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MIAMI, April 3 (UPI) -- Novak Djokovic overtook Carlos Alcaraz as the world's No. 1 tennis player, the ATP announced Monday. Miami Open champion Daniil Medvedev moved to No. 4. Women's champion Petra Kvitova moved inside the WTA's Top 10. Djokovic made the move to No. 1 despite his absence from the Miami Open. The Serbian, who remains unvaccinated against COVID-19, did not participate because U.S. travel requirements bar unvaccinated foreigners from entering the country.
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Alcaraz held the No. 1 spot from Sept. 12 through Jan. 30. He reclaimed the top spot March 20. The 19-year-old Spaniard started his Miami Open title defense with a win of Argentina's Facundo Bagnis. He then beat Serbian Dusan Lajovic.
Alcaraz beat Americans Tommy Paul (No. 18) and Taylor Fritz (No. 10) in his next two matches. Italy's Jannik Sinner upset Alcaraz in the semifinals. Sinner lost to Russian Daniil Medvedev in the final Sunday in Miami Gardens, Fla.
Medvedev moved up one rankings spot. Sinner climbed from No. 11 to No. 9. Fritz also climbed one spot, while Fritz kept his ranking.
On the women's side, Kvitova jumped from No. 12 to No. 10 in the WTA Tour rankings. The Czech star beat No. 7 Elena Rybakina of Kazakhstan in the women's final Saturday at the Miami Open.
Rybakina kept her position in the rankings. Iga Swiatek of Poland, who withdrew from the Miami Open because of a rib injury, held on to the No. 1 ranking. Maria Sakkari of Greece moved from No. 10 to No. 9. Sakkari lost to Canadian Bianca Andreescu in the Miami Open's Round of 64.
Andreescu beat American Sofia Kenin in the Round of 32, but then withdrew because of an ankle injury. She climbed from No. 31 to No. 27 in the rankings.
Romanian Sorana Cirstea was one of the top climbers in the women's rankings. She moved up 33 spots, from No. 74 to No. 41. Cirstea beat two Top 5 players, No. 4 Caroline Garcia of France and No. 2 Aryna Sabalenka of Belarus, en route to the Miami Open semifinals. Kvitova beat Cirstea in straight sets in that match Friday inside Hard Rock Stadium.
Americans Coco Gauff and Jessica Pegula, who won the Miami Open women's doubles tournament, now both rank inside the Top 4 of the doubles rankings. Gauff held her No. 3 ranking, while Pegula moved up from No. 5 to No. 4. Katerina Siniakova and Barbora Krejcikova, both of the Czech Republic, are No. 1 and 2, respectively, in the doubles rankings.
Santiago Gonzalez of Mexico and Edouard Roger-Vasselin of France won the men's doubles title. Gonzalez moved up 18 spots, to No. 19, in the men's doubles rankings. Roger-Vasselin moved up from No. 31 to No. 16.
Wesley Koolhof of the Netherlands and England's Neal Skupski remain tied atop the ATP Tour men's doubles rankings.
Tennis stars will start the clay court season Monday with men's and women's tournaments in Houston and Charleston, S.C., repsecitively.
