Carlos Alcaraz may have finished the 2025 season as the world No 1 in the ATP Rankings, but that may not tell the entire story of the balance of power at the top of the men’s game as Jannik Sinner has been put on top of the rankings in the alternative list.
The best two players in the world shared the four Grand Slams between them for a second successive year, with Alcaraz claiming victories in finals against Sinner at the French Open and US Open and Sinner lifting the titles at the Australian Open and at Wimbledon.
The battles between Alcaraz and Sinner are always keenly contested on court, but the updated UTR Ratings suggest Sinner deserves to be recognised as the best player in the world after he finished the season a real high by beating his biggest rival in the championship match at the ATP Finals.
A hamstring injury affected Alcaraz’s movement in the second half of that match in Turin, but Sinner found a way to get over the finishing line and he will head into 2026 eager to reclaim the No 1 spot from the Spaniard.
He will struggle to dislodge Alcaraz in the opening weeks of the New Year as he will not be able to make up ground as he is defending maximum ranking points after winning last year’s Australian Open.
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Sinner will then have a big chance to close in on Alcaraz as he has no ranking points to defend in March and April next year, as he was banned for that period in 2025 due to his doping offence.
Now he has been boosted by seeing his name back at the top of the rankings in the UTR Rating, which reflects current form and is not based over a rolling 52-week ranking calculation.
Victories against higher-ranked players are worth more in the UTR list than the official ATP or WTA Ranking, meaning they offer a more accurate reflection of the current form at the top of the game.
The UTR Rankings are based on the current form from the last few weeks and months rather than reflecting results that occurred up to a year ago, with the system created to promote fair and competitive play across the tennis world.
All players, regardless of age, gender, geography, or skill level, are rated on the same scale between 1.00 and 16.50 based on actual match results.
The UTR Ranking is open to players of all levels of the game and the algorithm used provides an intriguing insight to the current form of the top players in the game. So even if you are a club player, you can appear on the same UTR Rating list as Alcaraz and Sinner.
Updated UTR Ratings
1. Jannik Sinner 16.47
2. Carlos Alcaraz 16.41
3. Novak Djokovic 16.30
4. Jack Draper 16.13
5. Alexander Bublik 16.10
6. Jiri Lehecka 16.03
7. Lorenzo Musetti 16.02
8. Alex De Minaur 16.01
9. Felix Auger-Aliassime 16.01
10. Taylor Fritz 15.98