Novak Djokovic, fresh from notching up a record-breaking 23rd Grand Slam title, moved back to the top of the ATP rankings released Monday, while Rafael Nadal dropped out of the top 100.
It was the 388th week as the world’s number one for the 36-year-old Djokovic, who jumped two places in the standings after his French Open victory.
He beat Spanish rival Carlos Alcaraz, 20, who had held the number one spot until the French Open, in the semi-final.
Russian Daniil Medvedev, who crashed out in the first round of Roland Garros, also dropped a place, while Norway’s beaten finalist Casper Ruud stays in fourth, 40 points ahead of Greece’s Stefanos Tsitsipas.
Fourteen-time French Open winner Nadal, however, paid the price for his absence through his long-term hip injury, dropping 121 places to 136th in the rankings.
ATP rankings as of June 12
Novak Djokovic (SRB) 7595 pts (+2)
Carlos Alcaraz (ESP) 7175 (-1)
Daniil Medvedev (RUS) 6100 (-1)
Casper Ruud (NOR) 4960
Stefanos Tsitsipas (GRE) 4920
Holger Rune (DEN) 4375
Andrey Rublev (RUS) 4000
Taylor Fritz (USA) 3515
Jannik Sinner (ITA) 3300
Karen Khachanov (RUS) 3125 (+1)
Felix Auger-Aliassime (CAN) 2850 (-1)
Frances Tiafoe (USA) 2835
Cameron Norrie (GBR) 2565
Hubert Hurkacz (POL) 2435
Borna Coric (CRO) 2430 (+1)
Tommy Paul (USA) 2205 (+1)
Lorenzo Musetti (ITA) 2095 (+1)
Alex De Minaur (AUS) 1905 (+1)
Pablo Carreo (ESP) 1730 (+2)
Francisco Cerundolo (ARG) 1655 (+3)
Novak Djokovic, who won a record men’s 23rd Grand Slam title on Sunday, is driven on through controversy by his determination to be the greatest ever.
The Serb’s victory over Casper Ruud in the French Open final took him past great rival Rafael Nadal at the top of the list of all-time men’s major champions.
For 36-year-old Djokovic, it matters to be the best, and he has a strong sense of his historical place in tennis now that he has become the first man to win all four Slams at least three times.
He also keeps ploughing on through the highs and lows because it is “a great school of life”. “I would like to send a message to every young person out there. I was a seven-year-old dreaming that I could win Wimbledon and be world no 1 one day,” he said Sunday.
“I am beyond grateful but I feel I had the power to create my own destiny. I believe it and feel it with every cell in my body. Be in the present moment, forget about the past. If you want a better future, you create it.”
While Nadal and now-retired Roger Federer are widely admired, Djokovic continues to divide as well as unite.
His staggering achievements on the court have often been overshadowed by blunders and missteps off it. The latest was in the first week of the French Open when he wrote “Kosovo is the heart of Serbia” on a courtside TV camera lens as ethnic tensions were again rising in the Balkans.
On court, he was booed for fist-pumping as semi-final rival Carlos Alcaraz wilted with cramping.
“I don’t mind. It’s not the first; probably not the last. I’ll just keep winning,” said Djokovic.
His most controversial moment was his refusal to be vaccinated against Covid, which culminated with Djokovic last year being deported from Melbourne on the eve of the 2022 Australians Open.
His uncompromising stance on the vaccine also saw him barred from the United States and unable to play in the US Open.
Even before that, the Serb was seemingly doomed never to be held in the same esteem as Federer or Nadal, the undisputed people’s champions.
There are those who see something too calculating in the Djokovic make-up – an intense, brooding presence prone to affectation.
His infamous default from the US Open in 2020 for petulantly swiping at a ball that hit a female line judge gave a glimpse of his fiery character.
And some of his personal stances have drawn criticism – one claim that raised eyebrows was his belief that it was possible to alter the composition of water and food through positive thinking.—AFP
