Djokovic returns to top spot after Australian Open victory; Nadal slips to sixth in ATP rankings

New Delhi: After winning his 10th Australian Open title, Novak Djokovic returned to the No. 1 spot in the latest ATP rankings released on Monday.

Djokovic defeated Stefanos Tsitsipas 6-3, 7-6(4), 7-6(5) in the final on Sunday and clinched his 22nd Grand Slam title, equalling Rafael Nadal on the list for most Grand Slam crowns on Sunday night.

The Serbian climbed four spots from World No. 5 to seal the top spot, the biggest jump to the top of the men’s tennis summit between two editions of the ATP Rankings in history (since 1973). The 35-year-old dethroned reigning U.S. Open champion Spain’s Carlos Alcaraz, who is now placed second on the list.

The four-place ascent is a bigger jump than the three-spot climb previously made by Carlos Alcaraz (September 12, 2022), Pete Sampras (September 11, 2000), Andre Agassi (July 5, 1999) and Carlos Moya (March 15, 1999).

If Djokovic remained World No. 1 through the week of February 20, he will tie Stefanie Graf’s record for most weeks as World No. 1 in history (men and women) at 377.

On the other hand, Rafael Nadal dropped from second to sixth place after his second-round loss to USA’s Mackenzie McDonald.

After reaching the second Grand Slam final of his career, Tsitsipas moved up one place and returned to his career-high World No. 3, 875 points behind Djokovic.

Denmark’s Holger Rune reached a new career-high ranking of World No. 9. Last year’s runner-up Daniil Medvedev moved out of the top 10 as he slipped four spots to 12. – IANS