A tumultous week of tennis action saw only 2 of the top 10 players in the ATP rankings gain points. Some big names like Daniil Medvedev and Carlos Alcaraz dropped points because of injury and upset losses. However, no player shifted positions in the top 10, meaning Novak Djokovic continues to hold on to the World No.1 spot.
American No.1 Taylor Fritz dropped out of the top 10 again, going down to No.11. Fritz won the Delray Beach Open but due to his injury, did not participate in a tournament before that and after the Australian Open. So he lost 135 points and is likely to lose more places and points due to getting knocked out in the first round of the Acapulco Open 2024.
Tommy Paul lost 255 points after some recent losses, including the one to Fritz in the Delray Beach 2024 final. He is at No.15 now, losing one spot. It means once again, his good friend, Frances Tiafoe is hot on his heels at No.16, despite dropping 80 points himself.
In the ATP rankings updated on February 26, only Andrey Rublev and Alexander Zverev made positive gains in the top 10 compared to the previous week. Despite losing the quarterfinals of the Qatar Open, the Russian earned five points since he went out at the same stage last year. Zverev, meanwhile, earned 55 points courtesy of a semi-final run at the Los Cabos Open.
Other big gainers include Casper Ruud, who rose to World No.11, nearing his way back into the top 10. Karen Khachanov climbed two places to No.15 with 250 points after his Qatar Open title win. Doha runner-up Jakub Mensik climbed 29 places for a career-high World No.87 rank. The teenager was named one of the “Movers of the Week’ by the ATP.
Alex de Minaur, who rose to his career-best World No.9 ranking after making it to the finals of the Rotterdam Open 2024, dropped as many as 4 places down to No.13 after just one shock loss at the Los Cabos Open 2024. That loss was against the unseeded American, Alex Michelsen which made it worse for the Australian. de Minaur also lost 435 points, making the Acapulco Open 2024 a vital one for him if he needs to get back into the top 10 within the next 4-6 weeks.
Daniil Medvedev’s injury absence saw him miss the Qatar Open, a title he won last year. Hence, he dropped 250 points. He has a tough task ahead of him with a host of points to defend. He won the Dubai Tennis Championships and Miami Masters last year and finished runner-up at Indian Wells. While a big gap means he would not be dropping to World No.5 anytime soon, he would want to close the gap on the top 3 and get back up there.
Carlos Alcaraz, meanwhile, lost 300 points after retiring two games into the Rio Open. This allowed Jannik Sinner to come within 535 points of the World No.2 spot. The Spaniard also has to defend 1000 points at the Indian Wells Masters, while the Italian has only 360. Alcaraz’s World No.2 rank is under real threat from Sinner.
Novak Djokovic, despite his continued break, continues as World No.1, entering his 414th week. This is even though Djokovic himself lost 180 points in the rankings for not participating in a single competition after his Australian Open semi-final loss to Jannik Sinner.
The volatility of the ATP Rankings 2024 good sign for competitive tennis
For the week beginning February 26, all top 10 players held on to their rankings. However, that does not mean things went smoothly for the top players. Last week’s tournaments saw unheralded names like Jordan Thompson, Sebastian Baez, and Karen Khachanov grab ATP titles. Other unnoticed players who made big moves include Gael Monfils, Thiago Seyboth Wild, and Yannick Hanfmann.
With many top players suffering surprise losses, it is a promising sign as it shows the competitiveness of the field. While the top 4 have a stronghold on their places, the rest of the ATP rankings are prone to fluctuations. With the Dubai Tennis Championships and the Acapulco Open already underway, the upcoming week could see some more major changes in the list.
