Novak Djokovic’s alternative ranking reveals he remains the biggest threat to Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz
Novak Djokovic may have fallen to No 7 in the official ATP Rankings, but the Serbian legend is still in the top three of the alternative tennis rankings.
Djokovic’s decision not to play in the ATP Finals in Turin and to withdraw from the Paris Masters a week before due to niggling injury concerns meant he suffered a big dip in his official ranking.
Retaining his place in the top eight as important as that will ensure he will not meet world No 1 Jannik Sinner or French Open and Wimbledon champion Carlos Alcaraz until the quarter-final round at next month’s Australian Open, where we will get a better snapshot of where Djokovic is as he enters what may be his final year as a tennis professional.
His sparkling display as he beat Alcaraz in the 2024 Paris Olympics singles final in August suggested Djokovic was still very much a contender for the top prizes in sport when he is at his best and the end-of-year UTR Ratings confirm the 24-time Grand Slam champion is still very much in the mix at the top of the men’s game.
The method for calculating the UTR ratings is very different from the rolling ATP list, which ranks players based on the points they collect over 52 weeks.
Victories against higher-ranked players are worth more on the UTR list than the official ATP or WTA ranking, meaning they offer 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 ranking is open to players of all levels of the game and the algorithm used provides an intriguing insight at the top of the game.
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Endorsed by Djokovic, the current UTR rating confirmed Sinner as world No 1, with Alcaraz in second place and current ATP Rankings No 2 Alexander Zverev down in fourth position behind the Serbian legend.
America’s Taylor Fritz finished 2024 with a career-high position of No 4 in the ATP Rankings and he is at No 5 in the UTR list ahead of France’s Ugo Humbert and Australia’s Alex de Minaur.
Britain’s Jack Draper is up to No 15 in the ATP Rankings, but his strong end to the season that saw him win his first ATP 500 title in Vienna allowed him to move up to No 8 in the UTR list.
The top ten is completed by America’s Tommy Paul, with Russia’s Daniil Medvedev down in tenth position.
As the UTR lists reflect the current form and not results over the last year, Italy’s Matteo Berrettini is up at No 12 in the rating after a strong return from injury.
UTR Men’s Rating:
1. Jannik Sinner
2. Novak Djokovic
3. Carlos Alcaraz
4. Alexander Zverev
5. Taylor Fritz
6. Ugo Humbert
7. Alex de Minaur
8. Jack Draper
9. Tommy Paul
10. Daniil Medvedev
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