Mueez Ajao
– Novak Djokovic’s Australian Open championship returned him to a rather familiar spot on Monday: No. 1 in the ATP rankings.
– His four-place rise from No. 5 to replace Carlos Alcaraz at No. 1 is the largest jump to the top spot in the 50-year history of the computerized rankings for men’s tennis.
Back to the TOP 🫡@PepperstoneFX | #ATPRankings | #partner pic.twitter.com/hiLI4l7Uye
— ATP Tour (@atptour) January 30, 2023
– “You never know how much more time you have left, so, of course, I nurture and celebrate these moments of becoming No. 1 again and Grand Slam champion,” the 35-year-old Djokovic said after beating Stefanos Tsitsipas 6-3, 7-6 (4), 7-6 (5) in the final at Melbourne Park on Sunday night, “even more than I have, maybe ever in my career. I don’t take it for granted.”
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– Aryna Sabalenka’s first major title moved her up from No. 5 to a career-best-equaling No. 2 in the WTA rankings, behind only three-time major champion Iga Swiatek.
– Ons Jabeur, twice a finalist at Slams in 2022, went from No. 2 to No. 3, followed by No. 4 Jessica Pegula, No. 5 Caroline Garcia and No. 6 Coco Gauff.
– The player Sabalenka beat in Saturday’s Australian Open final, Elena Rybakina, makes her top 10 debut at No. 10, up from No. 25.
– This marks Djokovic’s 374th week leading the ATP, adding to his record. He earned a 10th title at the Australian Open and tied Rafael Nadal with 22 career Grand Slam trophies, the most among men.
– Alcaraz slid to No. 2. He had become the youngest man to be No. 1 when he took over at age 19 after winning the US Open in September. Alcaraz missed the Australian Open because of a leg injury.
– Nadal, who hurt his left hip flexor during a second-round loss to Mackenzie McDonald of the United States, dropped from No. 2 to No. 6.
– Tsitsipas went from No. 4 to No. 3 because of his run in Melbourne; he would have been No. 1 for the first time if he had managed to win the title. Casper Ruud, a two-time Grand Slam runner-up who lost in the second round to Jenson Brooksby of the United States, went from No. 3 to No. 4. Andrey Rublev is No. 5 after getting to the quarterfinals.
– Cracking the top 20 for the first time is Tommy Paul, a 25-year-old American who reached his first Grand Slam semifinal before exiting against Djokovic. Paul’s showing in Melbourne lifted him 16 spots from No. 35 to No. 19.
– He is one of 10 U.S. men in the top 50, something that last happened in 1995.
An astounding 10th #AusOpen title, a remarkable 22nd Grand Slam crown, an outrageous 374th week as the world No.1 – the numbers behind @DjokerNole's #AO23 triumph are head-spinning.
And he's not finished yet…
— #AusOpen (@AustralianOpen) January 30, 2023
