5 players who can challenge Novak Djokovic's position as World No.1

Novak Djokovic claimed the World No. 1 spot with a thunderous victory at the 2023 Australian Open for a record 10th time.

The 22-time Grand Slam champion ended his 2022 season as World No. 5, despite missing the Australian Open and the US Open due to his unvaccinated status and not gaining ranking points for his Wimbledon title win.

He put last season firmly behind him as he now holds the top spot for a record total of 377 weeks. He also holds the record for the most year-end No. 1 rankings, achieving the feat for seven years, including three consecutive years from 2014 to 2016.

Novak Djokovic with the 2023 Australian Open

While he is in one of his finest forms, he is not unchallenged, with many of the younger players ready to dethrone the Serb.

Before we begin with our pick of the top contenders for the No. 1 spot, we are leaving out arguably one of Djokovic's fiercest rivals, Rafael Nadal, from the list. The Spaniard has not completely recovered from his injuries post his withdrawal from Wimbledon last year, missing most of the second half of last season and is still finding his form.

On that note, let's take a look at five players who can challenge Novak Djokovic's position as World No.1.

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#1 Carlos Alcaraz

Hot on Djokovic's heels is World No. 2, Carlos Alcaraz. The 19-year-old became the youngest player to hold the top spot after winning his maiden Grand Slam title at the US Open last year.

Despite being out of action for almost four months after an injury, he began his 2023 season on a high note with a title win at the Argentina Open last week.

The Spaniard has met the Serb only once on-court in the semi-finals of the 2022 Madrid Open, where he emerged victorious.

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#2 Daniil Medvedev

Daniil Medvedev held the top spot, replacing Djokovic at the start of last season after reaching the Australian Open final, where he lost to Rafael Nadal. He witnessed a lean patch since then and reached the No. 12 position following his third-round exit at the 2023 Australian Open.

With a title win at the Rotterdam Open last week, the Russian has leapfrogged to No. 8 and could continue to climb closer to the top.

He last met Djokovic on-court in the semi-finals of the Adelaide International this year, where the Serb won, bringing their head-to-head 9-4 in Djokovic's favor.

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#3 Stefanos Tsitsipas

Stefanos Tsitsipas with the 2022 Monte-Carlo Masters trophy

Stefanos Tsitsipas is right behind Carlos Alcaraz in his career-high ranking of World No. 3.

The Greek has shared two of the biggest stages with the Serb, the finals of the 2021 Roland Garros and most recently the 2023 Australian Open, with Djokovic claiming the title both times.

They have faced each other 13 times on-court, the most of any player on the list, with Djokovic comfortably leading 11-2 in head-to-head.

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#4 Jannik Sinner

Jannik Sinner is in one of his best forms this season. The Italian is currently outside the top 10, but is still on the rise, having gained two spots in the last couple of weeks.

He won the title at the Open Sud De France in Montpellier and reached the final of the Rotterdam Open, overcoming Stan Wawrinka and Stefanos Tsitsipas.

The two last met at the in the quarter-finals of Wimbledon and their head-to-head stands at 2-0 in the reigning champion's favor.

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#5 Felix Auger Aliassime

Felix Auger Aliassime with the 2022 Swiss Indoor Basel trophy

Felix Auger Aliassime had his best season in 2022, winning four titles including the Rotterdam Open, Florence Open, Antwerp Open, and the Basel Open.

He has had a lukewarm 2023 season so far, with his best as reaching the quarter-finals of the Rotterdam Open. However, the talented young Canadian can get back in form to further climb up from his current No. 9 spot.

He last clashed with the reigning Australian Open champion at the Laver Cup and their head-to-head stands at 1-1.