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The four semi-finalists for the 2023 Australian Open are now known. On one side will be Stefanos Tsitsipas and Karen Khachanov, on the other Novak Djokovic and Tommy Paul. Of these, only the Greek (ATP 4) and the Serb (ATP 5) can become world No. 1 at the end of the tournament. However, there is still a chance that the current No.1, Carlos Alcaraz, will retain his crown.
At the age of 19 years, 4 months and 7 days, Alcaraz overtook Lleyton Hewitt as the youngest ever world No. 1 after his victory at the US Open. Hewitt held the previous record at 20 years, 8 months and 23 days. Still, this Australian Open could well lead to a change of N.1 with the withdrawal of Alcaraz. The Spaniard will only be able to remain No.1 if the winner of the tournament is neither Djokovic nor Tsitsipas. We will therefore have to count on a feat by Khachanov or Paul to keep the throne.
For Tsitsipas, currently ranked 4th in the world, it’s simple: he must win the title to become N.1. It would be a first for him at 24 years old. His best ranking is currently 3rd. It would also be his first Grand Slam victory, but not his first final, as he reached – and lost – that of Roland Garros in 2021.
The same applies to Djokovic: only a victory in Melbourne can allow him to return to the world number one position. He has already held it for 373 weeks, an all-time record. Far ahead of Roger Federer (310), Pete Sampras (286), Ivan Lendl (270), Jimmy Connors (268) and Rafael Nadal (209).
