Carlos Alcaraz returned to the top of the ATP rankings on Monday after his Indian Wells triumph, while Rafael Nadal dropped out of the top 10 for the first time in 18 years.

Spanish teenager Alcaraz cruised past Russian Daniil Medvedev 6-3 6-2 in Sunday's final to retake top spot from Novak Djokovic who was missing Indian Wells due to being unvaccinated against Covid.

American Taylor Fritz dropped five spots to world number 10 after his title defence ended in the quarter-finals.

Nadal, who has been out injured since a second-round exit at the Australian Open, fell to 13th place.

The 22-time Grand Slam champion had previously been inside the top 10 since April 2005. (AFP)