ATP rankings update: Novak Djokovic sits comfortably at the top, Jannik Sinner makes his top 5 debut after winning the China Open

Novak Djokovic finds himself leading this week's ATP rankings yet again. Despite not competing since his US Open triumph, he has amassed enough points for a healthy lead over the second-ranked Carlos Alcaraz.

Djokovic currently has 11,545 points, while Alcaraz follows him with 8,715. The Serb will be losing 500 points for not defending his Astana Open title. The Spaniard could further close the gap by winning the Shanghai Masters.

Daniil Medvedev maintains his position from the last few weeks at No. 3. Jannik Sinner's the newsmaker of the week, with the Italian capturing his ninth career title at last week's China Open.

Sinner defeated Alcaraz and Medvedev in the semifinals and the final, respectively. He's up by three spots in this week's ATP rankings to No. 4, a new career high for him and a long overdue achievement given his results.

Sinner's rise came at the expense of Holger Rune, Stefanos Tsitsipas, and Andrey Rublev. The trio was pushed down a spot each to No. 5, No. 6, and No. 7, respectively.

Taylor Fritz (No. 8), Casper Ruud (No. 9), and Alexander Zverev (No. 10) close out the top 10. The trio are fighting for an ATP Finals spot, though the German could be passed by the other two after losing in the second round of the Shanghai Masters.

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Rafael Nadal close to completely dropping off the ATP rankings

Rafael Nadal at the 2023 Australian Open.

Rafael Nadal hasn't competed since his second round exit from the Australian Open in January. Bothered by injuries since last year, he decided to take an extended hiatus to recover from various health issues.

But the Spaniard's prolonged absence has naturally seen his ranking take a sharp nosedive. Nadal's currently ranked 240th in this week's ATP rankings, with 255 points to his name.

By the end of this year, Nadal could end up with just 45 rankings points after deducting the points from the Paris Masters and ATP Finals. He has stated that he'd love to compete next season, but if he doesn't return prior to the Australian Open, he would disappear from the ATP rankings.

Nadal will be the beneficiary of the protected ranking system whenever he returns. A champion of his stature will also receive plenty of wildcards too. But a higher ranking often guarantees a favorable draw and the occasional bye as well.

Despite numerous setbacks throughout his career, Nadal had somehow managed to finish every season prior to this in the top 10 since 2005. He'll now end the year ranked outside the top 200 for the first time since 2002.

To view this week's ATP rankings, click here.