If you have checked the Pepperstone ATP Live Rankings this week, you might have noticed that Carlos Alcaraz has an opportunity to tie World No. 1 Novak Djokovic by winning the Rio Open presented by Claro. However, the Spaniard cannot return to World No. 1 next Monday.
When two players are tied for the same spot in the Pepperstone ATP Rankings, the first tie-break goes to the player who has more points at the mandatory events: the Nitto ATP Finals, Grand Slams and ATP Masters 1000s. Djokovic has 5,820 points at those tournaments compared to Alcaraz’s 5,090.
Therefore, even if Alcaraz defends his Rio de Janeiro title and matches the number of points Djokovic will have Monday (6,980), the Serbian will remain No. 1 and Alcaraz No. 2.
The battle for No. 1 will heat up next week, with both men set to compete in ATP 500 events. Alcaraz is scheduled to play in the Abierto Mexicano Telcel presentado por HSBC, and Djokovic will lead the way at the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships.
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If Alcaraz emerges victorious in Rio de Janeiro and next week advances further in the draw in Acapulco than Djokovic does in Dubai, the Spaniard will return to World No. 1 on 6 March. Even if the 19-year-old does not triumph in Brazil, he will still have a chance depending on the Serbian’s result in Dubai.
“It has been a long time [I spent] at No. 1,” Alcaraz said last week in Buenos Aires, where he made his return after more than three months away due to injury. “Now it’s a goal for me to recover No. 1 and try to do my best in these tournaments to be back on that number. I’m looking for that.”
Last September, Alcaraz became the youngest World No. 1 in the history of the Pepperstone ATP Rankings. The 19-year-old held top spot for 20 weeks before relinquishing it when Djokovic lifted the Australian Open trophy.
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