Follow us on Google Discover Arthur Rinderknech has enjoyed a solid end to 2025 and proved that he can mix it with some of the game’s top players.
Rinderknech was part of a family affair in the final of the Shanghai Masters, losing to his cousin Valentin Vacherot in an entertaining final.
A tearful Rinderknech hailed Vacherot after losing the ATP Masters 1000 final, and he was beaten by his relative at the recent Paris Masters too.
Rinderknech made tennis history in Paris, and it’s still been a fantastic year on the ATP Tour for the Frenchman.
With his 2025 now at an end, Rinderknech can look back on some good memories, having now achieved something that looked impossible just two months ago.
Photo by Ibrahim Ezzat/NurPhoto via Getty ImagesArthur Rinderknech enjoys meteoric rise in just two months
With Rinderknech losing early in Metz, the French hopes of more ATP success rested with Corentin Moutet, but he’s now suffered an early exit to Australian player Aleksandar Vukic in Athens.
That is good news for Rinderknech because it means that Rinderknech is now guaranteed to finish the season as the French number one.
Having witnessed him in action over the past couple of months, that might not seem too surprising but given how unlikely it looked two months ago, it’s quite spectacular.
Just two months ago, 11 players from France sat ahead of Rinderknech in the world rankings, with the 30-year-old down in 82nd place on the list.
The 11 French players who were above Rinderknech in September 2025
It’s astonishing that Rinderknech has lifted himself to number 29 in the world rankings and he will now be seeded for the Australian Open.
He’s already proved this season he doesn’t get fazed coming up against the top players on the ATP Tour and he will be a dangerous opponent as a seed.
PlayerRankingArthur Fils20Ugo Humbert23Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard37Alexander Muller38Corentin Moutet40Gael Monfils49Benjamin Bonzi51Terance Atmane69Quentin Halys70Adrian Mannarino77Arthur Cazaux79Arthur Rinderknech82Where French players ranked two months ago
The challenge for Rinderknech now is to start being more consistent over the course of a whole year, and if he does that, he could start to reach the business end of more Grand Slams and Masters 1000 events.
Rinderknech is very much the toast of France at the moment when it comes to tennis, and now it’s up to him to remain in the top spot, with his compatriots starting to chase him down.
Vacherot’s rise up the rankings could actually benefit Rinderknech too, and the fact that they’re both pushing each other can only be a good thing for both players.