Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner have been the stand-out players of 2024 and now the ATP Rankings are set to reflect their dominance.
The duo have shared the Grand Slam titles between them this year, with Sinner winning the first and last of the majors at the Australian Open and US Open and Alcaraz lifting the French Open and Wimbledon titles in a glorious European summer.
Yet despite Alcaraz’s sensational year, he had dropped down to No 3 in the ATP Rankings, with Novak Djokovic and Alexander Zverev ahead of him at different points of the year.
Now the rankings are set to reflect who the whole tennis world believes as Alcaraz and Sinner are set to be No 2 and No 1 respectively when the rankings are next updated.
Alcaraz confirmed his ranking rise with a sparkling 7-5, 6-2 win against Karen Khachanov to book his last-four spot at the ATP 500 in Beijing.
With his power-packed forehand in sensational form, Khachanov had no answer for Alcaraz and he confirmed as much as he congratulated his opponent at the net and suggested he was ‘too good’.
“I always try to be aggressive, hitting strong shots, and I feel like I’m not afraid to show that,” said Alcaraz. “To try again and again. That’s what I’m feeling right now.
“In the past matches, everything went well, so I can’t complain at all. I know that I have to keep trying. I’m hitting the ball really well, I’m moving well, and I’m not letting my opponents show their best tennis. It’s like the match is in my style. That’s what I like and what I want in every match.”
Alcaraz will next face Danil Medvedev and he added: “It’s always difficult facing Medvedev. I played great matches against him earlier this year and during the past couple of years.
“I’m ready to take that challenge, to try to play my best tennis to pass him. It’s always a war. Long matches, long rallies, when I play against him, but I’m ready for the challenge.”
Zverev’s decision not to play in a tournament this week gave Alcaraz a chance to leap over the German in the rankings and the Spaniard’s improved form on indoor hard courts has continued in Beijing with some impressive displays.
Now he will be rewarded for his displays with a leap back up to No 2 in the rankings and the significance of that move cannot be underestimated.
So long as Alcaraz was ranked outside the top two places, there was always a chance he could face Sinner in what could be a gruelling semi-final.
That would then have an impact on his physical conditioning for a potential final, but that problem would be avoided if Alcaraz and Sinner head into the first Grand Slam of 2025 at the Australian Open in January in their rightful position as the top two players in the men’s game.
We don’t know how long Djokovic will continue his career at the top of the game and his decision to play fewer tournaments will inevitably impact the Serbian’s ranking.
So while we can never entirely write off a 24-time Grand Slam winning legend, Alcaraz’s move up to No 2 in the rankings feels like a moment to declare the Sinner and Alcaraz era is now in full swing.
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