Novak DJOKOVIC set to defend the most on clay this season by some distance with World No. 1 under threat

The start of the clay season sees Novak Djokovic and Carlos Alcaraz as the players with the most points to defend. The first major challenge for most of the top-10 will be at the Monte-Carlo Masters, beginning on April 8th, with defending champion Andrey Rublev.

The top-10 will face a varied defense of points, which could bring significant changes in the rankings. Djokovic defends the majority of his points at the French Open, so his exit from the world No. 1 spot in the coming weeks is unlikely, although Jannik Sinner defends 1800 points less than Nole and could significantly narrow the gap or even challenge for the top spot.

During the clay season, Djokovic played in Monte-Carlo, the Srpska Open, and the Rome Open, reaching only the quarterfinals in each. However, he managed to produce his best level at the French Open and clinched the title, adding a total of 2315 points.

As for world No. 3 Carlos Alcaraz, he won the ATP 500 Barcelona Open and Madrid Open, reached the second round in the Rome Open, and ended with a semifinal exit at Roland Garros against Djokovic, accumulating 2,265 points. Sinner, on the other hand, is the player defending the fewest points among the top 8, with just 585 points, and will need to translate his hardcourt results to the European clay.

Two players who will have to defend more than half of their points in the next two months are world No. 7 Holger Rune (1835) and No. 8 Casper Ruud (1935), providing an opportunity for Grigor Dimitrov and Hubert Hurkacz to climb, as they defend only 420 and 235 points, respectively, with minimal differences in points.

Daniil Medvedev also needs to be cautious, defending 1280 points, mainly due to his title at the Masters 1000 Rome Open, although he often struggles during the clay season. Additionally, Alexander Zverev, one of the players who excels on clay, defends 1025 points.