"Carlos Alcaraz, Alexander Zverev & Jannik Sinner have set themselves apart" - Andrea Petkovic laments lack of depth in men's tennis after top-3
Carlos Alcaraz, Alexander Zverev, and Jannik Sinner's exploits in 2024 have prompted Andrea Petkovic to acknowledge the gap that the trio has established between themselves and the rest of the ATP top 10. Petkovic cited the difference between ranking points accrued by the trio throughout the season and those accrued by the ones immediately below them in the ATP Tour rankings.
Sinner, who finished the season as the year-end World No. 1, has 11,830 points. Zverev, the World No. 2, has 7,915 points. Meanwhile, World No. 3 Alcaraz has 7,010 points. However, World No. 4 Taylor Fritz and World No. 5 Daniil Medvedev have 5,100 and 5,030 points respectively. None of the players ranked below Medvedev have touched the 5,000-point mark.
Recently, former WTA World No. 9 Andrea Petkovic assessed the points accrued by the trio of Jannik Sinner, Alexander Zverev, and Carlos Alcaraz in 2024 and how even their nearest rivals are quite far away from them. Petkovic's assessment came during a recent episode of The Rennae Stubbs Tennis Podcast, where she had a candid discussion with Serena Williams' ex-coach Rennae Stubbs.
"I was looking at the top 5 today, and what really stood out to me, so Taylor is No. 4, Daniil Medvedev is No. 5, and they are at 5,000 points, roughly. One is 5,100 and the other is 5,030 or something. Right? And then, Carlos and Zverev, are around 7,000 points and Jannik has almost 12,000. So this is what I'm saying. I do think Carlos, Sascha and Jannik Sinner have set themselves apart from the pack," Petkovic said. (at 22:20)
The German went on to say that the only way for the likes of Fritz and Medvedev to catch up next year is for the likes of Alcaraz and Zverev to falter at the early stages of the Majors. However, Petkovic claimed that it isn't likely for the Spaniard and the German to lose early on at a Grand Slam.
"The points are telling the story because 2,000 points between Carlos and Taylor and Daniil, 2,000 points is winning a Slam tournament and Carlos and Sascha lose first round, which won't happen. That's a big difference," Petkovic added.
Zverev himself though, despite becoming the World No. 2 again after reaching the 2024 Rolex Paris Masters final, claimed that Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz were better than him throughout the year.
"Jannik Sinner had the best year... Carlos Alcaraz had the second-best year" - Alexander Zverev after reaching Rolex Paris Masters 2024 final
Alexander Zverev's fine run to the final of the 2024 Rolex Paris Masters resulted in the German displacing Carlos Alcaraz at the top of the ATP Tour rankings and becoming the new World No. 2. However, this change sparked discussions due to the fact that Alcaraz won two Grand Slams and the BNP Paribas Open in Indian Wells this year, but Zverev himself only had the Italian Open title to show for his efforts up until that point.
At a press conference ahead of the 2024 Rolex Paris Masters final, Zverev confessed that Sinner and Alcaraz had enjoyed better seasons than him based on their respective achievements.
"It's nice, for sure. It's nice to be back at the highest position that I have been so far. Of course I want to get higher, but for me still Jannik has the best year this season, for sure, and then Carlos had the second-best year," Zverev said.
Zverev would eventually go on to win the 2024 Rolex Paris Masters title after a comprehensive win over Ugo Humbert in the final. At the year-end Nitto ATP Finals, the German registered a semifinal finish, with Alcaraz being ousted in the Round Robin phase, and Jannik Sinner ultimately becoming the champion.