Novak Djokovic is almost neck-and-neck with No. 2 Roger Federer in the rankings after winning the Australian Open, with less than a 100-point gap between the two. Djokovic gained ground by improving on his quarterfinal finish last year and stopped Federer's title defence by defeating the Swiss in the semifinals. The contest will remain a close one over the next couple of months—Djokovic must defend last year's semifinal in Rotterdam and title in Dubai, while Federer has no tournaments coming off his record.
Neither player had deep runs in Indian Wells or Miami last year, so their performances at the two Masters events are likely to determine who holds the second spot heading into the clay season, and the security of not having to face No. 1 Rafael Nadal until the French Open finals.
Young players with good showings at the Australian Open moved up the ranks, with quarterfinalist Alexandr Dolgopolov rising 14 spots to No. 32 and Richard Berankis going up 22 spots to No. 73. Berankis had a third-round finish that included a retirement win over David Nalbandian in the second round. Qualifiers Grigor Dimtrov and Milos Raonic also received a boost, with Dimitrov climbing 20 spots to hit No. 85 after reaching the second round, and Raonic moving up 58 spots to go from being ranked outside the Top 150 to entering the Top 100 for the first time.
