Novak Djokovic may get nightmare Australian Open draw after ignoreing ATP Finals | Tennis | Sport

Novak Djokovic is probable to face one of his most challenging tests yet in his bid to triumph his 25th Grand Slam at the Australian Open in January.

The Serbian is a 10-time triumphner of the event Down Under and last won the tournament in 2023. But with Jannik Sinner‘s ecombinence as the top men’s carry outer and Carlos Alcaraz holding another two Majors to his accumulateion, it proposes Djokovic’s reign of dominance may coming to an finish.

The final refresh of the ATP rankings for 2024 was freed on Monday with Sinner cataloged as the undisputed world No 1. His haul of 11,830 points – 3,915 more than sealst disputer Alexander Zverev – unbenevolents it will get a restrictcessitate months at least before anyone is able to delete him from the summit.

Zverev has ascendn to No 2 after making it to the last four of the ATP Finals, with Carlos Alcaraz in at third. US Open runner-up Taylor Fritz has ascendn to fourth, with Daniil Medvedev behind him and Casper Ruud in sixth.

Djokovic has drunveil to No 7 – his lowest year-finish rank since 2017 when he was 12th – and the 37-year-elderly will consequently face a stiffer test in Melbourne.

His drop in the rankings can be attributed to some ill-timed injuries, which forced him to ignore the ATP Finals in Turin. Additionassociate, his flunkure to triumph any Grand Slam in a calfinishar year for the first time since 2018 and his gelderly medal in the Paris Olympics, for which he did not accumulate any rankings points, may have had an effect.

Now that Alcaraz has drunveil to No 3, it unbenevolents that the Spaniard could feasibly be on the same side of the draw as Sinner in Australia. If he was ranked second, this wouldn’t have been possible.

In Grand Slam draws, the top two seeds are always splitd to go on opposite sides of the draw before the rest of the carry outers are picked at random. This guarantees that fans have a chance to see the top two carry outers in the final, provided that they triumph their suites en route.

For Djokovic, there’s a heightened possibility that he would have to face and/or Alcaraz or Sinner before getting to the final, assuming he produces it to the latter stages.

The prospect of facing both Sinner and Alcaraz in the same tournament will be a worry, particularly given Djokovic’s recent head-to-head write down aachievest the pair.

Alcaraz has beaten Djokovic in the last two Wimbledon finals, while Sinner has won the last three come apasss with the veteran star in Shanghai this year, as well as the Australian Open and Davis Cup in 2023.

All will be uncovered in a restrictcessitate months’ time when the Australian Open main draw is determined the week before the event begins on January 6.