ATP rankings update at the start of the 2019 clay court season
By Harry Floyd
Clay court season is kicking off. Let’s take a look around the tour to see how the ATP rankings currently stack up.
Heading into the clay court action, we have some familiar names atop the ATP rankings in men’s singles. Right at the the top is none other than Novak Djokovic. The Serbian has been red hot, winning three straight Grand Slam singles titles. While he is not typically the favorite at the French Open, we ought not discount him this year.
In the world number two position is the King of Clay himself, Rafael Nadal. Rafa has been the dominant player at Roland Garros throughout his entire career.
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The world number one and two are probably no surprise. Nadal’s ability to remain near the top, and possibly overtake Nole, will be dependent upon his health. He rules the clay court season, but he can only do so if his body is up to the task.
In the world number three position in the ATP rankings is rising superstar Alexander Zverev. The young German is due to win another big tournament title after claiming the 2018 ATP Finals in London and Masters 1000 titles in each of the last two seasons on tour.
The world number four is Swiss tennis icon Roger Federer. He could be an interesting pick at the upcoming French Open. Federer is usually one to skip the clay slam, but he’ll be there this time around.
In the world number five ranking in men’s singles is Austrian Dominic Thiem. Each of the top five players right now in the ATP rankings are the top contenders for the title at Roland Garros. Let’s look at the next five in men’s singles. There are several other veteran greats and another rising star on the ATP Tour. In order from six to ten, we have Kei Nishikori, Kevin Anderson, Stefanos Tsitsipas, Juan Martin del Potro, and then John Isner.
So how will the ATP rankings shakeup in the coming weeks? We see most of these names remaining among the top 10 in men’s singles. Several of them could, however, swap places. Some players to watch just outside of the top 10 are Marin Cilic, Karen Khachanov, Milos Raonic, and Gael Monfils among others.