This is how the ATP Race stands before the 2026 US Open: Who are the best of the year?

Carlos Navarro - 24 Aug 2026 | 18:47
Rafael Jódar Carlos Alcaraz Jannik Sinner Ben Shelton Race ATP WTA ATP Elena Rybakina Aryna Sabalenka

We review the names with the most points throughout 2026: the US Open could be decisive in determining who qualifies for the ATP Finals, with Jódar fully involved in the fight.

Go to comments section Preferir Puntodebreak en Google
Jodar to compete in ATP Finals

The men's circuit is facing an absolutely decisive tournament next week that will determine who the best players of the year are and, therefore, who qualifies for the ATP Finals. The US Open 2026 could be the turning point for those who still have hopes of reaching Turin, in addition to being the judge of several entries into the top-10 and a clear regeneration in the leading ranks of the circuit.

This last sentence defines the current moment of the ATP circuit, where the best players of the year do not entirely correspond to what the current ranking indicates. For example, many may still be shocked to see Felix Auger-Aliassime at #4 in the world: he has only won one 250 title this year, but his consistency in other tournaments (quarterfinals in two Grand Slams) allows him to maintain a slight lead over others. If we look at the ATP Race, that is, the ranking that counts only his results from 2026 (and defines who qualifies for the ATP Finals), the Canadian is ranked #12 in the world, far from the top-5 (now he has to defend semifinals in New York and a title in Brussels).

Zverev buscará ser el número uno a final de año.

Zverev will fight at the US Open to be world number one by the end of the season

Several open fronts are presented in an exciting US Open. Jannik Sinner still comfortably leads the Race, with 1300 points ahead of a Alexander Zverev who remains in a comfortable second place in the table. What does this mean? That the German would match the Italian's score if he were a finalist at the US Open; he would not surpass him, since he has won fewer titles this season, but he would be on the launch pad to compete for number one by the end of the season. However, that is not the most important scenario: if Sascha were to win his second Major of the year in New York, he would become #1 and start with a lead of 700 points to retain it and finish 2026 as world number one for the first time in his career).

In third place is Carlos Alcaraz, whose strong start to the year has given him a vital cushion. Five months without competing and he still holds a place on the podium, a sign of his magnificent first quarter, but also of the instability in the middle of the table. That said, he can no longer be complacent: he has only a 220-point lead over Flavio Cobolli, the fourth-ranked... and this is where the table tightens.

Can Rafa Jódar qualify for the ATP Finals?

Arthur Fils and Ben Shelton have surpassed the threshold of 3000 points and seem like strong candidates to secure their spot in the ATP Finals. Moreover, they are two of the fittest players on the circuit: it would be strange not to see them accumulating points in tournaments they know perfectly, finishing among the top eight. Beyond that, the fight for the final spots finds its main stage at the US Open: Rafa Jódar has fallen to 9th place at the expense of a Frances Tiafoe, who would currently sneak into the top eight, being the third possible debutant in Turin. Less than 100 points behind is Daniil Medvedev, in free fall: if he cannot stop the bleeding of losses, it seems unlikely that the Russian will not be surpassed by any of these names...

Or others who arrive at the US Open well positioned in the draw, with competitive arguments to accumulate plenty of points. Taylor Fritz closes the top-10, but appearing just beyond are none other than Novak Djokovic and Felix Auger-Aliassime, two players who are among the top four seeds at Flushing Meadows. Nole has not participated in the Masters tournament for several seasons and has shown that he has no outstanding issues, but his name always commands respect and he won’t want to drop out of the top-10 before the next Australian Open; finally, names in the top-20 like Jakub Mensik, Brandon Nakashima, Learner Tien, or Tommy Paul will want to have a sensational performance to fully engage in the mix and compete for the last spots in an event in which they have never participated. The regeneration of the ATP circuit moves slowly but surely, and the possibility of seeing names like Cobolli, Fils, or Jódar in the ATP Finals shows just that... now we must wait for a US Open that may have the final word.

This is an automatic translation. You can read the original news, Así está la Race ATP antes del US Open 2026: ¿Quiénes son los mejores del año?