Carlos Alcaraz will pay a heavy price for his early exit at the Paris Masters, as he is set to suffer a rankings slide that could affect his hopes at the ATP Finals.
Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner have been the outstanding players on the ATP Tour this year, with the new ‘Big 2’ in the men’s game sharing the Grand Slam titles in 2024.
Sinner won the Australian Open and US Open, while Alcaraz completed the always challenging double of the French Open and Wimbledon during the tightly congested European summer of tennis.
Yet the ATP Rankings will not reflect the dominance of Alcaraz and Sinner at the ATP Finals after Alexander Zverev leapt above Alcaraz after his run to the Paris Masters final.
Big-serving German Zverev took some time away from tennis in recent weeks as he looked to recover following a draining 2024 and the break appears to have served him well as he has been back to his best in Paris.
Now he looks set to be the second seed for the lucrative ATP Finals in Turin later this month after he jumped above Alcaraz in the live ATP Rankings after a 6-3, 7-6(4) victory against Holger Rune in the Paris Masters semi-final.
“I feel like I made it a little difficult for myself but he is a champion. It is probably his favourite tournament and favourite court, but I am happy to be in my second final here,” Zverev said. “I am looking forward to it.”
Zverev was also asked about his rise to No 2 in the ATP Rankings, as he insisted Alcaraz is still a step ahead of him after a stunning 2023.
“It’s nice, for sure,” he said of his elevation in the rankings. “It’s nice to be back at the highest position that I have been so far.
“Of course, I want to get higher, but for me still Jannik has the best year this season, for sure, and then Carlos had the second-best year. He won two Grand Slams.
“I know that I’m ahead of him in the rankings maybe, but for me he won Wimbledon and Roland Garros. Those are two massive titles. So they are still the two best players in the world, in my opinion, at the moment.”
Zverev was also asked about his rise to No 2 in the ATP Rankings, as he insisted Alcaraz is still a step ahead of him after a stunning 2023.
“It’s nice, for sure,” he said of his elevation in the rankings. “It’s nice to be back at the highest position that I have been so far.
“Of course, I want to get higher, but for me still Jannik has the best year this season, for sure, and then Carlos had the second-best year. He won two Grand Slams.
“I know that I’m ahead of him in the rankings maybe, but for me he won Wimbledon and Roland Garros. Those are two massive titles. So they are still the two best players in the world, in my opinion, at the moment.”