ATP rankings update: Carlos Alcaraz just 5 points behind Novak Djokovic, Ben Shelton and Jan-Lennard Struff reach career highs

The latest set of ATP rankings has been released after the conclusion of the 2023 Madrid Open. Carlos Alcaraz is now tantalizingly close to dethroning Novak Djokovic from the No. 1 spot.

Alcaraz successfully defended his title at the Madrid Open by beating Jan-Lennard Struff in the final. Djokovic did not compete in the tournament due to an elbow injury, and was thus unable to defend his semifinal points from last season.

The Serb remains the World No. 1 with 6775 points but Alcaraz is right behind him at 6770. The Spaniard would only have to win one match at the Italian Open to usurp the top spot from Djokovic.

There was only one change in the top 10 with Taylor Fritz rising a spot to ninth and Felix Auger-Aliassime dropping to tenth. Karen Khachanov's run to the Madrid Open quarterfinals saw him get closer to a return to the top 10 of the ATP rankings. The Russian is 11th with 3,025 points, just 190 points behind Auger-Aliassime.

Rafael Nadal remained 14th while Borna Coric climbed from 20th to 16th after his semifinal run in Madrid. Alexander Zverev's fourth-round exit in Madrid saw him drop out of the top 20 of the ATP rankings for the first time since February 2017. The German is currently ranked 22nd.

Struff had a tournament to remember at the Madrid Open, reaching his maiden Masters 1000 final after entering the main draw as a lucky loser. The German's exploits saw him climb 37 spots to a career-high 28th.

Another player who attained a new career-high ranking was Ben Shelton. The American lost to Struff in the opening round of the Madrid Open before reaching the semifinals of a Challenger tournament in Cagliari. He is currently 35th in the ATP rankings.

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Andy Murray and Aslan Karatsev climb up the ATP rankings

Andy Murray in action at the Madrid Open

Andy Murray and Aslan Karatsev were among the other risers in the latest set of ATP rankings. The former climbed 10 spots to 42nd after winning the Open Aix Provence, where he beat Tommy Paul in the final. This was the Scot's first Challenger title on clay.

Karatsev was the biggest riser in the top 100 as he went from 121st to 53rd courtesy of reaching the semifinals of the Madrid Open. The Russian is the first player ever to reach the final four of a Grand Slam as well as a Masters 1000 tournament as a qualifier.

Elsewhere in the top 100, Stan Wawrinka remained 84th while Dominic Thiem dropped three spots down to 96th.