Novak Djokovic is no longer the world No.1 after rival Carlos Alcaraz took the top spot in the men's rankings just two weeks before the start of the French Open.
20-year-old star Alcaraz cruised to a 6-4 6-1 victory over fellow Spaniard Albert Ramos-Vinolas to get his Italian Open campaign off to a winning start. Just by stepping on court in Rome, Alcaraz guaranteed taking the title of world No.1 from Serbian legend Djokovic following the ATP Masters 1000 event.
As for Djokovic, who last month pulled out of the Madrid Open due to injury, he twice had to recover from deficits during a tight first set to beat 61st-ranked Tomas Martin Etcheverry. Aiming for a seventh title on the red clay of the Foro Italico as he prepares for the French Open, the 35-year-old icon recorded a testing 7-6 (5) 6-2 opening win on Friday.
