How Alexander Zverev can replace Carlos Alcaraz at No 2 in ATP Rankings
Alexander Zverev found himself a long way behind Carlos Alcaraz in the ATP Rankings at the start of the clay-court season, but fast forward just over two months and he is in a good position to replace the Spaniard at No 2.
Alcaraz was at No 1 with 13,590 points when the Monte Carlo Masters kicked off on 6 April with Jannik Sinner at No 2 on 12,400 points while Zverev was a distant third on 5,205 points, putting him 8,385 points adrift of top spot.
But there have been some interesting and unfortunate twists since then as Sinner replaced Alcaraz at No 1 after winning the Monte Carlo title and the Spaniard then suffered a serious wrist injury during the Barcelona Open, resulting in him missing the rest of the clay-court season and the grass-court campaign.
While Sinner has increased his advantage at the top of the rankings, Zverev has chipped away at the seven-time Grand Slam winner’s lead as he finished runner-up at the Madrid Open and won the French Open.
And there was a big swing after Roland Garros as Alcaraz dropped 2,000 points after he was unable to defend his title while Zverev added 1,600 points.
From 8,385 points behind at the start of April, the German is now just 2,655 points behind the 24-year-old in the latest ATP Rankings.
ATP Rankings Top Five After French Open
1. Jannik Sinner – 13,500
2. Carlos Alcaraz – 9,960
3. Alexander Zverev – 7,305
4. Felix Auger-Aliassime – 4,440
5. Ben Shelton – 3,920
And there is more bad news for Alcaraz after he was ruled out of the grass season, as he will drop another 1,800 points in the next six weeks, as he was the defending champion at Queen’s Club (500 points) and finished runner-up to Sinner at Wimbledon (1,300 points).
Zverev, meanwhile, was stunned in the first round at Wimbledon (10) while he finished runner-up in Stuttgart (165) and reached the semi-final in Halle (200) for a total of 375.
Alexander Zverev News
Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner sent warning after Alexander Zverev’s Roland Garros win
And what a difference a year makes for the German as he admitted in his post-match press conference in Paris: “Last year was not a good year for me. I didn’t play well.
“I was struggling a lot with a lot of physical issues. I was struggling with my tennis. I just didn’t play well.
“I mean, for sure this trophy helps the belief a lot. I think, yeah, as you said, I’m far away from that moment right now. I think last year was one of the most difficult moments in my tennis career. This year is one of the happiest moments in my tennis career, and it’s a very different feeling right now.”
Before Zverev plays any grass-court events this year, he has a 1,230-point difference to make up (2,655 – 1,800 + 375).
The newly-crowned French Open champion is scheduled to play at the Halle Open where a maximum of 500 points will be available, while he is set to be seeded second at Wimbledon with the winner receiving 2,000 points and the runner-up 1,300.
In other words, a runner-up finish at the All England Club will be good enough to see him up to No 2 while a title run at Halle and a semi-final appearance will also push him one place above Alcaraz.
