George W. Bush was president. The Euro currency had just gone into circulation. Tom Brady was coming off the first of his seven Super Bowl titles. And Ronaldo had just led Brazil to the World Cup trophy.
It’s been nearly a quarter century since no member of the Big Three — Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic — appeared in the top 10 of the men’s tennis rankings.
With the 39-year-old Djokovic — the last member of the trio still competing — dropping from No. 5 to No. 12 when the latest rankings were released on Monday, it's the first time since October 2002 that neither him, Federer nor Nadal appear in the first 10 entries of the list.
Federer and Nadal retired in 2022 and 2024, respectively. Federer was 41 when he stopped and Nadal was 38.
Lleyton Hewitt was No. 1 in October 2002 and — in a measure of just how much time has passed — his son, 17-year-old Cruz Hewitt, is now a rising professional.
Djokovic was beaten in the first round of the U.S. Open by Mariano Navone 15 days ago.
It was Djokovic’s earliest Grand Slam exit in two decades — dating back to the 2006 Australian Open — and the first time ever that he lost his opener at the U.S. Open.
“I’ve been very proud of all the achievements in the past, but now is now,” Djokovic said after the loss in New York.
Djokovic’s 24 major titles are two more than Nadal’s 22 and four more than Federer’s 20.
Record ranking runs
Federer made his first appearance in the top 10 later in October 2002 and remained there until the end of 2016 – during which time he had a record run of 237 weeks as No. 1.
Nadal entered the top 10 in April of 2005, during his breakout run as an 18-year-old on Europe’s clay courts. The Spaniard remained there for a record 912 consecutive weeks until 2023.
Djokovic was the last of the Big Three to enter the top 10 in 2007. He's had a record of 428 total weeks at No. 1.
Alcaraz considers taking more breaks
With current top players Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz both missing majors this year due to injury and Alcaraz having said he plans to take more breaks during future seasons, it’s unclear yet if the current generation will have as much staying power as the Big Three.
“I’m proud of the fact that I was able to play from January to November throughout. I never really missed indoor season or Australia or any of the American swings,” Federer said ahead of his induction into the International Tennis Hall of Fame last month.
“I kind of showed up everywhere,” Federer added. “I never really wanted to make it all about the Slams. I remember Pistol (Pete Sampras) talked a lot about how it was Slams only for him toward the end of the career, and I didn’t like the fact that was going to be my case. I liked too many other tournaments and I love the ATP Tour. So from that standpoint, I really tried to keep everything a priority.”
Zverev was the most consistent this year
Already, this year has been quite different from last year in terms of men’s finals at the Grand Slams.
After Sinner and Alcaraz met in three of the four major finals last year, they didn’t meet in any in 2026.
Alcaraz missed the French Open and Wimbledon due to a right wrist injury and Sinner withdrew from the U.S. Open because of a right knee injury.
While both Alcaraz (Australian Open) and Sinner (Wimbledon) won majors this year, the most consistent performer on the men’s side was Alexander Zverev, who won the French Open and the U.S. Open, lost in the Wimbledon final and reached the semifinals in Australia.
Still, Zverev wasn’t about to declare himself the best.
“If everyone is healthy, I think Jannik is still ahead,” Zverev said after beating Ben Shelton for the U.S. Open title on Sunday. “It’s as simple as that.”
In the new rankings, Sinner, Zverev and Alcaraz remained 1-2-3, respectively, while U.S. Open finalist Ben Shelton jumped five spots to No. 4.
Rybakina replaces Sabalenka at No. 1
The picture was a bit clearer on the women’s side, where Elena Rybakina won two of the four Grand Slams this year, at the Australian Open and U.S. Open.
Rybakina’s run in New York enabled her to climb to No. 1 in the rankings, ending Aryna Sabalenka’s 99-week run at the top.
“Her serve is amazing,” Sabalenka said after Rybakina cranked out 12 aces against her in the U.S. Open final. “The way she (is) able to step in and overpower you on court and especially if it’s a U.S. Open court where it’s super fast, definitely huge advantage for her.”
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AP Sports Writer Brian Mahoney in New York contributed to this report.
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