Novak Djokovic vs Carlos Alcaraz World No. 1 battle: Can the Spaniard win a maiden Sunshine Double at Miami Open and close the gap
Novak Djokovic is currently serving as the sole representative of the Big 3, and despite having spent more than two decades on the international circuit, the Serb still reigns supreme in the world of tennis, a claim that is exemplified by his ranking as the World No. 1.
On the other hand, Carlos Alcaraz’s victory at Indian Wells this year and the possibility of winning his maiden Sunshine Double in Miami enables him to close the gap in rankings to Djokovic.
While a joint victory at Indian Wells and the Miami Open would have presented Djokovic with the opportunity to consolidate his position as the World No. 1, his shocking defeat to lucky loser Luca Nardi in Indian Wells and the decision to withdraw from the Miami Open puts the Serb in a slightly precarious spot.
Djokovic has time and again mentioned and rightfully proved that, unlike his contemporaries, he is not yet ready to bid adieu to the sport. However, going by the performance showcased by the tennis stars of relatively recent times, namely Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner, Djokovic’s journey ahead does not seem to be devoid of its fair share of challenges.
Before the start of the clay season, chasing his maiden Sunshine Double, Alcaraz has the opportunity to inch closer to Djokovic on the ATP ranking scale with the latter leading with 9,725 points followed by 8805 points held by the Spaniard.
But whether Alcaraz will be able to turn the tables in his favor remains to be seen.
Novak Djokovic’s withdrawal from the Miami Open
Novak Djokovic announced his decision to withdraw from the Miami Open soon after his Indian Wells exit.
The Serb announced his decision on X (formerly Twitter) and said:
“Hi Miami! Unfortunately I won’t be playing the @MiamiOpen this year. At this stage of my career, I’m balancing my private and professional schedule. I’m sorry that I won’t experience some of the best and most passionate fans in the world. I’m looking fw competing in MI in future!"
Even though Djokovic’s withdrawal from the Florida event came as a shock to quite a few, the Serb would still be maintaining his rank as World No. 1 when the clay season starts. By this time, he would have also spent 420 weeks as the top-ranked player on the ATP tour.
Therefore, while the Serb will still be the World No. 1 by the end of the Miami Open, the battle for the said rank depends on how Carlos Alcaraz fares in the tournament - something that will mark the actual beginning of the World No. 1 battle.
Battle for World No. 1
Winning the Sunshine Double can help Alcaraz decrease the gap between his and Djokovic’s ranking to just 280 points, taking the former's tally to 9445 points. Additionally, with Djokovic not defending any points in Florida this year, there is not much that the Serb can do before the clay season to retain his ranking.
On the other hand, Alcaraz has been in great form and showcased a stellar performance at the Indian Wells Open.
He is the only player after fellow Spaniard Rafael Nadal to have won five Masters 1000 titles before turning 21. His victory in California came after he picked up an injury in Rio, so his trajectory, in a way, mirrors the kind of resilience and ability to bounce back that Djokovic too has showcased in the past.
The 20-year-old’s prowess is something that the Serb has often praised and compared to that of the Big 3 of the sport.
Speaking about the World No. 2 after an exhibition match in Riyadh last year, Djokovic said (via Eurosport):
“It's fantastic to have Alcaraz in our sport,” Djokovic said after the pair's latest battle.
“He is one of the leaders of this sport today and he is going to carry our sport for the next 10 to 15 years."
“We are going to see a lot of him, tennis is in good hands,” he added.
The Spaniard also stunned the tennis world after beating Djokovic to win his maiden Wimbledon title last year, a victory that came after the latter won the French Open a couple of weeks before the grass court Major.
However, in Monte Carlo, where the World No. 1 rank will actually be up for grabs and marks the start of the clay season, neither Djokovic nor Alcaraz have any points to defend as both missed the tournament last year.
Hence, while the Miami Open marks the first phase of the World No. 1 battle, who will achieve or continue to hold the rank is something that can be determined once the clay season begins.
This way, as of now at least, the ball lies in the Spaniard’s court regarding how close he can get to the Serb on the ATP scale.