Carlos Alcaraz has dethroned his big rival Jannik Sinner at the top of the live ATP Rankings, but the world No 1 spot will not officially change hands for now.
The 2,000 ranking points Sinner collected after his win at Flushing Meadows last year will drop off his record at the end of the US Open and if he retains his title, his position as world No 1 will be secured.
Yet anything less than another Grand Slam title for the world No 1 in New York and his big rival Alcaraz will have a chance to end Sinner’s reign at the top of the rankings.
Sinner has held firm at the helm of the ATP Rankings since June 2024 and he managed to hang on to the top spot despite missing three months of this year due to a doping suspension following a positive drug test after an anabolic steroid was found in his system while he was playing in last year’s Indian Wells Masters.
Now Alcaraz is eyeing up a challenge to Sinner and if he wins a second US Open title over the next couple of weeks, the Spaniard will return to the world No 1 ranking at the conclusion of the last Grand Slam of 2025.
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Even if Alcaraz fails to lift the title in New York, he could reclaim the No 1 ranking if Sinner is beaten early at the US Open or is struck down by injury or illness, as he was at the Cincinnati Masters last week.
Even though Alcaraz has been handed a tough draw at the US Open, the reigning French Open champion is being tipped to reach another final in New York and he could be in line to play Sinner for a third successive Grand Slam final.
Carlos Alcaraz has replaced Jannik Sinner as world No 1 in the live ATP Rankings
Former world No 1 Mats Wilander believes the chasing pack are too far behind Sinner and Alcaraz to halt their progress to the final at the US Open, as he believes the top two in the rankings will continue to dominate for the foreseeable future.
“I think for the next few Grand Slams, we are going to be talking about Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz, but are they able to dominate the way they did at the French Open, at Wimbledon, and make it to the finals every time? I think so,” said Wilander.
“I believe we’re seeing two players that will fight for probably 15 Grand Slam finals before they’re done, at least. They’re that good. And at the moment, they’re that much better than everybody else.
“So I think the obvious storyline for this US Open is can Sinner and Alcaraz get to the final and will we see another great match like we saw at the French Open. That’s the storyline for this tournament and most probably until sometime next year.”
Alcaraz won the Cincinnati Masters title after Sinner was forced to withdraw from the final due to an illness, but the Italian has not lost a completed hard court match since he was beaten by his big rival in Beijing last October.
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The post Carlos Alcaraz knocks Jannik Sinner off world No 1 ranking – but the Italian can win it back appeared first on Tennis365.
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