2025 ATP Predictions and Projected High 10
What Occurs to Djokovic, Sinner and Alcaraz
Ring the bells for 2025 ATP Predictions, together with the ATP High 10 and different ideas on the place the game is headed. My odds-and-ends for WTA occasions have been virtually uncanny of their fruition, even when my High 10 was barely off.
Earlier than I stay up for 2025 ATP Predictions, let’s see how I did with my males’s predictions for this previous yr. It is advisable to know if the individual predicting has a shred of credibility, in any case.
What I Obtained Improper
The principle targets I missed concerned selecting gamers to complete High 10 who completed slightly below that. In tennis we name {that a} “good miss.” For instance, I picked Tommy Paul to complete #9. Somebody on X scoffed at me for that choose. However Paul made nice strides in 2024, received Queen’s, completed with a career-high rank of #12 and even had a shot at Turin within the closing days.
Equally, I picked Arthur Fils, Nicolas Jarry and Ben Shelton to complete within the High 10. Maybe a bit too daring, however all these males achieved profession excessive rankings in 2024 and are high quality gamers for whom a future High 10 end is definitely inside attain. Jarry completed #35, and that was in all probability the largest miss. Not egregious on my half, although.
I wrote, “Typically, I believe that is the yr that the younger ones get away and transfer up. My crystal ball says this time subsequent yr reveals a vastly completely different ATP High 10 with a rosy, youthful complexion.” 33-year-old Grigor Dimitrov completed #10. That ruined my prediction, as a result of the typical age of the High 10 truly elevated. I couldn’t be happier. Grigor put within the arduous yards and really a lot deserves his success.
Lastly, I picked Novak Djokovic to complete #1 once more. The GOAT captured his longed-for Olympic Gold Medal, and that was much more necessary for his legacy than one other #1 end.
What I Obtained Right
I picked Djokovic, Carlos Alcaraz, Jannik Sinner, Alexander Zverev and Daniil Medvedev to complete within the High 10. They did. About Zverev, particularly, I wrote, “If he retains serving troubles at bay, he ought to hit his stride when it comes to his profession arc.” Fairly spot-on.
I didn’t choose Stefanos Tsitsipas or Hubert Hurkacz to complete within the High 10. Right there, and Stef goes to wish to make some chess strikes to maintain up with the youthful gamers on his heels. A plan for the backhand, for instance, and perhaps one thing surface-specific.
I didn’t choose Andrey Rublev to complete within the ATP High 10 — whereas he did in reality end #8– he compiled factors the arduous means. Rublev performed 27 tournaments in 2024, together with a grinding 7 post-US Open. Examine that with Casper Ruud, who completed #6 and solely performed 25. And if you would like peak effectivity, Djokovic completed #7 and solely performed 12 tournaments. I believe I used to be proper about Rublev’s trajectory. The very high quality that makes Andrey so nice– his dogged stubbornness– is likely to be retaining him from: (1) addressing his painful, self-directed anger and (2) increasing facets of his taking part in model.
2025 ATP Predictions and Projected High 10
- Jannik Sinner
- Carlos Alcaraz
- Taylor Fritz
- Alexander Zverev
- Ben Shelton
- Casper Ruud
- Daniil Medvedev
- Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard
- Novak Djokovic
- Arthur Fils
In addition to Sinner is taking part in– even within the face of stress and controversy– there’s an honest likelihood he may vie for the calendar Grand Slam in 2025. Don’t wager towards that. His mixture of elite defending and highly effective groundstrokes make him a contender on all surfaces.
Alcaraz nonetheless has magic, power and probably the most full sport in tennis immediately. His problem shall be not overplaying and never chasing legends. A part of me looks like we nonetheless don’t absolutely know who Alcaraz is– each as a participant and an individual. 2025 ought to reveal extra.
Fritz made me look dangerous with my picks final yr. He made the US Open and ATP Finals, reaching new heights. Not like Alcaraz, we began to grasp this participant higher in 2024. His psychological sport is prime flight, and he’s removed from merely a serve-bot. He’s not even High 5 in most serve classes, which suggests he’s discovering different methods to win. Fritz might want to take a scalpel to his schedule to exactly carve out what’s greatest to maintain him recent. He’ll additionally have to press into the entrance court docket extra typically. He’s bought the peak and the psychological openness to do it.
Along with his authorized issues lastly settled, Zverev is free to give attention to his continued upward progress. The whole lot, together with his tour-best serve, is headed in the best course. A Slam may be very potential in 2025.
Shelton is a participant steeped in confidence who had a number of grounding losses late in 2024, together with on the Davis Cup. You may’t argue with Ben’s youth and lefty serve, nevertheless. He at the moment stands at #4 on tour in share of service video games received. It’s arduous to interrupt that serve. I believe he’ll attain extra stability in 2025 as he learns to reel within the errors.
Ruud is the person of regular habits, and that’s a good way to be on this sport. Followers and specialists will promote the 25-year-old Norwegian quick, however his capacity to persistently press forward means he’ll at all times be an element within the ultimate arguments of tournaments. He’s probably the most environment friendly movers on tour.
Don’t sleep on Medvedev. His serve struggles have been nicely documented in 2024, however he’s #2 in share of break factors transformed. He’s served nicely in years previous, so it’s seemingly that harm is dragging him down. Even together with his serve metrics bottoming out, he nonetheless completed High 5. He’s merely a feisty character. I’d by no means dream of pulling him from my High 10.
Mpetshi Perricard brings the thrill together with his otherworldly serve, however he’s among the many tour leaders in share of double faults per match. As soon as that’s tamed, he’ll want to determine what to do about his legal responsibility: The wild one-handed backhand. His forehand will propel him into the ATP High 10, I imagine.
With Andy Murray becoming a member of the crew, I imagine Djokovic will keep his capacity to indicate up and win. I simply don’t assume he’ll play that a lot. Actually we will sit up for some robust runs on the Grand Slams. 2025’s greatest thrill might be discovering how Novak adjustments his tactical sport to remain one chess transfer forward of his youthful rivals.
I’m doubling down on Fils and selecting him for the ATP High 10 once more. He’s an explosive mover, who the ATP counts as #12 on its “below stress” metric. That’s considerably increased than he lands within the conventional serve and return classes, which suggests he performs his very best on the large factors.
The Huge Image
As for miscellaneous 2025 ATP Predictions:
The large controversy over use of various tennis balls will attain a fevered crescendo, however nothing will get carried out about it. The ATP is locked in contracts with its sponsors, and cash guidelines.
Gabriel Diallo will make huge strides and provides Canada huge hope for the longer term.
American males’s tennis will get pleasure from a renaissance in each rankings and high quality not seen in a long time.
A participant in his 20s will unofficially retire, whereas a participant in his 30s who is predicted to retire is not going to.
A tennis energy couple will get engaged. (That would embody 2 gamers and/or a participant and a tennis influencer.)
The nation of Australia will fend off the Saudis and hold its swing and its Slam precisely the place it’s on the calendar, to a lot applause.
Then again, count on the announcement of a big change to the ATP calendar, presumably involving a Masters 1000-level occasion.
Wishing you a peaceable vacation season and blissful 2025, tennis followers.
