Carlos Alcaraz and Novak Djokovic at the net after the Paris Olympics gold medal match
Jannik Sinner may be sitting at the top of the official ATP Rankings, but Carlos Alcaraz is top of a rankings list that may offer a more accurate reflection of current form.
Alcaraz’s stunning summer of success saw him collect a first French Open title and retain his Wimbledon crown with a crushing win against Novak Djokovic in the final at the All England Club in July.
Now Alcaraz has been confirmed as the world No 1 in the UTR Rankings that use a different method to calculate the current best players in tennis.
The UTR rankings are calculated using a different method to the traditional ATP list, with current form and the ranking of your opponent taken into account when the final analysis is made.
The method for calculating the UTR ratings differs greatly from the rolling ATP list, which ranks players based on the points they collect over 52 weeks.
Victories against higher-ranked played are worth more in the UTR list than the official ATP or WTA ranking, meaning they offer up a more accurate reflection of the current form at the top of the game.
The UTR rankings are based on the current form from the last few weeks and months rather than reflecting results that occurred up to a year ago, with the system created to promote fair and competitive play across the tennis world.
All players, regardless of age, gender, geography, or skill level, are rated on the same scale between 1.00 and 16.50 based on actual match results.
The UTR rankings have been endorsed by 24-time Grand Slam champion Djokovic, who has suggested they may offer a more accurate reflection of the current form in the game.
Italy’s Jannik Sinner ousted Djokovic from the top of the UTR rankings after his Australian Open win in January and he backed that up by leaping to the top of the ATP Rankings a few weeks later.
Yet Alcaraz is now at the top of the UTR list after his French Open and Wimbledon wins, with Djokovic down in third place behind Sinner.
Australia’s Alex De Minaur is in the top 5 of the UTR rankings after his impressive form in 2024 and Alexander Zverev is at No 6.
Carlos Alcaraz News
The American duo of Taylor Fritz and Tommy Paul are also in the top ten, with the impressive form shown by a returning Matteo Berrettini reflected in the UTR list as he is listed as the 12th best player in the world on current form.
Russia’s Andrey Rublev is still in the top ten of the ATP rankings despite a drop in form in recent months, but he is down at a lowly ranking of No 26 in the UTR list.
Despite his stunning recent form, Alcaraz will struggle to oust Sinner from the top of the ATP Rankings in the second half of 2024.
Sinner’s last-16 defeat against Alexander Zverev in last year’s US Open means he will have a chance to gain ranking points if he can reach the semi-finals or win the last major of the year.
Meanwhile, Alcaraz lost 180 points by withdrawing from this week’s Montreal Masters and he also has plenty of points to defend next week if he plays in the Cincinnati Masters, where he was a runner-up last year.
Alcaraz will have opportunities to replace Sinner at the top of the ATP Rankings during the indoor swing on the ATP Tour, but he admits Sinner and Djokovic are still a step ahead of him in those conditions.
