We’re serving up the ultimate ranking of the best tennis players of 2024, a list created for fans, by fans. Our criteria for ranking these athletes takes into account this year’s performance on the court, current ATP rankings, consistency, sportsmanship, and popularity among fans globally. This list is intended to celebrate the skill, persistence, and flair of these athletes while also appreciating the transformative effect they have had on the game we love. Medvedev has a single Grand Slam win—in Flushing Meadows in 2021—but he has reached five other major finals, including the 2019 and 2023 U.S.

Muchova snaps Sabalenka’s winning streak to reach Beijing semifinals

A player can use a protected ranking for the first nine tournaments they compete in using the Entry Protection or for up to nine months, beginning with the first tennis event that the player competes in, whichever happens first. This excludes wild cards and entries as a Direct Acceptance, should the true ranking allow this. In her past four Slams, Brady has won 15 matches and reached two semifinals and one final. Unfortunately, those four events have come in a more than three-year span.

Will Naomi Osaka play at the 2024 Olympics?

Ruud claimed his 12th career ATP Tour title in May in Geneva. Eleven have come on clay, but when he is healthy—a parasite hindered him in the spring, and an illness knocked him out of this month’s tournament in Montreal—Ruud can compete on any surface. He is the only man 25 or younger with at least 100 career victories on both hardcourts and clay. Off the court, Ruud has added deals with Fleming watches, Swedish bank Handelsbanken and Renault, on top of a half-dozen existing sponsors. The 22-year-old from San Candido, Italy started the year ranked 15th in the world before jumping to fourth as of the end of October. Sinner defeated world number one Carlos Alcaraz in the semi-finals at the 2023 Miami Open, and has attributed his recent success to his improved mental, physical conditioning, and change in coaching staff.

How many tennis events are there at the 2024 Olympics?

He rallied, pummeling No. 5 Holger Rune in Shanghai in October, and including challenger events, he won seven of his last nine matches of the year. The oft-mulleted 24-year-old reached the fourth round of the Australian Open and briefly sneaked into the ATP top 40. He went 3-5 against top-20 opponents, too — better than Paul.

Coco Gauff

These rankings are used for seedings and determining which tournament a player can enter directly. After a bright 2022, Nakashima suffered a lost year of sorts. He spent much of the year battling a nagging knee injury; after ranking in the mid-40s for most of the spring, he found himself in the 150s in October.

Coco Gauff rallies past Yuliia Starodubtseva to reach China Open semis

• After prevailing at the French Open for a fourth time in June, Swiatek earned a bronze medal at the Paris Olympics, securing a $50,000 bonus from her native Poland on top of nearly $11.7 million in prize money over the last 12 months.
• But he also lost four straight matches at one point during the American summer swing and dropped back out of the top 50.
• But she went against everyone else on tour, with two top-10 wins and four quarterfinal appearances.
• Suppose a player is physically injured and does not compete in any tennis event for twelve months or longer.
• Do players such as Pegula, Fritz and Tiafoe still have another level to add to their respective games?
• Ben Shelton is a rising star who brings power, agility, and fearlessness to the game.
• The 22-year-old from San Candido, Italy started the year ranked 15th in the world before jumping to fourth as of the end of October.
• The 29-year-old American is now the fifth-ranked player in the world, holding four WTA singles titles and seven doubles titles.

That might firmly establish that he’s got a lower overall ceiling, but he’s got a higher floor, too. The former Texas Longhorns player cracked the top 200 in January, the top 100 in April and the top 50 in September. She beat past French Open champion Jelena Ostapenko at Roland Garros and took Wimbledon champ Marketa Vondrousova to three sets at the US Open. Her serve might limit https://zanzibet.org/bet/ her ceiling, but her return game and groundstrokes are excellent. In all, tennis’ 10 highest-paid players earned an estimated $246 million over the past 12 months. That is well off the record of $343 million from 2020—when the now-retired Federer and Serena Williams accounted for $142 million between them—but the total represents a 26% increase from 2023’s $196 million.

Aston Villa vs. Man United: Erik ten Hag calls for more time

Foot and knee injuries kept her off the tour for nearly two straight years, but in six summer/fall events she managed to beat three top-30 opponents and nearly toppled Elena Rybakina in Montreal. After winning a second straight Australian Open title in January, Sabalenka missed Wimbledon with a shoulder injury, and she chose to skip the Olympics to rest. But she roared back to win this month’s Cincinnati Open, halting Jessica Pegula’s winning streak at the U.S.

Naomi Osaka

But such restrictions could potentially be classed as restraint of trade if a legal challenge were to be launched. Already this season, we have seen proposals for a streamlined “Premium Tour” peter out, while cases of player burn-out proliferate, and matches increasingly extend into the small hours of the morning. Frustration is building within both the men’s and women’s locker rooms. The PTPA’s central point is that the average tennis player remains overworked and underpaid by the standards of global sport. Although the ATP and WTA Tours have staved off the spectre of a LIV-style breakaway, mainly by granting official events to Saudi Arabia, it now seems as though revolution could come from within.

From Swiatek to Medvedev: Who are the top-ranked players taking part in World Tennis League 2024?

The best part of the game is probably how fast it is and watching it live, you can appreciate how good they are. You can follow it on television, but when you’re sitting courtside and trying to follow the ball it’s impossible. I had the chance to try and return one of Novak’s serves and that was impossible. Unusually for the incestuous world of tennis, the 44-year-old Nassar has worked at a high level in other sports, including the NFL. His mentor was David Stern – formerly the commissioner of the US’s biggest basketball league – and he brings Stern’s can-do attitude to his present post.

Men’s Tennis ATP Rankings

Equally noteworthy in the list are the Russian aces, Daniil Medvedev and Andrey Rublev, who are reinventing the game with their tenacious performances. Medvedev’s style of play is a perfect blend of versatility and precision, keeping opponents and spectators on their toes. Rublev, known for his explosive power and hard-shot baseline games, constantly delivers electrifying performances that leave fans in awe. Carrying forward the legacy of German tennis, Alexander Zverev’s intelligent gameplay and clinical finishes make him a formidable force in the circuit. The list wouldn’t be complete without the mention of the tennis maestro Carlos Alcaraz, the ever-dominant Novak Djokovic, and the energetic Jannik Sinner. Alcaraz, the young prodigy, has fascinated fans with his relentless passion and speed on the court.

Former Coronation Street actress, 99, promises to chain herself to grounds over Wimbledon plans

India’s Sumit Nagal, world-ranked 83, will also return to the tournament. Meanwhile, Daniil Medvedev and Andrey Rublev, who were part of the WTL 2023 title-winning team PBG Eagles, will compete again at the competition, along with 2024 US Open runner-up Taylor Fritz, Hubert Hurkacz and Casper Ruud. Protected rankings cannot be used for seeding purposes or Lucky Loser consideration, nor can they be used for a top eight player to qualify for the Nitto ATP Finals. Rankings work on a rolling 52-week period and take into account a player’s best results in 19 tournaments for the ATP and 16 for the WTA.

• The ATP and WTA both use non-competition clauses which limit players’ ability to compete in these independent events away from the tour.
• An avid gamer, Medvedev has partnerships with HyperX gaming headsets and game makers EA Sports and Ubisoft, and he joined the ownership group of esports organization M80 last year.
• His runner-up finish in Melbourne also gave him records for the most sets played at a Grand Slam tournament (31) and the most time spent on court (24 hours 17 minutes).
• A player can gain protected ranking status when physically injured and does not compete in any tennis event for a minimum of six months.

Grand Slam Points Breakdown

Before coming to Forbes, Knight worked in sports and business news as an editor at the New York Times. He graduated from the University of Missouri with degrees in journalism and economics. Follow Knight for deep dives into the dollars driving the sports world.

Current world number one ranked player, Sabalenka has been taking women’s tennis by storm with her powerful and aggressive style of play. The 25-year-old Belarusian is a hard worker with an even harder groundstroke. Sabalenka made it to at least the semi-finals in all four of the Grand Slam appearances in 2023, and is a name you’ll be sure to see at the top of leaderboards time and time again.

• Current world number one ranked player, Sabalenka has been taking women’s tennis by storm with her powerful and aggressive style of play.
• Frances Tiafoe dipped his toe into the ATP top 10 but suffered a major funk at the end of the year.
• Open tune-up and climbing back to No. 2 in the singles rankings.
• She is managing a number of chronic issues and doesn’t play a ton of events, but at worst she should remain a constant bracket-buster candidate in any tournament.
• For now, he is set to play in the Laver Cup in Berlin in September—the team tournament where, incidentally, Roger Federer bade farewell to competitive tennis in 2022.

Latest on Sportstar

• The players’ association founded by Novak Djokovic is weighing up a programme of legal challenges that could reshape the world game.
• Tsitsipas has racked up ten career wins since turning pro in 2016, currently holding a spot as the seventh ranked player in the world.
• Eleven have come on clay, but when he is healthy—a parasite hindered him in the spring, and an illness knocked him out of this month’s tournament in Montreal—Ruud can compete on any surface.
• But she roared back to win this month’s Cincinnati Open, halting Jessica Pegula’s winning streak at the U.S.
• The mission of the site is to allow tennis journalists and fans freedom and creativity in their writing, personal commentary, and out-of-the-box analysis.
• «It’s a weird thing, but I think tennis is different than other sports because of it,» Alcaraz said of their shared commute.
• «They are following in the footsteps of the ‘Big Three’ in terms of level,» Wilander told EuroSport.

Both players and their teams boarded the same private plane from Beijing to Shanghai, to prepare for the Masters 1000 event. Alcaraz improved to 6-4 in his career against Sinner after their 10th meeting in what has become tennis’ top rivalry following the 60 matches between Nadal and Djokovic. Novak Djokovic is the most decorated men’s tennis player in history when it comes to Grand Slams, but he will be chasing a career first in Paris. Draws for the five tennis events at the 2024 Olympics were announced on Thursday, July 25, the day before the Opening Ceremony.

List of World Number 1s from 1973 to 2024

But he’s also only 26, and if his now-lengthy injury history was more bad luck than a sign of things to come, he’s got plenty of time to again establish himself as a top-30 or so presence. He checked that one off at the Australian Open, his second Slam. The ultra-athletic, 6-foot-4 Shelton might have the most upside in the American player pool. The tour adjusted to him in the spring and summer, and he found another gear in the fall. When health, form and motivation all collide, Stephens remains a tough out.

Tsitsipas has racked up ten career wins since turning pro in 2016, currently holding a spot as the seventh ranked player in the world. Coco Gauff captured the attention of the tennis world with her stunning three-set victory over world number one Aryna Sabalenka at the 2023 US Open. Gauff’s finals performance drew more viewers than the men’s championship match and at just 19, the third-ranked American is a newfound leader in the sport. Below is a breakdown of the points awarded to players at ATP 250, 500, 1000, and grand slam tournaments in 2024. A male professional tennis player’s ranking is based on their performance at ATP-sanctioned tournaments over the proceeding 52-week period. The lineup includes six of the top 12 male players and six of the top 10 female players, with 2024 Wimbledon champion Barbora Krejcíkova and women’s doubles Paris 2024 gold medallist Jasmine Paolini making their debut.

Iga Swiatek

The World Tennis League on Friday unveiled a star-studded lineup of players, featuring two Olympic gold medallists and five Grand Slam champions for its third season. The protected ranking gives a player a spot in the rankings determined by the player’s average ATP Rankings position during the first three months of his injury. With 2024 NFL training camps on the horizon, the league’s true insiders made their voices heard.

• Currently the third-ranked player in the world, Daniil Medvedev is one of the most charismatic and outspoken individuals in tennis.
• The petition is issued to the ATP (usually the CEO) and must be received within six months of his last tournament.
• The 24-time Grand Slam champion only has one Olympic medal, claiming bronze at the 2008 Beijing Games.
• The average age of male players in the top 100 is just under 27 years old with Luca Van Assche, Arthur Fils, and Alex Michelsen (19) the youngest players, and Stan Wawrinka (38), the oldest player in the top 100.
• They are calculated by taking a player’s best 19 tournament results to determine their ranking over the preceding 52 weeks.
• «Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner put on such a great, entertaining show. To me, it’s up there with the absolute best sporting events ever.
• Their mental capacity to do that and to be able to stay focused is unreal.
• She played nine matches against top-20 opponents in 2023 and either beat them or took them to three sets five times.

You can see the full ATP Rankings below; you can also search for your favourite player to see their current ranking. While the PTPA has yet to be formally recognised by the tours or the slams, it is increasingly being included in the conversations around the future of the game. And Nassar believes that change is possible, despite the chaotic and internecine struggles that usually pass for tennis politics. If the PTPA decides to bring a case, one sensitive area for both tours is their shared stance on exhibition events, such as the lucrative Six Kings Slam being played in Saudi Arabia in a fortnight’s time.

“The system is so biased against the players, as well as sub-optimal for fans and media partners and other commercial partners,” Nassar explained. “Only yesterday you had Naomi Osaka and Coco Gauff playing in Beijing in what should be a celebrated match, but it’s late in the year and everyone’s already burned out. The ATP and WTA both use non-competition clauses which limit players’ ability to compete in these independent events away from the tour.

Djokovic will face Australia’s Matthew Ebden to begin the tournament, while Nadal will square off against Hungary’s Marton Fucsovics. The world’s top tennis players are getting ready to run it back at Roland-Garros. The official rankings are updated every Monday, except during the middle of Grand Slam tournaments and Miami + Indian Wells.

But he also lost four straight matches at one point during the American summer swing and dropped back out of the top 50. The 6-footer has a slightly less consistent version of Paul’s game, but he can mix it up with just about anyone outside the top 10. Paul made the most of a favorable Australian Open draw to charge to the semis, then pulled off his best win of the season — a three-setter over Carlos Alcaraz — to reach the semifinals in Toronto. He might have the best return game of any American, but at 6-foot-1 his service game isn’t nearly as big.

When 52 weeks have passed since the points were acquired, they are dropped, and new points are added. If you match your performance from 52 weeks ago, you have a net gain/loss of zero points. You’ll gain points if you better your performance, but if you perform worse, you’ll lose points.

Do players such as Pegula, Fritz and Tiafoe still have another level to add to their respective games? Sinner’s rollercoaster year took a dip this month when it was revealed he tested positive for a banned steroid in March and had to forfeit the prize money and ranking points he had earned at the Indian Wells tournament. But the International Tennis Integrity Agency found that the low levels in his system were the result of contamination, and Sinner was not forced to miss any time on tour. While he did sit out the Paris Olympics because of tonsillitis and has been hampered by a hip injury, his season has taken him to new heights as well. Off the court, he picked up endorsements with skincare line La Roche-Posay and De Cecco pasta, alongside existing sponsors like Gucci, Lavazza coffee and Rolex.

Novak Djokovic is the current world number 1 in the ATP rankings, with Novak currently holding the record for most weeks as the No.1 in men’s tennis. As the season draws to a close, the live rankings become more important as they reflect where a player will finish the year in the ATP Rankings. The ATP rankings determine which tournaments a player can enter and their seeding. For example, Carlos Alcaraz is known as the World No. 1 because he sits in first place in the Rankings. Casper Ruud is known as a Top 10 player because he is No. 4 in the Rankings.

Shortly before that, both Wimbledon champion Carlos Alcaraz and British No 1 Jack Draper had separately attacked the sport’s packed schedule, with Alcaraz saying “it’s going to kill us in some way”, and Draper calling the status quo “mental”. «It’s a weird thing, but I think tennis is different than other sports because of it,» Alcaraz said of their shared commute. «Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner put on such a great, entertaining show. To me, it’s up there with the absolute best sporting events ever. The 37-year-old Serbian superstar’s next great rival, 21-year-old Carlos Alcaraz of Spain, has jumped to No. 1 this year with an estimated $42.3 million before taxes and agent’s fees over the last 12 months, dating to the 2023 U.S.