking the gap to just 50 points.
On the other hand, Djokovic is set to lose 180 points at the beginning of March due to his semi-final run at last year’s Dubai Tennis Championships. This would provide an opportunity for Alcaraz to overtake him. Realistically, Alcaraz would have to win back-to-back ATP 500 events in Rio and Acapulco (a tournament not currently on his schedule) in order to surpass Djokovic before the Indian Wells Open.
Meanwhile, Australian Open champion Jannik Sinner has a chance to close the gap on Alcaraz, as a victory at the Rotterdam Open on Sunday would allow him to move ahead of Medvedev. However, Sinner is not scheduled to compete until Indian Wells, though he could potentially accept a late wildcard entry into the Dubai Tennis Championships.
According to the Source tennis365.com