It took the COVID-19 pandemic to put a brake on Djokovic's 18-match unbeaten run in 2020, as he won the ATP Cup with Serbia, an eighth Australian Open title and a fifth Dubai Tennis Championships before the season came to a halt in early March.
Alcaraz returns to action at this week's Cincinnati Open, where he can gain ground on the Serb and Italian Jannik Sinner.
Novak Djokovic is still uncertain whether he will take part in the 2022 Australian Open but will soon make a decision, the World No 1 said after Serbia's 2-1 defeat by Croatia in the Davis Cup semi-finals on Friday.
Here is what you need to know about the year's Australian Open:
Factbox on Italy's Jannik Sinner, who beat Germany's Alexander Zverev 6-3, 7-6(4), 6-3 in the Australian Open final
Carlos Alcaraz reached his second Australian Open quarter-final on Sunday when his opponent Jack Draper retired injured when trailing 7-5, 6-1.
Djokovic, who has won nine titles at Melbourne Park, including the last three, confirmed on Tuesday that had received a vaccination exemption to allow him to bid for a record 21st major title at the Australian Open, which starts on January 17.
'I'm not vaccinated and I'm not planning to get vaccinated so the only good news I can have is them removing the mandated green vaccine card'
Unvaccinated tennis star Novak Djokovic won the right to take his fight against deportation from Australia to a Federal Court on Saturday after the government cancelled his visa for the second time over COVID-19 entry regulations.
Djokovic welcome to play if he can obtain visa, says Australian Open director
World number one Novak Djokovic once again declined to reveal whether he has been vaccinated against COVID-19 and said he is unsure if he would defend his title at next year's Australian Open.
He was drawn in the toughest half of the draw with Nadal as well as in-form Spanish teenager Carlos Alcaraz and world number three Alexander Zverev, who could clash in the last eight.
Osaka takes equity stake in crypto exchange FTX
American great Pete Sampras said he does not expect any player to match Novak Djokovic's feat of winning the men's year-end world number one ranking seven times.
Serbia's parliamentary speaker, Ivica Dacic, said on Monday he is concerned tennis star Novak Djokovic could still be deported from Australia despite winning his court case over his visa and vaccination exemption.
The company is developing a peptide, which inhibits the coronavirus from infecting the human cell, expects to launch clinical trials in Britain this summer, he added.
Images from the French Open quarter-final between Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic at Roland Garros on Tuesday.
Images from Day 6 at the French Open, at Roland Garros, in Paris, on Friday.
Djokovic had been favourite to win a 10th title at Melbourne Park and claim a 21st Grand Slam crown but the Serb now faces being deported from Australia.
Carlos Alcaraz announced himself in Madrid when he played with a sore ankle but still dispatched three top five players -- Rafael Nadal, Djokovic and Alexander Zverev -- en route to his second Masters title, just days after his 19th birthday.
Sunil Gavaskar feels a subtle adjustment to his batting stance in the second innings of the Perth Test helped Virat Kohli rediscover his batting form.
Djokovic will be nowhere near the centre court after losing his bid to overturn a second visa cancellation.
Australian authorities scrambled on Sunday to file a legal defence of their decision to bar entry to tennis world number one Novak Djokovic over his COVID-19 vaccination status, as the Serbian superstar spent his fourth day in immigration detention.
The reaction has been swift across the world to Novak Djokovic's visa has been cancelled for a second time by the Australian government.
The 34-year-old is currently housed in a government detention hotel in the suburb of Carlton, 5 km (2 miles) north of Melbourne Park, after authorities cancelled his visa when he arrived in Australia.
A round-up of all tennis action on Friday.
Djokovic did not drop a set en route to the final in Rome
Novak Djokovic secured a semi-final place at the ATP Finals with a 6-3, 6-2 victory over Russian Andrey Rublev on Wednesday, his 50th match win of the year, while Stefanos Tsitsipas withdrew from the tournament due to an elbow injury.
Magnus Carlsen and Ian Nepomniachtchi's decision to share the World Blitz Championship title for the first time in history sparked widespread criticism.
Images from Day 6 of the 2023 Australian Open at Melbourne Park on Saturday.
'This has nothing to do with sports, this is a political agenda. Novak is the best player and the best athlete in the world, but several hundred million people from the West can't stomach that.'
As Rafael Nadal prepares to ride off into the sunset after a stellar career, his fellow professionals from eras old and new agree on one thing - the Spaniard remains an inspirational role model whose legacy has shaped tennis over the last 23 years.
The Serbian Wimbledon champion extended his win streak to nine, wrapping up the final in 75 minutes without facing a break point and booked his place at next month's ATP Finals.
An off-colour Alcaraz lost 6-1, 7-5 to Norway's Casper Ruud in his opening match on Monday and the 21-year-old cancelled a public training session the following day.
Djokovic, who is seeking to win a record 21st Grand Slam title at the tournament this month, said in a legal challenge on Saturday that he had been given the medical exemption because he had contracted COVID-19 last month.
Images from Day 9 of the Wimbledon 2022 Championships at the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club in London, on Tuesday.
Wimbledon's decision to ban Russian and Belarusian players from this year's tournament following the invasion of Ukraine was wrong and lacked respect, world number one Novak Djokovic said on Monday.
Wimbledon announced that it had barred all Russian and Belarusian players from this year's championships
The rematch between Carlos Alcaraz and Novak Djokovic was one of the most expensive get-in-final tickets in the history of the sport.
Novak Djokovic has so far declined to disclose whether he is vaccinated and his father told Serbia's TV Prva that governing body Tennis Australia's stance on players being vaccinated was tantamount to "blackmail".
