MOSCOW, June 6. /TASS/. Russian tennis player Karen Khachanov will return to the Top 10 of the Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP) Rankings List starting next week, joining his two other compatriots.

Khachanov’s comeback to the Top 10 of the world’s most prestigious rating in men’s tennis singles comes after he reached the quarterfinals of the 2023 French Open in Paris on June 4.

Khachanov faced stiff competition for a place in the ATP’s Top 10 from Bulgaria’s Grigor Dimitrov, Italy’s Lorenzo Musetti, Argentina’s Francisco Cerundolo and Japan’s Yoshihito Nishioka, but they were all knocked out at the early stages of the current Grand Slam tournament in Paris.

The Russian tennis player is now set to face Serbia’s celebrated tennis star Novak Djokovic later on Tuesday in a match for the semifinals spot of the 2023 French Open.

An updated weekly ATP Rankings List will be published on Monday, June 12. Khachanov will be returning to the Top 10 list for the first time since October 2019, joining compatriots Daniil Medvedev and Andrey Rublev, who are currently ranked in 2nd and 7th place, respectively.

Playing at the 2023 French Open, Medvedev lost to Thiago Wild of Brazil in the opening round of the tournament, while Rublev was knocked out in Round 3 by Italy’s Lorenzo Sonego.

Khachanov, 27, who is currently ranked 11th in the ATP Rankings List, is the winner of four ATP titles. His best performance in the Grand Slam series was when he reached the semifinal rounds at the 2022 US Open and the 2023 Australian Open. Khachanov also clinched the silver medal at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics in men’s singles.

One of tennis’ four Grand Slam events, the 2023 French Open is taking place in the "City of Light" between May 28 and June 11. The tournament is played on outdoor clay courts and offers a purse of 49.6 million euros (almost $53.2 million) in prize money.

Russian players’ neutral status at tennis tournaments

In line with international tennis regulations, Russian tennis players are participating in the tournament under a neutral status.

On February 28, 2022, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) issued recommendations to international sports federations to bar athletes from Russia and Belarus from taking part in international tournaments, citing Moscow’s special military operation in Ukraine as the reason.

Following the IOC’s recommendations, in late February 2022 the majority of global sports federations decided to bar athletes from Russia and Belarus from all international sports tournaments.

However, the Women’s Tennis Association (WTA) and the Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP) allowed tennis players from Russia and Belarus to continue participating in WTA and ATP tournaments, but only as neutrals.