ATP rankings: Djokovic begins 400th week on top as Big 4 separate themselves from the rest of the pack
Djokovic, Alcaraz, Sinner and Medvedev have proven themselves to be head-and-shoulders above the rest of the competition in 2023
Novak Djokovic – ATP Finals – Chryslene Caillaud / Panoramic
This week, Novak Djokovic celebrates his 400th week at No 1 in the ATP rankings, having first risen to the top spot in 2011.
Off the back of the Nitto ATP Finals concluding on Sunday, the final rankings for 2023 are out, with a clear separation between the top four players in the world and the rest of the pack. Seven of the world’s top 10 are the same as this time last year, with Jannik Sinner the biggest mover over the past 12 months.
With no more ranking points on offer until January 2024, here’s how the year-end ATP rankings have finished:
- Novak Djokovic – 11,245
- Carlos Alcaraz – 8,855
- Daniil Medvedev – 7,600
- Jannik Sinner – 6,490
- Andrey Rublev – 4,805
- Stefanos Tsitsipas – 4,235
- Alexander Zverev – 3,985
- Holger Rune – 3,660
- Hubert Hurkacz – 3,245
- Taylor Fritz – 3,100
Djokovic, Alcaraz, Medvedev, Rublev, Tsitsipas, Hurkacz and Fritz all remain in the top 10 for consecutive years, after finishing 2022 in the elite group as well. Rafael Nadal, Casper Ruud and Felix Auger-Aliassime have dropped out, making way for Jannik Sinner, Alexander Zverev and Holger Rune.
Rise of the Big Four
With 1,685 points between fourth and fifth in the ATP rankings, it’s clear that the world’s top four players have begun to separate themselves from the pack.
Not only is this reflected in the points difference, but the way that Djokovic, Alcaraz, Medvedev and Sinner have dominated recent events. Of the tournaments that have featured at least one of these ‘Big Four’ since the start of August, only once has another player been victorious (Hubert Hurkacz at the Rolex Shanghai Masters).
Across the entire year, seven of the nine Masters 1000 tournaments were won by either Djokovic (2), Alcaraz (2), Medvedev (2) or Sinner (1), while Djokovic and Alcaraz cleaned up all the Grand Slams, with the former taking out the Nitto ATP Finals this weekend as well.
Heading into 2024, can the rest of the ATP Tour challenge these four? Two players in particular will have their minds set on it.
Zverev returns, Rune solidifies
If there are any players that can challenge the new Big Four in tennis next year, it’s Zverev and Rune.
Having suffered a horrific injury in the 2022 Roland-Garros semi-finals, Zverev has well and truly returned to the ATP Tour, finishing the year at world No 7. Recent months have shown the German to once again be a threat to the world’s best, with a win over Alcaraz to start his campaign at the ATP Finals last week.
In contrasting fashion, Rune has proven that his burst up the rankings late last year was no fluke, by solidifying his ranking with a year that featured 43 wins and one title. Finishing world No 8 in 2023, the Dane climbed as high as No 4 in August and September.
Two players that failed to back up strong years in 2022 were Auger-Alissime and Ruud, who slipped out of the top 10 after sitting at No 3 and No 6 this time last year. Ruud is now No 11, while Auger-Aliassime is a dismal No 29 in the world.
