Jannik Sinner has held the top spot in ATP rankings for over four months, but Carlos Alcaraz leads in the UTR rankings. At the start of 2024, Sinner was ranked fourth behind Novak Djokovic, Alcaraz, and Daniil Medvedev. He had a lot to accomplish to reach number one.
The Italian’s incredible finish to 2023 raised expectations. He won the Davis Cup with Italy, claimed titles at both the China Open and Vienna Open, and was runner-up at the ATP Finals. Sinner then captured his first Grand Slam title at the Australian Open after an epic comeback against Medvedev.
His winning streak continued with victories at Rotterdam and Miami Opens , closing in on Djokovic who had dominated with three Grand Slams in 2023. Fans might think this is an exciting time for tennis lovers.
| Name | Age | Points | Stats 2024 |
|---|---|---|---|
| #NAME? Jannik Sinner | 23 | 15,405 | 33 - 3 |
Rankings Shift:
Sinner became world number one after Djokovic withdrew from defending his French Open title due to injury. Even though Sinner reached this milestone, Alcaraz stole mid-season thunder by winning both French Open and Wimbledon again.
Concerns about Sinner’s form were silenced when he triumphed at Cincinnati and then defeated Taylor Fritz to win his first US Open title. Despite losing to Alcaraz in a thrilling Beijing final early October, Sinner extended his ranking lead by winning Shanghai Masters.
While ATP ranks him as 2024’s best player, UTR sees it differently—Alcaraz tops their list. The UTR system values recent performances more heavily than past results across a year; beating higher-ranked opponents also boosts scores significantly.
Alcaraz holds a slim lead with a UTR of 16.12 compared to Sinner’s 16.10 despite Sinner having a slightly better three-month trend of 16.14. Djokovic sits third with a UTR of 16.01—one spot higher than his ATP position—and Medvedev is eighth on UTR but fifth officially; meanwhile Alex de Minaur ranks fifth on UTR versus tenth on ATP charts.
Do you think these ranking systems give us a clear picture?
