PARIS (AP) — Novak Djokovic returned to No. 1 in the ATP rankings on Monday, replacing Carlos Alcaraz there, after winning the French Open for a 23rd men’s Grand Slam title.
Djokovic will now add to the record he has already held for most weeks at the top of the tennis charts – men’s or women’s – since the computerized system was implemented half a century ago.
“So, of course, when you talk about history, people mostly talk about winning Grand Slams or how long you spent in the No. 1 ranking,” Djokovic said. “I managed to break the records in those two stats, which is incredible.
Iga Swiatek, the women’s champion at Roland Garros, has retained her place at the top of the WTA rankings, where she has been for more than a year. She could have been passed by No. 2 Aryna Sabalenka, depending on the results in Paris.
Djokovic was No. 3 before the second major tournament of the year, but winning it for the third time after going out in the quarter-finals a year ago gave him the boost he needed to move up to no. 1. He beat Alcaraz 6-3, 5-7, 6-1, 6-1 in the semi-final on Friday, then beat Casper Ruud 7-6(1), 6-3, 7-5 in the final on Sunday.
This gave Djokovic three championships at Roland Garros, in addition to his 10 from the Australian Open, seven from Wimbledon and three from the US Open. He was tied with rival Rafael Nadal with 22 major trophies.
Alcaraz fell to No. 2, Daniil Medvedev slipped one place to No. 3 after a first-round exit in Paris, while Ruud remained at No. 4.
Nadal hasn’t played since January due to a hip injury and has therefore been unable to defend his French Open title. Inactivity knocked it out of the Top 100 on Monday, at No. 136.
Swiatek claimed her third French Open trophy in four years and her fourth Grand Slam title overall with a 6-2, 5-7, 6-4 victory over Karolina Muchova on Saturday. Swiatek has been No. 1 since April 2022, when she moved there after Ash Barty retired.
Sabalenka, who won the Australian Open in January, had a chance to pass Swiatek but lost in the semi-final in Paris to Muchova after holding match point. Muchova dropped from 43rd place to 16th in the rankings, a career high.
Defending Wimbledon champion Elena Rybakina, who withdrew ahead of her third-round match at Roland Garros due to illness, is at No. 3, and Caroline Garcia is at No. 4, with Jessica Pegula moving on. from #3 to #5.
Beatriz Haddad Maia, who qualified for the semi-finals before losing to Swiatek, moved from 14th to 10th, becoming the first Brazilian to be ranked in the Top 10.
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