Novak Djokovic reclaims World No. 1 without playing amid US ban

Novak Djokovic is extending his record on top of the ATP rankings, regaining the World No. 1 ranking without lifting a racquet.

Novak's back on top. Photo: Getty Images

Novak Djokovic has regained the World No. 1 mantle after just two weeks despite being banned from entering the US for Indian Wells and the Miami Open.

Djokovic was banned from the US swing as the Serbian star was shut out of the country due to Covid restrictions which didn’t allow unvaccinated international travellers to enter the country.

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But over the last month, Djokovic both lost his World No. 1 crown, before regaining it a fortnight later.

His fate was tied to teen sensation Carlos Alcaraz, who won Indian Wells to become World No. 1 for the second time, but was knocked out in the semi-final in Miami to give up the mantle.

Alcaraz won the 2022 Miami tournament and wasn’t able to defend his rankings points, dropping back to second in the rankings.

Carlos Alcaraz has been World No. 1 for 21 weeks. Photo by Matthew Stockman/Getty Images

Italy’s Jannik Sinner knocked Alcaraz out of the tournament in a 6-7 6-4 6-2.

Sinner lost the decider to Daniil Medvedev.

The disappointment for the 19-year-old Alcaraz will be tinged with frustration after he struggled in the third set with leg cramps.

Asked after the match about losing the No. 1 ranking again, Alcaraz said he was more annoyed he couldn’t defend his title.

“For me it is like I lost the semi-final. I don’t think about that I lost the No. 1, I lost the sunshine double. I don’t think about it,” he said.

“Of course it’s a shame, you know, but I had an opportunity to get the sunshine double, but, I mean, I think I am gonna have more years to try to get it.

“But all I can think about is to improve my level to beat Jannik. Yeah, for me I just lost a semi-final of a tournament.”

Novak Djokovic is back on top without doing anything. Photo by DAVID GRAY / AFP

For Djokovic, the return to No. 1 extends his record to 381 weeks on top of the rankings, extending his record, which he claimed from Steffi Graf earlier in the year.

The news only gets better for Djokovic, whose path should be clear to play in the US Open.

It comes after the US Senate passed a bill to end the nation’s Covid-19 restrictions.

The bill is now on the desk of US President Joe Biden, and it’s believed he will sign the bill, with the end of the restrictions expected by May.

The US Open is scheduled to start in late August.

ATP Top 10 (as of April 3)

1. Novak Djokovic

2. Carlos Alcaraz

3. Stefanos Tsitsipas

4. Daniil Medvedev

5. Casper Ruud

6. Andrey Rublev

7. Felix Auger-Aliassime

8. Holger Rune

9. Jannik Sinner

10. Taylor Fritz

Originally published as Novak Djokovic reclaims World No. 1 without playing amid US ban