How many ATP ranking points will Carlos Alcaraz, Rafael Nadal, Novak Djokovic and rest of Top-10 be defending in January 2023?

Former World No. 1s Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic will look to reclaim the top spot next year, with the season kicking off in a few days with the United Cup. Both players will look to dethrone the reigning No. 1 player Carlos Alcaraz, but that will be easier said than done.

Ranking points for the upcoming season will begin accumulating and changing after the completion of the United Cup. With four further tournaments lined up (Adelaide Open 1 & 2, Tata Open, and the ASB Classic) before the Australian Open, one can expect sizeable changes at the top of the men's game.

In this article, we look at how many points each member of the ATP Top-10 will be defending in January 2023:

Rafael Nadal will be defending a whopping 2250 ranking points in January, while Novak Djokovic will be defending 0 points

Rafael Nadal with his 2022 Australian Open title

Rafael Nadal pocketed a mammoth 2250 ranking points in January last year by remaining unbeaten throughout the month, winning the Melbourne Summer Set and the Australian Open in the process. The Spaniard pocketed 250 ranking points by winning the Melbourne Summer Set, and he will be hoping to claim some of those during the 2023 United Cup, which will be his only tournament ahead of the Australian Open (as of now).

No other player in the Top-10 is defending as many points as the 36-year-old in January. Thus, a poor showing from the Mallorcan in Australia would see him drop down the ranking charts.

Meanwhile, the Spaniard's rival, Novak Djokovic, will not have to worry about ranking points during the month given he is defending 0 points. The Serb did not play a single tournament in Australia last year as he was deported from the country after his visa controversy. Given the nine-time champion's record Down Under, one can expect the World No. 5 to climb up the rankings with a good showing in January.

Carlos Alcaraz and Daniil Medvedev are also defending a contrasting amount of ranking points

Carlos Alcaraz [left] after facing Daniil Medvedev at Wimbledon 2021

Like Nadal and Djokovic, Carlos Alcaraz and Daniil Medvedev are defending a contrasting number of ranking points. While the Spaniard will be defending a mere 90 points, the Russian will have a whopping 1495 points to defend.

The current US Open champion only played at the Australian Open in January last year, where he lost in the third round. World No. 7 Medvedev, on the other hand, earned 295 ranking points from the ATP Cup and a further 1200 points at the Australian Open, where he finished as the runner-up to Nadal.

How many points will Casper Ruud, Stefanos Tsitsipas, Felix Auger-Aliassime, Andrey Rublev, Taylor Fritz, and Hubert Hurkacz be defending?

The current World No. 3, Casper Ruud, will only be defending 125 points in January next year. He earned these points solely from the 2022 ATP Cup, as he did not feature in the Australian Open. As such, a good showing in the coming weeks could strengthen his claim for the No. 1 spot.

Stefanos Tsitsipas, a 2022 Australian Open semi-finalist, will be defending 780 ranking points in January 2023, 60 of which came from the 2022 ATP Cup. The Greek will be counting on another strong run in the year's opening Slam, to close the gap between himself and World No. 2 Rafael Nadal, whom he trails by less than 500 ranking points.

World No. 6 Felix Auger-Aliassime, who finished as a quarterfinalist in the 2022 Australian Open, will be defending 750 ranking points, meaning he will need to put up a strong showing in the next few weeks to hold his position.

Meanwhile, World No. 8 Andrey Rublev is only defending 90 points and could see himself climbing into the Top-5 with a good showing Down Under. World No. 9 Taylor Fritz defends 340 points, while World No. 10 Hubert Hurkacz is defending 165 ranking points.