ATP rankings: Alcaraz closes in on Djokovic’s No 1 position, Medvedev back in top 3

Banja Luka champion Dusan Lajovic is the biggest mover in this week’s top 100 as he climbs 30 spots to return to the top 40

Carlos Alcaraz at the 2023 Barcelona Open Image Credit: Aflo / Panoramic

Haresh Ramchandani

April 24, 2023

Serbia’s Novak Djokovic remained on top of the ATP rankings for the week of April 24, 2023 despite an earlier than expected loss at the Banja Luka Open. The 35-year-old was defeated in the quarter-finals and dropped 105 points from his total since he reached the final this week last year in Belgrade.

Spain’s Carlos Alcaraz remains at No 2 after defending his Barcelona title and is now just 365 points behind the Serb, who has pulled out of this week’s Madrid Masters.

Djokovic is defending 1,360 points over the next few weeks – 2360 for reahcing the semis in Madrid and 1,000 points for winning Rome in 2022. Alcaraz, on the other hand, is defending 1,000 points in Madrid but had to miss Rome last year. That puts the Spanish teen in a good position to get back the top spot from the Serb at the end of the Rome Masters.

Russia’s Daniil Medvedev, who has won more matches than any other player on the tour in 2023 with 31 victories, rises one spot to No 3, returning to the top 3 for the first time since October 31, 2022. The Russian swaps places with Norway’s Casper Ruud, who suffered an early exit in Barcelona.

There is no change in the rest of the top 10 with Stefanos Tsitsipas at No 5, Banja Luka finalist Andrey Rublev at No 6, Munich champion Holger Rune at No 7, Italy’s Jannik Sinner at No 8, Canada’s Felix Auger-Aliassime at No 9 and American Taylor Fritz at No 10.

New high for Tommy Paul while Dusan Lajovic returns to the top 40

Dusan Lajovic (AI / Reuters / Panoramic)

Outside the top 10, Frances Tiafoe moves up one spot to No 11 and Italy’s Lorenzo Musetti climbs two places to No 18 -both players equalling their career-best rankings while Tommy Paul moves up a notch to No 17 to achieve a new career high for himself. Munich runner-up Botic van de Zandschulp adds 140 points to his tally this week but remains at No 29.

32-year-old Dusan Lajovic is the big mover this week, climbing 30 spots to No 40 after beating Djokovic and Rublev to win the Banja Luka Open. This was the Serb’s second career singles title and his first since 2019. The former world No 23 is back in the top 40 for the first time since February 2022.

Other big movers this week include Slovak Alex Molcan, up 15 places to No 58 after reaching the semis in Banja Luka; Chile’s Cristian Garin, up 13 spots to No 73 after making the quarters in Munich; and former world No 1 Dominic Thiem, up eight positions to no 93 after reaching the quarters in Munich – his highest ranking since May 2022.