Claycourt men's singles power rankings 2023 ft. Novak Djokovic, Rafael Nadal
Will 2023 be the year when Next Gen finally takes the reins and pushes Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic on the backfoot? The ATP tour's transition to clay seems like a great time to have the discussion.
Djokovic and Nadal have split the last French Open titles, but a shift is on the horizon. Youngsters Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner lead a host of fast-rising names who will look to make their mark as we head into the European claycourt swing.
Note: The following formula was used to calculate the power rankings for this year's claycourt swing: (1x points earned in 2023 + 0.5x points earned during the 2022 European claycourt swing + 0.25x points earned in the 2021 European claycourt swing).
#7 Taylor Fritz
Taylor Fritz isn't best known for his exploits on clay courts, but his graph on the surface has improved over the years. He made a couple of quarterfinals — Monte Carlo and Houston — in 2022 and the Cagliari semifinal in 2021.
The American's form this season has been excellent and given the right motivation and a little bit of help from the draws, Fritz could well win big.
#6 Jannik Sinner
Jannik Sinner comes into this year's claycourt swing sitting pretty at No. 4 in the ATP Race rankings. The Italian's run to the final of the Miami Open has been the highlight of his year and would have filled him with confidence.
Looking at his results on clay in the last two years, a semifinal at the 2021 Barcelona Open and a run to the quarterfinals at the 2022 Italian Open holds him in good stead.
#5 Rafael Nadal
If the power rankings did not take into account results from 2023, Rafael Nadal would still be the 'King of Clay'. However, the Spaniard has been injured for much of this season.
With only 45 points to show for in 2023, Nadal started way behind all the others. That said, the French Open title from last year, the semifinals from 2021 and his title at the 2021 Italian Open were enough to land him a spot in the power rankings.
Nadal showed his ability to summon his best tennis on the big stage with virtually no match practice at last year's French Open, and a repeat at one of the big claycourt tournaments cannot be ruled out.
#4 Carlos Alcaraz
Carlos Alcaraz looked primed for a big claycourt season last year. He won two ATP 500 events in Rio and Barcelona, as well as the Madrid Masters. The youngster, however, ran into an inspired Alexander Zverev at the French Open, and his plans to complete the set with a Major never materialized.
Twelve months on, Alcaraz finds himself locked in a battle for the World No. 1 ranking with Novak Djokovic. Talk about extra motivation to do well on the surface he grew up playing most on!
#3 Stefanos Tsitsipas
Stefanos Tsitsipas has made a name for himself on clay over the last couple of years. If his French Open finals appearance from 2021 was not enough to announce his arrival on the big stage, back-to-back titles at the Monte Carlo Masters did the trick.
Coming into this year's claycourt swing, Tsitispas will look to make it three in a row at Monte Carlo and maybe take the next step in Paris. Fifth in the ATP Race, he finds himself ahead of some of his competition in the power rankings courtesy of his newfound prowess on the surface.
#2 Daniil Medvedev
Daniil Medvedev is the only player in the power rankings who has not had many big results on the red dirt. That said, the Russian has been the man to beat this season. He has already posted 29 match wins this year, the most by any player, and occupies the top spot in the Race to the ATP Finals.
Surface-wise, a quarterfinal appearance at the 2021 French Open should still give Medvedev some confidence heading into the European clay swing this year.
#1 Novak Djokovic
Novak Djokovic lost in the quarterfinals of the French Open last year, but it was only because he ran into a certain Rafael Nadal. Twelve months on, things look much different.
The Serb has a French Open and Masters 1000 title on clay to show for the last two years. Djokovic's form has looked ominous in the few matches that he has played in 2023.
Hungry for wins after missing the Sunshine Double, 2023 may just prove to be Djokovic's best on the red dirt in years.