Ranking Reaction: Carlos Alcaraz returns to No. 1 after winning Indian Wells title

There was only one result at Indian Wells—winning the title—that would have put Carlos Alcaraz back at No. 1 on the ATP rankings, and he came through, defeating Daniil Medvedev in the final on Sunday, 6-3, 6-2, to capture the third Masters 1000 title of his career.

Today, the 19-year-old kicks off his 21st career week at No. 1, having spent his first 20 weeks at the top spot from September 12th, 2022 (the end of last year’s US Open, which he won) to January 29th, 2023 (the end of this year’s Australian Open, which he missed with a leg injury).

He’s still the only teenager to reach No. 1 in ATP rankings history.

YOUNGEST PLAYERS TO REACH NO. 1 ON ATP RANKINGS:
19 years & 4 months: Carlos Alcaraz [September 12th, 2022]
20 years & 9 months: Lleyton Hewitt [November 19th, 2001]
20 years & 10 months: Marat Safin [November 20th, 2000]
21 years & 1 month: John McEnroe [March 3rd, 1980]
21 years & 2 months: Andy Roddick [November 3rd, 2003]

Medvedev, meanwhile, rises from No. 6 to No. 5 today. Having dropped out of the Top 10 after the Australian Open, he’s now risen from No. 11 to No. 5 in a five-week span that has seen him win three straight titles in Rotterdam, Doha and Dubai and make the Indian Wells final.

Speaking of the Top 10, the elite loses its longest-running member today, as Rafael Nadal dips from No. 9 to No. 13 after not being able to defend his finals points from Indian Wells last year as he’s currently off the tour due to injury. His 912 consecutive weeks in the Top 10 since Apriil 25th, 2005 is the longest Top 10 streak in ATP rankings history.

In other ATP rankings news: American Ben Shelton breaks into the Top 40 after reaching the second round in Indian Wells, rising from No. 41 to No. 39; and former Top 10 player Richard Gasquet rises from No. 43 to No. 40, his first time in the Top 40 since the 2019 US Open.

The most notable jump on the WTA rankings goes to the Indian Wells women’s champion, Elena Rybakina, who rises from No. 10 to a new career-high of No. 7 after capturing her second-biggest title at the WTA 1000 event, her biggest title coming at Wimbledon last year.

A little further down, Magda Linette—who reached her first Grand Slam semifinal at the Australian Open this year—moves up from No. 21 to No. 19, her Top 20 debut. She lost to Emma Raducanu in the second round at Indian Wells but moves up after other players drop down.

And Donna Vekic rises from No. 23 to No. 20, her first time in the Top 20 in over three years, since she was No. 20 during the 2020 Australian Open. She had fallen out of the Top 100 in the time since after some major struggles with injury, including undergoing knee surgery in 2021.