A key statistic in the great dominance of both on the ATP Tour
Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz have quickly established themselves at the top of the sport, and one of the main reasons is their performance against the best players in the world.
At the start of the season, only four players since 2000 had earned at least 13 wins against Top 10 opponents in a single season: Novak Djokovic (10x), Roger Federer (10x), Rafael Nadal (4x) and Andy Murray (3x).
Sinner has joined the elite group by earning 14 wins over Top 10 players heading into the final Nitto ATP Finals group stage match against Daniil Medvedev. Alcaraz is close to adding his name to the exclusive list. He must beat Alexander Zverev on Friday.
“It’s good to know so my confidence goes up a little bit,” said Alcaraz, who smiled when told about his 12-4 record against members of the Top 10 this season.
Most wins against members of the Top 10 (2024)
| Players | Record against Top 10 |
% winner against Top 10 |
| 1) Jannik Sinner | 14-5 | 73.7% |
| 2) Carlos Alcaraz | 12-4 | 75% |
| 3) Taylor Fritz | 8-9 | 47.1% |
| 4) Alexei Popyrin | 6-4 | 60% |
| 4) Grigor Dimitrov | 6-5 | 54.5% |
| 4) Alexander Zverev | 6-6 | 50% |
| 4) Daniil Medvedev | 6-8 | 42.9% |
Not only have they won many times against members of the Top 10 this year, but they have been doing so at a historic rate.
According to Infosys ATP Stats, Bjorn Borg holds the record for winning percentage against the Top 10 at 71.1 percent. The Swede is the only player with more than 70 percent.
Alcaraz has won 75 percent of his matches against Top 10 players this year (12-4) and Sinner has emerged victorious in 73.7 percent of his matches against Top 10 players (14-5).
“When you play against the best players, you think you have to play your best tennis. If not, you’re going to lose to them. That helps a lot,” Alcaraz said. “In tennis, what’s really important is the mental game, the way you talk to yourself before matches.”
The Spaniard explained how he puts himself in a different mindset to face the challenge against the best opponents.
“When I go to play against a top-level player, I tell myself that I am better,” Alcaraz said. “I’m going to play my best, give my 100 percent to beat them.”
Sinner’s recovery into the Top 10 helped him rise to No. 1 in the PIF ATP Rankings in June. Entering 2024, the Italian had a 22-27 record when facing the elite group. This year he has a record of 14-5 and all five of his losses came in a deciding set.
Sinner has a 2-0 record in the Ilie Nastase Group and Alcaraz a 1-1 record in the John Newcombe Group, and both are trying to reach the semifinals at the Inalpi Arena. His success the rest of the week in Turin will depend on his efforts against Top 10 opponents.
