35 days after the Wimbledon final, Carlos Alcaraz and Novak Djokovic met again. This time it will go to the final of the Cincinnati Masters 1000, a rivalry with a lot of incentive even if the ATP number 1 is not at stake.
The Spaniard’s victory over Hubert Hurkacz in the semifinals allowed him to tie for the number one spot in the world ranking he has held since his win at the Queen’s tournament, although this Sunday Djokovic may remain one small step away from the throne.
And that’s it, If they win, the Serbian will be only 20 points behind the Spaniarda minimum income that can be played without problems in the next US Open.
There Novak does not defend any point, as he has not been able to participate in the New York Grand Slam for two years due to his refusal to be vaccinated against Covid. So there, everything he gets in New York goes directly to his locker, a very different reality from Alcaraz.
The Murcian defended the crown achieved last year, and its equivalent of 2,000 points, so that he will not add to the US Open. Just by winning the title again he won’t wipe out the points.
Summary: if Djokovic wins the Cincinnati final, he will drop to 20 points and will only need to get past the first round at the US Open to overcome Alcaraz even if he revalidates the title. If he doesn’t, the Serbian will automatically be number 1 no matter what he does.
Hence the importance of the final this Sunday, because If he wins, Alcaraz will increase his advantage to 820 points.a wide margin that will allow him to face the US Open with more margin.
In that case, he would still be almost forced to win the tournament, but if he did, he would be under pressure. Djokovic, who will only get his number back if he reaches the final (Being a semifinalist, for example, will remain at 100 points).
The world ranking leader has changed six times this season, but Alcaraz’s lead would continue for three weeks: the next one, including contention at the Winston Salem tournament and the next two, when the US Open will be played. We’ll see what happens on Monday, September 11.
ATP ranking
If Alcaraz wins in Cincinnati
1. Carlos Alcaraz (Span) / 10,215 points
2. Novak Djokovic (Srb) / 9,395
3. Daniil Medvedev (Russian) / 6,260
4. Holger Rune (Also) / 4,790
ATP ranking
If Djokovic wins in Cincinnati
1. Carlos Alcaraz (Span) / 9,815 points
2. Novak Djokovic (Srb) / 9,795
3. Daniil Medvedev (Russian) / 6,530
4. Holger Rune (Also) / 4,790
Source: La Verdad
I’m Robert Maynard, and I am a passionate journalist with experience in sports writing. For the last few years, I have been writing for Today Times Live. My main focus has been on sports-related stories and features. With my strong background in journalism and extensive knowledge of the industry, I am able to provide readers with well-crafted pieces that are both informative and engaging.
