French Open: Djokovic edges past Alcaraz to return as No 1, Swiatek stays at top

Novak Djokovic, Iga Swiatek (Pic: AFP)

Thanks to his record 23rd Grand Slam title, Novak Djokovic on Monday replaced Carlos Alcaraz to return to No. 1 in the ATP rankings. He now will add to the record he already held for the most weeks leading the tennis rankings, men's or women's, since the computerised system was set up a half-century ago.

"So, of course, when you talk about history, people mostly talk about the Grand Slams won or the amount of time you spent at the No. 1 rankings. I have managed to break the records in both of these statistics, which is amazing," Djokovic said.

Iga Swiatek, the women's champion at Roland Garros, kept her spot atop the WTA rankings, where she has been for more than a year. She could have been overtaken by No. 2 Aryna Sabalenka, depending on the results in Paris.

Djokovic had been No. 3 going into the year's second major tournament, but winning it for the third time after exiting in the quarterfinals a year ago provided the points boost he needed to jump up to No. 1. He defeated Alcaraz 6-3, 5-7, 6-1, 6-1 in the semifinals on Friday, then got past Casper Ruud 7-6 (1), 6-3, 7-5 in the final on Sunday.

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It gave Djokovic three championships at Roland Garros, adding to his 10 from the Australian Open, seven from Wimbledon and three from the US Open. He had been tied with rival Rafael Nadal with 22 major trophies.

Alcaraz dropped to No. 2, Daniil Medvedev slid one place to No. 3 after a first-round exit in Paris, while Ruud remained at No. 4.

Nadal hasn't played since January because of a hip injury and so was unable to defend his title at the French Open. The inactivity sent him out of the Top 100 on Monday, to No. 136.

Swiatek earned 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 at 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 overtake Swiatek but lost in the semifinals in Paris to Muchova after holding a match point. Muchova soared all the way from 43rd to a career-high 16th in the rankings.

Reigning Wimbledon champion Elena Rybakina, who withdrew before her third-round match at the French Open because of an illness, is at No. 3, and Caroline Garcia is at No. 4, with Jessica Pegula going from No. 3 to No. 5.

Beatriz Haddad Maia, who made it to the semifinals before losing to Swiatek, rose from No. 14 to No. 10, becoming the first woman from Brazil to be ranked in the Top 10.

(With AP inputs)