Alcaraz number 1, here’s how he can stay there until the end of the season

With the nineteen-year-old Spaniard Carlos Alcaraz as the new king of world tennis, the last part of the season that will bring 2022 to the ATP Finals in Turin has begun. But who will be number 1 at the end of the year?

What remains

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Between now and the end of the year there are just 8 weeks of tournaments: the first two are dedicated to the ATP 250 (San Diego and Metz from next Monday, Seoul, Teal Aviv and Sofia from September 26 to October 2), then one to the ATP 500 ( Tokyo and Nur-Sultan), two more dedicated to the 250 (Florence and Gijon from 10 to 16 October, Naples, Antwerp and Stockholm from 17 to 23 October), one more to the 500 (Basile and Vienna from 24 to 30 October), one at 1000 in Bercy (Shanghai was canceled) and finally the last one for the ATP Finals in Turin.

The competitors

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The points up for grabs (excluding the Turin Masters) are just 3,000, but no top player is planning to participate in all the tournaments: winning all the matches from here to the ATP Finals means taking home a maximum of 2,000 points. Therefore, the tennis players who have a delay of no more than 2000 points from Alcaraz in the race can be considered in the fight for the first world position. In yesterday’s race Alcaraz leads with 6,460 points, Nadal is second with 5,810, Ruud is third with 4,885 and Tsitsipas fourth with 4,630. Who seems hopelessly cut off is Medvedev, just fifth with 3,375 points. In the last 10 years, seven times out of ten whoever was in first place in the ranking at the end of the United States Open has also been so at the end of the season and this bodes widely in favor of Alcaraz who has a small advantage over Nadal, but more substantial. on Ruud and Tsitsipas. From now until the end of the year, the game is played exclusively on hardcourt and this favors the finalists of the US Open over Nadal, who is never at ease on the fast indoor track.

Italians

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As for Matteo Berrettini and Jannik Sinner’s hopes of reaching the ATP Finals, the two Azzurri are divided by just 5 points: Berrettini is 13th with 2,225 points, Sinner is 14th with 2,220 points. There is one less opponent: Zverev will not be in the game, due to an injury that will keep him out until next year. The two Italians are just over 600 points away from Felix Auger-Aliassime, seventh and virtually last of the qualifiers because the eighth place should go to Wimbledon champion Novak Djokovic (provided that Nole closes the year among the first 20 of the world). Last year, net of injuries, Sinner scored many points from after the United States Open to the Masters: 250 for the victory in Sofia, 250 for the victory in Antwerp, 180 for the semi-final in Vienna, 90 for the round of 16 in Indian Wells and 10 for Bercy’s second round. A total of 780 points against Berrettini’s just 135 (45 in Indian Wells and 90 in Vienna). With 5 players already qualified (Alcaraz, Nadal, Ruud, Tsitsipas and Djokovic), Berrettini and Sinner must make the race on Felix Auger-Aliassime, Andrey Rublev and Daniil Medvedev to take the field at the Pala Alpitour in Turin.