Djokovic Reigns Supreme: The Return of the World Number 1 and Record-Breaking 23rd Grand Slam Victory

2023-06-12 08:48:00

Djokovic returns to his throne

He doubled down. By winning his 3rd Roland-Garros on Sunday, his 23rd Grand Slam crown, a record, Novak Djokovic took over the place of world number 1 from Carlos Alcaraz who had stolen it from him before the fortnight. The Serb now has a 420 point lead over his Spanish rival and 1495 over Daniil Medvedev, eliminated in the 1st round in Paris who is back on the third step of the podium.

Roland-Garros

Swiatek as Borg, Djokovic as in a dream, Ruud as an unfortunate

AN HOUR AGO

By managing to defend his final last year, Casper Ruud retains his place in the Top 4 by nothing: 40 tiny lengths ahead of Stefanos Tsitsipas, still 5th. The status quo prevails even up to 9th place: Holger Rune (6th), Andrey Rublev (7th), Taylor Fritz (8th) and Jannik Sinner (9th) all retain their position.

The stat that confirms Djokovic as king of “money-time”

“F2A” leaves the Top 10, Cerundolo discovers the Top 20

The Top 10 was therefore not deeply upset by this Parisian fortnight. But Félix Auger-Aliassime is ejected for the first time in eight months and his impressive fall indoors. Beaten in extremis by Rafael Nadal in the round of 16 last year, he did not pass the first round at Roland-Garros this time, in the wake of a disappointing start to the season. Karen Khachanov, quarter-finalist, took the opportunity to reintegrate the ten best players in the world, for the first time at the same time as his compatriots Medvedev and Rublev.

A small event for the Russian since this had not happened to him for almost four years (October 2019): he was still capitalizing on his triumph at Bercy in 2018. In the rest of the Top 20, Borna Coric (15th), Tommy Paul (16th), Lorenzo Musetti (17th), Alex de Minaur (18th) or Pablo Carreno Busta (19th) all benefit from Nadal’s misfortunes which we will discuss below. Note the entry into this circle of Francisco Cerundolo (20th), 8th brilliant finalist in Paris where he almost beat Holger Rune.

Félix Auger-Aliassime at Roland-Garros in 2023

Credit: Imago

Zverev resists, Cilic unscrews

Like Casper Ruud, Alexander Zverev was one of the players in danger during this 2023 edition. But a year after his terrible ankle injury in the semi-finals, the German managed to reach the last four again, a real performance. Consequently, he halted his fall in the standings, even gaining 4 places by defending his points (23rd). He should therefore be seeded at Wimbledon and will have everything to gain at Wimbledon.

Seeded on the English turf, his victim in the quarter-finals at Roland is just that: the Argentinian Tomas Martin Etcheverry continues to climb at high speed (32nd, +17). For Marin Cilic on the other hand, the fall is hard. Still in the Top 25 before Roland, the Croatian, operated knee in January and absent since, lost the capital garnered in half last year (720 points). He thus plunged 43 places to find himself outside the Top 50 (65th).

Di Pasquale: ‘After his 2022 trauma, Zverev is back to the level where everything fell apart’

Nadal, the end of an era

His exit from the Top 10 had already been funny, like an incongruity. But this Monday, Rafael Nadal recorded a dizzying fall in the rankings, which we knew was inevitable since he withdrew from this Roland-Garros 2023. By shedding the 2000 units of his 14th Parisian coronation last year, the Mallorca leaves the symbolic Top 100 for the first time in just over 20 years (April 20, 2003). Another time. He finds himself 136th, 121 of his colleagues toasting him.

This will not console him, especially since he will not play for the next five months, but Nadal is not the only name on the circuit to continue to sink in the hierarchy. This is also the case for Diego Schwartzman (106th, -11) who is also no longer part of the 100 best players in the world after having remained there for almost 9 years in a row (since July 2014). The consequence of a nightmarish start to the season with already 15 defeats on the clock for only 7 victories (including two at Roland nevertheless).

“Nadal, the end of the miracle?”

Highs and lows

They are 16 in the Top 100 to reach their best ranking on Monday. Tommy Paul (16th, +1 place), Lorenzo Musetti (17th, +1), Francisco Cerundolo (20th, +3), Jan-Lennard Struff (24th, +4), Yoshihito Nishioka (27th, +6), Nicolas Jarry (30th, +5), Tomas Martin Etcheverry (32nd, +17), Yannick Hanfmann (53rd, +12), Zhizhen Zhang (56th, +15), Juan Pablo Varillas (61st, +33), Max Purcell (63rd, +5), Luca Van Assche (69th, +13), Matteo Arnaldi (72nd, +34), Christopher O’Connell (74th, +3), Sebastian Ofner (81st, +37) and Aleksandar Vukic (91st, +6 ) can saber the champagne.

For others, it’s grimace soup: Bernabé Zapata Miralles (50th, -12 places), Yibing Wu (64th, -10), Marin Cilic (65th, -43), Benjamin Bonzi (76th, -10 ), Corentin Moutet (77th, -16), Ilya Ivashka (87th, -14), Jason Kubler (97th, -28), John Isner (101st, -11), Jordan Thompson (103rd, -27), Filip Krajinovic ( 105th, -12), Diego Schwartzman (106th, -11), Jaume Munar (108th, -27) and Rafael Nadal (136th, -121) lose big.

The Top 20 as of 06/12

Rang	Player	Points
1.	Novak Djokovic	7595
2.	Carlos Alcaraz	7175
3.	Daniil Medvedev	6100
4.	Casper Ruud	4960
5.	Stefanos Tsitsipas	4920
6.	Holger Rune	4375
7.	Andrey Rublev	4000
8.	Taylor Fritz	3515
9.	Jannik Sinner	3300
10.	Karen Khachanov	3125
11.	Félix Auger-Aliassime	2850
12.	Frances Tiafoe	2835
13.	Cameron Norrie	2565
14.	Hubert Hurkacz	2435
15.	Borna Coric	2430
16.	Tommy Paul	2205
17.	Lorenzo Musetti	2095
18.	Alex de Minaur	1905
19.	Pablo Carreno Busta	1730
20.	Francisco Cerundolo	1655