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Novak Djokovic is still the king of the men’s tennis world, at least based on UTR Rating. As evident in the UTR Rating Top 10 men's year-end, younger players are challenging Djokovic (UTR Rating 16.25) for the top spot.
The leading frontrunner against Djokovic? Nick Kyrgios (16.05). Who else checked a goal off their to-do list by finishing inside the Top 10 based on UTR Rating? Let's find out.
Top 10 Men by UTR Rating
No. 1: Novak Djokovic (16.25)
- Titles: Rome, Wimbledon, Tel Aviv, Astana, ATP Finals
- Best win by UTR Rating: Kyrgios (16.05)
With five more titles and more dominant tennis, the 35-year-old Djokovic showed that he's still the best in the men's game. Period. He will especially look back fondly on his seventh Wimbledon crown and his sixth ATP Finals title, which tied Roger Federer’s all-time mark.
Federer, however, retired at the Laver Cup in September, and Djokovic clearly still has plenty of record-breaking tennis remaining. He still has one Grand Slam title to go to tie Rafael Nadal at 22.
No. 2: Nick Kyrgios (16.06)
- Titles: Washington
- Best win by UTR Rating: Daniil Medvedev (16.02)
The 2022 season might just be the year tennis observers look back on as the year Kyrgios started to put it all together. He was more focused on tennis and less bothered by crowd antics, as his on-court results demonstrated. Kyrgios reached his first Grand Slam final at Wimbledon and posted his best showing at the US Open (quarterfinals).
The Wimbledon finalist even qualified for the year-end event in Turin, albeit in doubles. Can Kyrgios finish 2023 at the top of this list? That’s a realistic question heading into the new year.
No 3: Daniil Medvedev (16.03)
- Titles: Vienna, Los Cabos
- Best win by UTR Rating: Novak Djokovic (16.25)
Daniil Medvedev made history by debuting at No. 1 in the ATP Rankings and spending 16 weeks there in 2022. But despite that banner accomplishment, Medvedev is eager to improve in 2023.
“I would expect more from myself,” Medvedev said after his final match of the season. “I’m confident I'm going to be able to do something big in the future. Just need to continue working.”
No. 4: Felix Auger-Aliassime (16.02)
- Titles: Basel, Antwerp, Florence, Rotterdam
- Best win by UTR Rating: Novak Djokovic (16.25)
Felix Auger-Aliassime had the loudspeakers blaring O Canada not once but twice in 2022 as he led his home country to team victories at the ATP Cup to start the year and at Davis Cup to finish. Playing for himself on tour, Auger-Aliassime also had a season worth celebrating.
Before 2022, Auger-Aliassime was 0-8 in tour-level finals. But this year, he went 4-1, helping him secure a spot in the year-end ATP Finals. Auger-Aliassime, who works with Nadal’s uncle and former coach Toni Nadal, also showed his big-match prowess by notching wins against Nadal and Djokovic.
No. 5: Rafael Nadal (16.01)
- Titles: Roland Garros, Acapulco, Australian Open, Melbourne
- Best win by UTR Rating: Novak Djokovic (16.25)
The Spaniard isn’t accustomed to the No. 5 next to his name as the calendar flips to December. But that’s not to say Nadal didn’t have a season anyone else wouldn't have signed up for 12 months ago.
He won his 21st and 22nd Grand Slam titles, including his second Australian Open title and his 14th Roland Garros crown. By triumphing at the Australian Open, Nadal became only the second men’s player (Djokovic) to complete the career Grand Slam twice. The 36-year-old Spaniard also won an ATP Tour title for a record 19th consecutive season.
MORE BELOW: UTR Rating Top 10 6-10
No. 6: Taylor Fritz (15.97)
- Titles: Tokyo, Eastbourne, Indian Wells
- Best win by UTR Rating: Nick Kyrgios (16.06)
If Auger-Aliassime experienced a breakthrough in 2022, Taylor Fritz experienced the same this season, and at an even higher level at times. The 25-year-old American won his first ATP Masters 1000 title, snapping Nadal’s 20-match win streak to start the season in the Indian Wells final.
The big-serving right-hander also reached his first Grand Slam fourth round at the Australian Open and his first major championship quarterfinal at Wimbledon. Fritz previously had been 0-7 in Grand Slam third-round matches.
“Now I'm going to feel a lot better about my tennis, about my game being done for the season off of this performance,” Fritz said after debuting at the ATP Finals.
No. 7: Carlos Alcaraz (15.95)
- Titles: US Open, Madrid, Barcelona, Miami, Rio de Janeiro
- Best win by UTR Rating: Novak Djokovic (16.25)
Spain’s Carlos Alcaraz often was the story of the 2022 season. By winning the US Open, he became the youngest Grand Slam men’s champion since his compatriot Nadal, 19, at the 2005 Roland Garros. The 19-year-old Alcaraz also became the youngest player and first teenager to ascend to No. 1 in history of the ATP Rankings.
Perhaps the most impressive part of Alcaraz’s game? His all-court consistency. His UTR Rating for hard, grass, and clay is the same at 15.94.
No. 8: Stefanos Tsitsipas (15.92)
- Titles: Mallorca, Monte-Carlo
- Best win by UTR Rating: Nick Kyrgios (16.06)
Despite a Top-10 finish in 2022, Tsitsipas’ stock may have cooled a bit this season. He went 2-5 in tour-level finals and failed to reach a major championship title match after pushing Novak Djokovic to five sets in the 2021 Roland Garros final. The Greek is only 24, though, and has the weapons to retool his game to the top 5 and beyond in 2023.
No. 9: Alexander Zverev (15.88)
- Finals: Madrid, Montpellier
- Best win by UTR Rating: Nick Kyrgios (16.06)
Luck was not on Zverev’s side in 2022. A nasty ankle injury robbed him and fans everywhere of his then-in-progress Roland Garros semifinal against Nadal. Zverev tore three ligaments in his right ankle and underwent surgery in June.
Just as he was expected to return to the court in September, a bone edema kept the German out of action for the remainder of the season. Zverev finished without a title in 2022 after leading the ATP Tour in 2021 with six.
No. 10: Holger Rune (15.85)
- Titles: Paris, Stockholm, Munich
- Best win by UTR Rating: Novak Djokovic (16.25)
Holger Rune saved his best for last in 2022. The 19-year-old beat five players inside the Top 10 of the ATP Rankings, including Alcaraz, Auger-Aliassime, and Djokovic, to win his first Masters 1000 title in Paris.
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•UTR Ratings as of 12:00 p.m. EST, December 2, 2022.