Season in Numbers
Spanish tennis star Carlos Alcaraz closed 2025 atop the world rankings after a rollercoaster season that saw him lock horns with Italian Jannik Sinner for the lead, ultimately sealing the year as the world No.1 for the second time in his career (the first was 2022).
At just 22, Alcaraz logged 46 weeks as world No.1, more than fifteen other players combined. He reclaimed the top position from Sinner with a US Open title and has kept it since, save for a single hiccup week.
Alcaraz is the second active player to finish a year at No.1 more than once, joining Novak Djokovic (eight times). The rising star from Murcia collected eight titles this year, leading the tour in trophies and posting the most in a single season in his career.
Alcaraz showed remarkable consistency, reaching as many as nine finals in a row. He won two majors (Roland Garros and the US Open), three Masters 1000 events (Monte Carlo, Rome, Cincinnati), and three 500-level titles (Rotterdam, Queen’s, Tokyo).
Sinner led the year-end rankings from after Roland Garros 2024 until after this year’s US Open, bringing his total weeks at No.1 to 66 when he briefly reclaimed it before the ATP Finals. Alcaraz and Sinner were the only players to hold the No.1 ranking this season.
The year-end race stayed open in Turin, but Alcaraz swept his group-stage matches to seal the lead. The pair met six times this year; Alcaraz won four of six in their head-to-head. Sinner beat the Spaniard this past Sunday in Turin to close the season with a second straight win.
Season Highlights & Notable Numbers
Djokovic ends 2025 inside the top five for the 17th time, breaking the tie with Federer and Nadal. The Serb finished the year fourth in the world, reaching 100 career titles in Geneva and adding his 101st title in Athens on the ATP Tour. Only Jimmy Connors (109) and Roger Federer (103) have more titles in the Open Era.
Alcaraz, Sinner, and Alexander Zverev also finished the year in the top five. Three players finished the year in the top ten for the first time: Lorenzo Musetti, Ben Shelton, and Jack Draper. None had reached the top ten before 2025, but each climbed to sixth or higher during the year.
The year-end list also included Italians in the top ten (Sinner and Musetti) and Americans (Taylor Fritz and Shelton). It is only the second time Italians have finished the year in the top ten (Berrettini and Sinner in 2021).
Two left-handed players were in the top ten: Shelton and Draper. It was the first time more than one left-hander finished the season in the elite group since 2010 (Nadal and Fernando Verdasco). Shelton and Draper both cracked the top five, joining Nadal as the only left-handed players to do so this century, according to ATP stats.
The year-end top ten also featured Italians (Sinner and Musetti) and Americans (Fritz and Shelton). It is only the second time Italians have finished the year in the top ten (Berrettini and Sinner in 2021).
Twelve players climbed at least 100 spots to finish the year in the Top 100: Joao Fonseca, Valentin Fasshiro, Riley Opelka, Valentin Roier, Ethan Quinn, Marin Cilic, Filip Misolic, Emilio Nava, Pablo Carreño Busta, Dalibor Sfercerina, Elliot Spizziri, Shintaro Mochizuki.
Twelve players under 22 finished the year in the Top 100. This is the tenth straight year with at least twelve players under 22 in the Top 100. And 15 Americans finished in the Top 100, the most of any country. France ranked second with 14 players, after leading the tour last year with 12.
Punchlines: Because even the best servers need a laugh, here are two light jests to close the year:
Punchline 1: If my serve were a comedian, it would do stand-up every ace — and occasionally miss the punchline.
Punchline 2: In tennis and life, when you’re No.1, you learn that the only thing that often breaks is the net — the rest just bounces back.
