Ivan Ljubicic discusses Alcaraz-Sinner race to No.1

Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz are not only the two top favorites in this edition of the US Open, which will begin on Sunday 24 August, but they know very well that the outcome of this tournament will also affect the race for the first position in the ATP rankings.

The 22-year-old Spaniard has a fairly significant advantage over his top rival in the ATP Race, having benefited from the three-month ban that the world No. 1 was a victim of during the spring. The 24-year-old from Sesto Pusteria had to miss several tournaments between February and May, but he still won two Grand Slam titles this season (Australian Open and Wimbledon) and has been at the top of the ATP rankings for over 60 weeks in a row.

Alcaraz-Sinner rivalry continues

The Italian and the Spaniard – who are expressing a much higher level than that of all their rivals – both reached the final at the Cincinnati Masters 1000, but their clash in Ohio lasted only five games because the Italian had to retire due to illness.

This means that the star from Murcia has won the eighth Masters 1000 of his young career and will have the chance to overtake Jannik in the ATP rankings if he lifts his second title at Flushing Meadows. Carlitos already triumphed in the last Major of the season three years ago, while in the last edition he was eliminated already during the first week.

During a long interview with ‘La Gazzetta dello Sport’, former Croatian champion Ivan Ljubicic was asked who he thinks is the favorite to end 2025 as number 1: “Alcaraz has a lead of almost 2,000 points in the race. If he wins the US Open and Sinner loses in the early rounds, it will be difficult for Jannik to recover. But if the Italian loses some points in New York, I still see him as the favorite.

Let’s not forget that the Paris Masters and the ATP Finals, Sinner’s battlegrounds, have 2,500 points up for grabs.”

The most likely hypothesis is that this race will only have its verdict at the Nitto ATP Finals in Turin in November.