–

MELBOURNE, Australia – The updated rankings are a bit of a moot point, as they don’t affect the seedings or the draw at the Australian Open, which begins the previous day this year.

But noteworthy is that the battle for No. 1 is on, because Novak Djokovic drops the 2000 points he got for winning a y ear ago. Which puts him (on paper) just 200 points ahead of Carlos Alcaraz, who missed it in 2023.

Short math: Alcaraz needs to go one round further than Djokovic, once they get into the second week.

For the complete ATP Tour rankings update, click here.

ON THE UPSWING

Jiri Lehecka (CZE): No. 32 ========> No. 23 (Lehecka notches his second career ATP Tour title. And, as it happens, its his second “ATP 250 the week right before a major” title as the first one came at Winston-Salem last summer, just before the US Open. He’s at a career high, but it’s too late to help his seeding. On the plus side, he just squeezed into the No. 32 slot with his previous ranking, so at least he doesn’t have a shocker of a first-round match. He faces Bernabe Zapata Miralles).

Alexander Bublik (KAZ): No. 31 ========> No. 27 (Bublik will be remembered for his fanciful moments in Adelaide. But he makes the semifinals there and is back into the top 30. He drew qualifier Sumit Nagal of India in the first round).

Alejandro Tabilo (CHI): No. 82 ========> No. 49 (Tabilo played like a man unleashed on the fall Challenger circuit to get back into the top 100 and into the main draw in Melbourne. He made it. And that also allowed him to play Auckland the week before the main event. And he went from the qualifying to the title and not only got himself his first career ATP trophy, but his first week in the top 50. He drew qualifier Aleksandar Kovacevic in the first round at the AO, too – not too bad. But he lost in five after being up two sets to one).

Jack Draper (GBR): No. 62 ========> No. 55 (A great week for Draper getting to the Adelaide final. But he didn’t have much left for Lehecka. Still, a nice little jump for him as he ties to make 2024 injury-free. He drew the very solid Marcos Giron in the first round).

Taro Daniel (JPN): No. 74 ========> No. 58 (Into the top 60 for the first time for the 30-year-old from Japan, who took a long time even to finally get into the top 100 and then, a long period trying to get back there. He reached the Auckland final, and got big-serving American Chris Eubanks in the first round in Melbourne but went down in straight sets).

Martin Damm (USA): No. 255 ========> No. 225 (Damm, the 20-year-old son of longtime ATP pro Martin Sr., was a top American junior but the climb up the senior rankings has been a slog. He moves up 30 with a final at the opening Challenger on Portugal)..

Leandro Riedi (SUI): No. 320 ========> No. 250 (The 21-year-old from Switzerland moves into the top 250 with a title at the Portugal Challenger).

ON THE DOWNSWING

Cameron Norrie (GBR): No. 19========> No.22 (Norrie is out of the top 20, although just barely, as 150 points would put him back in right now. It’s his first exit since he got in, after Indian Wells in 2021).

Felix Auger-Aliassime (CAN): No. 27 ========> No. 30 (Still in the top 30, but barely, as the top Canadian is the No. 27 seed at the Australian Open but has to play Dominic Thiem on Monday in the first round).

Thanasi Kokkinakis (AUS): No. 68 ========> No. 80 (Last year’s Adelaide semifinalist – and 2022 champ – got a wild card to come back. But he drew Dusan Lajovic off the bat and was out early, dropping him 12 spots. Sebastian Ofner is his first-round opponent).

***A young Gasquet in Melbourne, a decade ago.***

Richard Gasquet (FRA): No. 76 ========> No. 131 (Gasquet is out of the top 100 for the first time since … 2005, after he failed to defend his points from the Auckland title a year ago. He lost the opening around to a countryman a little over half his age, Arthur Fils).

Jesper de Jong (NED): No. 148 ========> No. 161 (De Jong drops points from getting to the final of a Challenger in Argentina – on clay – a year ago. At the time, he was ranked No. 325 and that effort helped him break into the top 300 for the first time. But the good news is that he qualified in dramatic fashion for the Australian Open main draw. And he won his first-round match – his Grand Slam main-draw debut – over Pedro Cachin in four sets. So he’s already up to No. 133 in the live rankings. That’ll be career high).

Lloyd Harris (RSA): No. 149 ========> No. 167 (Harris played on a protected ranking for a fair bit after a return from injury. But now he’s on his own and although he qualified fairly routinely for the Australian Open main draw, he lost to Quentin Halys in four tight sets in the first round).

***If Prizmic is going to be big time, he’ll have to address those shorts.***

Dino Prizmic (CRO): No. 178 ========> No. 187 (Prizmic has lost points the last two weeks from two runs from the qualifyng to the quarterfinals at Challengers in Portugal, when his ranking was at No. 450. But that’s part of the transition to the big leagues. The 18-year-old not only qualified for his first grown-up Grand Slam, Novak Djokovic needed four hours to beat him Sunday night in his debut, on Rod Laver Arena. He’ll be up just inside the top 170 at the end of the tournament).

Jenson Brooksby (USA): No. 297 ========> No. 466 (Brooksby, because of a failure of the whereabouts rule, will be gone from tennis for awhile. So this number will just keep dropping).