Novak Djokovic on how he can extend his lead as world No 1 at the Italian Open

The clay court season has panned out almost perfectly for Novak Djokovic.

Doubts swirled over the Serbian after his Monte Carlo defeat, but his absence from the Madrid Open may have ultimately been a blessing in disguise.

Djokovic would have watched on with huge interest seeing key rivals Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz struggle physically, with both now out of the Italian Open.

The world No 1 returns to action at the Foro Italico this fortnight and will certainly be the favourite for victory at a tournament he has won six times before.

And, ahead of the French Open, he has a chance to halt what many saw as Sinner’s inevitable rise to the top spot – and halt any chance of Alcaraz regaining the top ranking anytime soon.

As it stands
A run to the quarter-final at the Madrid Open saw Sinner close the gap ever so slightly, with Djokovic absent from the event.

Having also skipped the tournament in 2023, Djokovic remains on 9,990 points after action in the Spanish capital, while Sinner earned 200 ranking points and jumped up to 8,860 points

The Serbian reached the quarter-final 12 months ago – losing to Holger Rune – and earned 180 points for that run.

In the live rankings, that sees Djokovic slip ever so slightly to 9,810 points; the 24-time major winner would still have a significant gap and can extend his lead even further.

The points have increased slightly for a quarter-final run in the men’s singles draw this year, from 180 points to 200 points, meaning that Djokovic will gain an initial 20 points if he matches his 2023 display.