After being deported from Australia, Novak Djokovic won’t have the chance to defend his title at the Australian Open 2022. But that’s not the only thing the Serbian could lose after not competing this year, as his world No. 1 ranking is also in danger.
With Djokovic out of the picture, world No. 2 Daniil Medvedev and world No. 3 Alexander Zverev have a big chance to dethrone the Serbian in the ATP World Rankings. Djokovic has been the number 1 for 80 consecutive weeks, and a total of record-breaking 355.
Last year, Medvedev was close to the World No. 1 at the 2021 US Open, however as Djokovic reached the finals, he couldn’t surpass him. But the Russian stated that the top of the ranking was still his goal, so he probably will use it as an extra motivation during the Australian Open.
Australian Open 2022: How can Djokovic lose the world No. 1?
As a defending champion, Djokovic took last year 2,000 ranking points from his triumph in Melbourne. However, as he won't be competing, he will lose those points and he will go from the 11,015 points he currently has to 9,015.
Meanwhile, Daniil Medvedev currently has 8,935 ranking points. If he wins the Australian Open, he will move to 9,735 points, more than 700 ahead of the Serb. However, he needs to win the tournament, as he finished as runner-up in 2021, meaning he has to defend his 1,200 points.
On the other hand, Alexander Zverev, who currently has 7,970 points, has also a chance to get to the world No. 1. If he lifts the trophy, he would get to 9,610 points, which would be nearly 600 points more than Djokovic's. He was a quarter-finalist last year.
Either way, the change in the rankings won’t take effect until February 21 onwards per the ATP ranking rules. So, whatever happens, Djokovic would still be number 1 a few weeks more. However, if Medvedev or Zverev win, he won’t have the chance to reach 100 consecutive weeks as world No. 1, something he has done before.
