Djokovic and Sabalenka Surges to No1: United States Open champion Novak Djokovic has reclaimed the No1 spot in the men’s singles rankings following a dominant performance at Flushing Meadows that handed him a record-tying 24th Grand Slam title while Aryna Sabalenka moved to the top spot in the women’s ranking after reaching the US Open final, eventually losing to Coco Gauff in three sets. Djokovic and Sabalenka overtook erstwhile top seeds Carlos Alcaraz and Iga Swiatek, respectively, and will have to play good tennis in the remainder of the year to conclude 2023 as World No1 in the Association of Tennis Professionals and the Women’s Tennis Association rankings.
US Open women’s singles champion Coco Gauff likewise made her presence felt as she gained ground in the singles and doubles categories. World-class tennis has not been this exciting since the “Big Three” era between the early 2000s and 2010s. This rush of excitement have motivated more fans to look up for the world’s top tennis betting sign-up site to earn money while picking the player that they feel has a great shot of winning an ATP- or WTA-sanctioned tournament.
Djokovic Reclaims World No1 Men’s Ranking from Alcaraz
The 36-year-old Serbian great returned to the top spot in the ATP men’s singles rankings by winning his fourth US Open title last Sunday. He defeated Russian netter Daniil Medvedev in straight sets, 6-3 7-6(5) 6-3 in the final and claimed his 24th Grand Slam title. Djokovic’s latest feat tied him with Margaret Court in the all-time list and moved ahead of Serena Williams when it comes to the professional era. He captured his third Grand Slam title of the year, adding to the Australian and French Open crowns he won this year. The US Open conquest extended Djokovic’s reign as World No1 for a record 390th week. This was also the seventh time that the Serbian switched rankings with Alcaraz this year. The last time that there were more changes to the ATP’s No1 seed in a single season was 1999, when there were eight.
Medvedev remained in third while Holger Rune kept the No4 slot. Stefanos Tsitsipas and Andrey Rublev climbed two spots to fifth and sixth, respectively while Jannik Sinner is ranked seventh in the latest rankings. Last year’s US Open runnerup Casper Ruud was the biggest casualty after the US Open as he dropped four places to No9 from fifth. Taylor Fritz is the highest seeded American at No8 while German Alexander Zverev rounds out the list at No10. Bubbling under the charts are US netter Frances Tiafoe, Australian Alex de Minaur and American Tommy Paul. US Open semifinalist Ben Shelton had a monumental climb up the Top 20 as he rocketed to 19th seed from 47th before the Grand Slam tournament began.
Djokovic and Sabalenka Surges to No1: Bad US Open Stint Harms Swiatek, Jabeur, Garcia
In the women’s side, Swiatek’s fourth-round finish in the US Open affected her ranking as she dropped to second behind Sabalenka. Gauff’s coming of age at Flushing Meadows was good enough to put her in third, ahead of Elena Rybakina. Also moving up the charts are Wimbledon champion Marketa Vondrousova and US Open semifinalist Madison Keys. Vondrousova, who reached the top eight in the US Open, reached a career-best sixth from No9 before the Grand Slam event started. On the other hand, Keys’ run to the Final Four put her in No11. Tunisian Ons Jabeur dropped two spots to seventh after making the fourth round of the US Open.
Karolina Muchova went up two spots to eighth while Greek Maria Sakkari went down to ninth. Frenchwoman Caroline Garcia fell three places to 10th in the WTA rankings days after the Grand Slam event. Garcia and Sakkari were ousted in the first round by unseeded netters Wang Yafan and Rebeka Masarova, respectively. Daria Kasatkina climbed two places to 12th while doubles specialist and former French Open champion Barbora Krejcikova dropped to 13th. Petra Kvitova and Belinda Bencic declined to 14th and 15th, respectively, while Jelena Ostapenko zoomed five places to 16th.
Djokovic and Gauff Soar, Sabalenka and Swiatek Face Changes
The US Open may have benefited Djokovic and Gauff in their ascension to the world tennis charts. The Serbian’s US Open conquest have helped him get back to the top of the world rankings and tied Margaret Court for the most Grand Slam titles in history with 24. Despite making it to the semifinals, Alcaraz’s decline to No2 was inevitable as Djokovic was at his best in the US Open week.
On the other hand, Sabalenka may have dislodged Swiatek in the No1 spot in the women’s singles charts but there was no denying Gauff’s rise to No3 in the world following her splendid performance in the event. The American defeated seven opponents, including seeded stars Jelena Ostapenko, Karolina Muchova and Sabalenka on her way to the championship. Gauff even had a double celebration as she and Pegula climbed to World No1 in the women’s doubles rankings. The seedings have helped other stars to move several notches and gain relevance in the online sports picks list as the players to watch in future tennis tournaments.
