Novak Djokovic returns to No. 1 in ATP rankings
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Novak Djokovic of Serbia and Dominic Thiem of Austria hold their trophies after the finals of the 2020 Australian Open, February 2, 2020. /VCG Photo

Novak Djokovic of Serbia and Dominic Thiem of Austria hold their trophies after the finals of the 2020 Australian Open, February 2, 2020. /VCG Photo

Novak Djokovic returned to No. 1 in the ATP rankings Monday after winning his eighth Australian Open title. 

Djokovic's 6-4, 4-6, 2-6, 6-3, 6-4 victory over Dominic Thiem in a roller-coaster final at Melbourne Park on Sunday allowed the 32-year-old from Serbia to rise one spot ahead of Rafael Nadal, who had overtaken Djokovic last November at age 33. 

This is Djokovic's 276th week leading the ATP, the third-most in the history of the computerized rankings, which began in the 1970s.  

Roger Federer holds the record of 310, followed by Pete Sampras with 286. 

If Djokovic can stay at No. 1 until the first week of October, he will surpass Federer. 

Roger Federer during semifinals of 2020 Australian Open in Melbourne, January 30, 2020. /VCG Photo

Roger Federer during semifinals of 2020 Australian Open in Melbourne, January 30, 2020. /VCG Photo

"That's one of the two biggest goals, for sure," said Djokovic, who defeated Federer in the semifinals at Melbourne Park. "I mean, there is no secret in that." 

Meanwhile, the Serb is also catching up to Federer and Nadal for most major championships, with Federer leading the way at 20, Nadal at 19 and Djokovic now at 17. 

In the rankings, Nadal is No. 2, Federer remained at No. 3, and Thiem went up one place to No. 4, with U.S. Open runner-up Daniil Medvedev sliding to No. 5. 

On the women's side, Sofia Kenin's first Grand Slam trophy boosted her to a career-high No. 7, and made her the leading American on the WTA list. 

Sofia Kenin of the United States takes the Daphne Akhurst Memorial Trophy after winning the 2020 Australian Open Women's Final in Melbourne, Australia, February 2, 2020. /VCG Photo

Sofia Kenin of the United States takes the Daphne Akhurst Memorial Trophy after winning the 2020 Australian Open Women's Final in Melbourne, Australia, February 2, 2020. /VCG Photo

The 21-year-old Kenin became the youngest woman to win the Australian Open since Maria Sharapova in 2008 by coming back to beat two-time major champion Garbiñe Muguruza 4-6, 6-2, 6-2 in Saturday's final. 

Kenin rose eight spots and is the youngest American to make her debut in the top 10 since Serena Williams in 1999. 

Ash Barty held onto No. 1 in the WTA rankings after losing to Kenin in the semifinals. Simona Halep, ousted at that stage by Muguruza, went from No. 3 to No. 2, switching places with Karolina Pliskova. 

The 2019 champion in Melbourne, Naomi Osaka, went from No. 4 to No. 10 after losing in the third round to 15-year-old American Coco Gauff. Making it to Week 2 in her tournament debut boosted Gauff from No. 67 to No. 51. 

Source(s): AP