Home » Novak Djokovic can be matched by Carlos Alcaraz. What follows is what?

At the ATP 500 competition in Rio, Carlos Alcaraz is attempting to defend his title. Since the ATP 500 series’ inception in 2009, the young gun who won the trophy last year has been the series’ youngest winner! Carlos will have the same number of ATP points as world No. 1 Novak Djokovic if he wins the tournament, 6980! The Serb, though, will maintain his ATP title after accruing more points at Majors, the ATP Finals, and Masters 1000 competitions. Novak has a clear advantage over the young Spaniard at three top levels, winning 3500 points in Turin and Melbourne alone, but losing 2000 ATP points at Wimbledon.

Alcaraz is making a comeback after missing three months of action due to ailments. Last week, the Spaniard won in Buenos Aires and will compete for another title in Rio de Janeiro. Novak, on the other hand, is the tournament’s top seed in Dubai and making his first appearance since winning his 22nd Major championship in Melbourne in January.

World No. 1 contenders Carlos Alcaraz and Novak Djokovic.

After victories in Adelaide and the Australian Open to start the year, Djokovic replaced Alcaraz atop the ATP rankings. He then went on a 12-0 run. With 378 weeks as the lone player holding the top spot, Novak set his sights on a mind-boggling 400 weeks in the position. After winning the US Open and becoming the youngest world no. 1 in ATP history, Alcaraz was in a far better place than Djokovic. By the end of the season, Carlos had only participated in a few more tournaments and missed the opportunity to add to his already outstanding collection of trophies.

Due to an abdominal injury, the Spaniard withdrew from the Paris Masters quarterfinal and missed the ATP Finals and Davis Cup Finals. He nevertheless finished the year as the top player, breaking an additional age record that will be difficult to top.

Due to a leg injury, Alcaraz was unable to compete at the Australian Open and lost the ATP crown to Djokovic. Djokovic, on the other hand, has been a player to beat since Wimbledon last year, scarcely dropping a set while winning six championships in the previous seven events.

Novak, who lost in the quarterfinal a year ago, will look to improve his point total in Dubai the following week. The Serb would ideally play in Indian Wells and Miami, but if that doesn’t happen, we’ll get to see him play on clay in Banja Luka in April in Monte Carlo.