ATP RANKINGS UPDATE: Novak Djokovic Is In The Driver’s Seat

By Roberto Ferri

Jannik Sinner did not succeed in clearing the last hurdle in his race towards a maiden Masters 1000 title, but he definitely brought some havoc in the upper floors of the ATP Rankings. As a result of his win over Carlos Alcaraz in the semifinal of the Miami Open, Novak Djokovic can enjoy a 381^st week at No.1.

This week’s ATP Top 20

Position	Player	Country	Pts	+/-
1	Djokovic	Serbia	7160	1
2	Alcaraz	Spain	6780	-1
3	Tsitsipas	Greece	5770
4	Medvedev	Russia	5150	1
5	Ruud	Norway	5005	-1
6	Rublev	Russia	3470	1
7	Auger-Aliassime	Canada	3450	-1
8	Rune	Denmark	3370
9	Sinner	Italy	3345	2
10	Fritz	USA	3065
11	Khachanov	Russia	2855	5
12	Hurkacz	Poland	2750	-3
13	Norrie	GB	2735	-1
14	Nadal	Spain	2715	-1
15	Tiafoe	USA	2665	-1
16	Zverev	Germany	2410	-1
17	Carreno Busta	Spain	2185
18	Paul	USA	2090	1
19	De Minaur	Australia	2050	-1
20	Coric	Croatia	1890

A few comments:

•  Daniil Medvedev continues his Everest ascent, which began two months ago from 12^th position.
• Jannik Sinner has gained 6 places since the start of the season.
• Karen Khachanov is just a step away from the top 10. He has been missing from the elite since October 2019.
• Hubert Hurkacz drops down 3 positions.

NITTO ATP FINALS

The Miami Open has definitely had some impact on the Race to Turin standings, based on the results of the ongoing season. Let’s cast a glance at the top 10.

Position	Player	Country	Pts
1	Medvedev	Russia	3030
2	Djokovic	Serbia	2430
3	Alcaraz	Spain	1910
4	Sinner	Italy	1735
5	Tsitsipas	Greece	1570
6	Fritz	USA	1275
7	Paul	USA	1265
8	Norrie	GB	1255
9	Khachanov	Russia	1215
10	Tiafoe	USA	890

Thanks to his shimmering form over the last two months Daniil Medvedev grabs the top spot. Cameron Norrie and Stefanos Tsitsipas lose ground. Jannik Sinner gains three positions and leaps to No. 4, just behind Medvedev, Djokovic and Alcaraz. Taylor Fritz and Karen Khachanov are rising as well. Casper Ruud, 5^th in the ATP Rankings, is only 84^th.

NEXT GEN ATP FINALS

In November the eight best players born after 31 December 2001 will be battling away in the Next Gen Finals. The first 5 editions of the event were played in Milan. The host city of the 2023 edition is still to be decided. 

The title holder is Brandon Nakashima who will not be able to defend his title since he was born in 2001.

Carlos Alcaraz is currently in the lead, followed by Holger Rune. Since both will surely leave no stone unturned to feature in the ATP Finals in Turin, the most likely competitors in the Next Gen Finals will be those ranked from third to tenth position.

The young French players have been performing brilliantly in this first quarter of the season and are holding 4^th, 5^th and 6^th position.

Position	Player	Country	Pts	YOB	ATP rank
1	Alcaraz	Spain	1910	2003	2
2	Rune	Denmark	630	2003	8
3	Shelton	USA	415	2002	39
4	Fils	France	330	2004	118
5	Van Assche	France	277	2004	91
6	Cazaux	France	174	2002	205
7	Musetti	Italy	155	2002	21
8	Stricker	Switzerland	155	2002	127
9	Michelsen	USA	142	2004	278
10	Riedi	Switzerland	125	2002	155

BEST RANKING

Among the seven players celebrating their career highest, two are making their debut in the top 100: Christopher Eubanks, outstanding quarterfinalist at the Miami Open, and the French 18-year-old Luca van Assche.

Player	Position	Country
Davidovich Fokina	24	Spain
Griekspoor	35	Netherlands
Ruusuvuori	37	Finland
Borges	65	Portugal
Eubanks	85	USA
Purcell	86	Australia
Van Assche	91	France

Vintage tennis lovers have surely noticed that Christopher Eubanks plays a one-handed backhand.

A question for our readers: how many one-handed backhand players are featured in the top 100?

Translated by Kingsley Elliot Kaye