Alcaraz challenges Djokovic for No. 1 at Australian Open

Novak Djokovic and Carlos Alcaraz both have a shot at finishing the Australian Open as World No. 1, with a potential final between the top two seeds a certain winner-takes-all showdown.

As the defending champion, Djokovic will drop 2000 points when the Pepperstone ATP Rankings are released on the Monday after the Open concludes. Alcaraz, who missed the year’s first Grand Slam last year due to injury, has no points to defend.

So as he begins his quest for an 11th Australian Open title, Djokovic will hold a slender 200 point lead over the 20-year-old Spaniard in the Pepperstone ATP Live Rankings.

When the game's top two players squared off in the Wimbledon final last year, it was Alcaraz who needed to win to remain No. 1. He responded with a thrilling five-set win over the seven-time champion.

Djokovic has held World No. 1 for a record 407 weeks and since the beginning of last year's US Open, which was just one week after he saved a championship point to beat Alcaraz in an epic three-hour, 49 minute Cincinnati Open final.

Alcaraz, who first rose to No. 1 as a 19-year-old, has spent a total of 36 weeks in top spot, putting him in 16th place for most weeks at No. 1 among the 28 players who have held the honour.

Daniil Medvedev, who has spent 16 weeks at No. 1 during his career, has a chance of returning to No. 1 following the Australian Open. But he would need to win the title and not have either Djokovic or Alcaraz reach the semi-finals.