Carlos Alcaraz may drop out of the Top 3 in the ATP Rankings for the first time in two years after his loss at the 2024 Madrid Open.
The Spanish prodigy left the Top 2 only recently, when his young rival, Jannik Sinner, overtook him, thanks to his incredible start to the 2024 season. Now, the 20-year-old is at risk of exiting also the Top 3.
At the 2024 Madrid Open, he defended last year’s triumph, meaning also 1000 points. That came after he had already lost 500 points because of withdrawing from the Barcelona Open, and his loss in the Spanish capital ensured he lost even more points.
As a result of a failed title defense in Madrid, Alcaraz will lose 800 points, meaning his points total will drop to 7345. That is far behind the world no. 1, Novak Djokovic, who currently has 9990 points, and the second, Jannik Sinner, with 8860 points.
But at the moment, the two-time Grand Slam champion doesn’t have to look only up but also down, as Daniil Medvedev is pressuring him from behind. In the live rankings, ahead of his quarter-final match against Jiri Lehecka at the 2024 Madrid Open, the Russian player has 7195 points.
Should he reach the semi-finals, Medvedev will have 7395 points, moving ahead of Alcaraz. The Russian is the favorite against the young Czech player, making it very likely that Alcaraz may lose another spot.
However, there is also positive news for the young player. If he is healthy enough to compete at the 2024 Italian Open in Rome, he will be the favorite to re-take the world no. 3 spot from Medvedev again, and that’s because the Russian will have similar problems like Alcaraz had in Madrid.
Medvedev is the defending champion in the Italian capital, meaning he can’t add to his points total, only lose points, giving Alcaraz a perfect opportunity to come back.
