Who will be the top ten male players in 2025? It’s a question I’ve been asking myself these past few weeks as we’ve seen results, injuries and decisions go against the four players who have dominated the ATP charts this past decade.
So, in order, here are the players who I think will take their place at the top of the tree as the ATP Finals 2025 draw to a close in Turin.
1. Daniil Medvedev (currently 24 years old, world #4)
There’s something about Daniil. He’s got the technique, he’s got the flair but most of all he has the mentality. With that drive comes the desire to improve, to problem solve, that I just don’t see in the similarly talented Zverev, Tsitsipas and Khachanov (who really needs to learn how to volley).
2. Jannik Sinner (19, #37)
The youngest on this list, but ever since he won the Next Gen ATP Finals in 2019 there has been a swagger to the Italian that tells opponents he’s special. While we’ve seen other teenagers fade away in their 20s, Sinner has many of the same attributes as Medvedev.
FUN FACT: Sinner jumped 685 places in 2019, from #763 to #78
3. Dominic Thiem (27, #3)
2020 was a miserable year for most of us, but Thiem has broken into the big time with his first Grand Slam win at the US Open. He and Medvedev look likely to be the players to beat in the early 2020s, and his willingness to keep on improving suggest he’ll be a dominant force for years to come.
4. Stefanos Tsitsipas (22, #6)
You have to keep on reminding yourself that male model Greek star Stefanos is only 22 and thus has many years left to refine his game. I think he’ll be consistently in the top four or five, but in the fire pit of a Grand Slam final I’d pick one of the three players above him in this list.
5. Andrey Rublev (23, #8)
Once he shakes off his grumpy “get out of my room” teenage persona, Rublev’s serve and sheer dogged persistence will win him many big tournaments. He could become even more dominant on quicker surfaces if he overcomes his reluctance to come into the net.
6. Felix Auger-Aliassime (20, #21)
There’s no doubt that Felix has the all-court skills to be a Grand Slam winner – when he’s on fire he’s unstoppable, as Andy Murray discovered in the US Open – but I don’t put him higher up the list because he often seems beatable in a way that others just aren’t. But, like Tsitsipas, he’s young so has plenty of time to grow in stature.
7. Novak Djokovic (33, #1)
The 2025 incarnation of Djokovic won’t reign supreme in the same way as he has throughout this decade, but Novak’s shotmaking, defensive skills, fitness levels and tennis brain mean he’ll still be near the top of the game in his late 30s – just as a certain Swiss 38-year-old is today.
8. Casper Ruud (21, #27)
Something of a dark horse in this list, but Norway’s first ever ATP title winner stalks his way onto the court with a game plan – and tends to deliver. With a 15-4 record on clay in 2020, including that maiden title, the long clay court swing and French Open will keep him rolling in points. And he’s getting better on hard courts too.
9. Alexander Zverev (23, #7)
What’s so impressive about the 6ft 6in Zverev is that his groundstrokes and movement are right up there with smaller and theoretically more nimble players. And that first serve is a force of nature. He’s going to win many ATP 500 tournaments, and a few ATP 1000 titles too, but I fear the “yips” on his second serve will bite in yet more Grand Slam finals.
10. Nick Kyrgios (25, #45)
If Kyrgios could play in front of packed crowds against the greatest players every week then he’d be world number one, but sadly life ain’t like that. While I’ve stuck him at ten in this list, he could equally be at the top of the game or retired by the end of 2025. With a talent like his, let’s hope it’s the former.
UPDATE: What no, Rafa?
Our friends over at Tennishead (you really should check out their subscription deal, which includes £300-worth of tennis kit despite the fact a sub cost £95) asked on Twitter about the absence of Rafa, so here’s a quick explanation.
It’s not just that he’ll be five years older and slower, but that by this time Roger will have retired. (Surely?!) Obviously his rivalry with Djokovic has been equally fierce, but I think Roger’s retirement will send a message to Rafa that it’s time to move on while he’s still at or near the top.
After all, he’s a man with many interests. He’s got golf, his academy, and all the attractions of an island that loves him; I don’t think he’ll be slogging it out in Rome come the summer of 2025.