Carlos Alcaraz and Novak Djokovic will lock horns in the Wimbledon final on Sunday to decide the 2023 champion at the grass-court major. Both will be competing with double motivation at the All England Club, with the pair's third ATP Head to Head meeting doubling up as a winner-takes-all battle for World No. 1.
It will be another exciting chapter in a yo-yo year at the top of the ATP Rankings. The No. 1 position has changed hands between Alcaraz and Djokovic six times already in 2023, the most in a season since 2018 (seven), with the Spaniard most recently reclaiming top spot after lifting his first grass-court ATP Tour title at The Queen's Club just under three weeks ago.
The 20-year old Alcaraz currently leads Djokovic by 80 points in the ATP Live Rankings. It will be the second time he has contested a major final knowing victory would also guarantee him World No. 1.
He defeated Casper Ruud in the 2022 US Open championship match last September to rise to the top of the tennis mountain for the first time.
On the other hand, if Djokovic wins for a fifth consecutive year at Wimbledon, he will on Monday begin his record-extending 390th week atop the ATP Rankings.
Alcaraz is this week spending his 28th week at World No. 1. That tally places him 16th on the all-time list, ahead of ATP greats including Mats Wilander, Andy Roddick and Boris Becker.
(With the inputs from IANS)
