ATP Ranking: Sinner consolidates number one spot while Zverev achieves his best ranking

Carlos Navarro | 9 Sep 2024 | 07.00

Jannik Sinner with the US Open champion's trophy. Source: Getty

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The weeks following the Grand Slams usually bring us numerous changes within the ATP rankings. The impact of the world's best tournaments is felt in the world ranking, with modifications becoming even more significant if there are major surprises on the court. The 2024 US Open left us with a good dose of dramatic matches and premature exits of top players, leading to this week's key figures in the ranking being names like Jannik Sinner, Alexander Zverev, Novak Djokovic, Taylor Fritz, and Ben Shelton.

Although his position remains unchanged, Jannik Sinner is the main focus of this article. His second Grand Slam title confirms him as the undisputed number one of the season, granting him a meteoric advantage that makes surrender very unlikely before the end of 2024. The Italian, who suffered a tough physical battle against Zverev in the previous season's quarterfinals, has added 1820 points to his ranking, placing him at the top with an impressive total of 11,180 points. The distance to the second-placed player is 4,105 points, an absolute gap that ensures many weeks as the world number one.

Precisely, the player accompanying the Italian in the top 2 also debuts at these heights. Despite a US Open far from his best level, the premature exits of top players mean that Alexander Zverev emerges as one of the winners in this classification. Exiting Flushing Meadows at the same stage as the previous year... earns him the position of #2 in the world, marking a new achievement: his best historical position in the ATP rankings. His consistency throughout the year, reaching the second week in all Grand Slams and performing well in almost all Masters 1000 tournaments, is his best asset to defend this position.

If Zverev rose, it was because others fell. Both Carlos Alcaraz (dropping 670 points) and Novak Djokovic (losing 1900 points) are defeated by a US Open that showed no mercy to them in the first week of competition. While the Spaniard does not drop in positions, the Serbian moves to the #4 spot in the world, a position he had not occupied since before the 2023 Australian Open, a tournament where he was ranked #5 due to the number of events missed because of his vaccination refusal. It's not a disaster by any means, but a small alarm bell for the Belgrade native, who currently finds himself out of the ATP Finals based on Race standings.

FRITZ, THE OTHER BIG WINNER

Reaching your first Grand Slam final brings various rewards: social, economic, tennis-related, and also in the rankings. After several months facing tough draws from the round of 16 onwards, Taylor Fritz returns to the absolute elite after achieving his best result at the US Open. The American will be ranked #7 in the world starting this Monday, though his excellent performance in New York still does not bring him closer to his best historical ranking of #5 in the world.

Another significant name entering the top 20 in the world is a young, well-prepared British player. The semifinals at Flushing Meadows have propelled Jack Draper to his career-best ranking: he will be #20 in the world after gaining 620 points. It's also a remarkable rise for the other semifinalist in New York, Frances Tiafoe, who solidifies his position and will be #16 in the world in the coming hours. For one American to rise, another must fall: none other than Ben Shelton, who drops four positions and now sits behind Tiafoe at #17.

Beyond the frontline players, several tennis professionals are achieving their historical best ranking. The majority have done so thanks to the second week in New York: this includes Jordan Thompson (#29 in the world), Nuno Borges (entering the top 30 at #30 in the world), and Brandon Nakashima (confirming his resurgence and entering the top 40 in the world).