BREAKING: AUSTRALIAN OPEN SEEDING AT RISK! CHECK THE NEW 18-TOURNAMENT RANKING RULE NOW
The 2026 ATP season begins with a major rule change. Rankings now count only 18 tournaments, causing points to drop for the Top 10.
The 2026 ATP Tour season kicks off with the United Cup this Friday. Everyone's watching to see what happens in men's tennis this year.
There's a ranking rule change that started late in 2025 that everyone will be dealing with.
Here’s a breakdown of the change and who it's impacting:
What's the New Rule?
Before 2026, a player's ATP ranking could include points from 19 tournaments: the four Grand Slams, the eight mandatory Masters 1000 events, and their next seven best results.
These could be from the Monte Carlo Masters, ATP 500, ATP 250, or Challenger events. Qualifying for the ATP Finals was a bonus.
Now, only 18 events count. Rankings will only include the four Grand Slams, eight mandatory Masters events, and a player's six best results, plus the ATP Finals if they qualify.
Also, the top 30 players only need to play four ATP 500 events, instead of five.
Who's Affected in the Top 10?
This change took place recently, and seven players in the top 10 lost points. Their positions stayed the same this time, except for the players who are stated.
Carlos Alcaraz, Jannik Sinner, and Jack Draper were not affected.
Alexander Zverev lost 50 points, Novak Djokovic dropped 10, Felix Auger-Aliassime lost 55, Taylor Fritz dropped 50, Alex de Minaur lost 55, Lorenzo Musetti dropped 50, and Ben Shelton lost 10 points.
What About the Rest of the Rankings?
The top players are mostly okay, but the further down the rankings you go, the more change you'll see.
In the top 20, Jiri Lehecka is the only one impacted. He lost 10 points and fell to No. 18. Karen Khachanov moved up to 17th.
Luciano Darderi and Tallon Griekspoor switched places and are now ranked 25th and 26th. These were the only changes in the top 30.
Outside the top 30, there were bigger moves.
Jaume Munar jumped three spots to No. 33, and Corentin Moutet moved up to 34th. Brandon Nakashima and Stefanos Tsitsipas each fell two spots.
Now ranked 35th and 36th, Nakashima and Tsitsipas might have a harder time getting seeded for the Australian Open.
Pablo Carreno Busta dropped the most, falling from 89th to 93rd.
IMMEDIATE: SHOCKING DETAILS BEHIND CARLOS ALCARAZ-FERRERO SPLIT; WILL HE JOIN RIVAL JANNIK SINNER
World No. 1 Carlos Alcaraz has shocked tennis by splitting with Juan Carlos Ferrero. Learn the real reason behind the breakup.
Tennis fans were shocked when Carlos Alcaraz and his long-time coach, Juan Carlos Ferrero, split. Ferrero has now said whether they've talked since.
Even though Alcaraz is only 22, his time with Ferrero is one of tennis' best. The 2003 French Open champ started coaching Alcaraz, who was a young, promising player in 2019.
With Ferrero's help, Alcaraz became a superstar and one of the most exciting players to watch. He's won six Grand Slams and finished 2025 as the world's top player, ahead of Jannik Sinner.
The only major title they didn't win together was the Australian Open. Even though it's still a few weeks away, people recently saw Alcaraz's outfit for the 2026 tournament in Melbourne. It's bright and colourful.
Alcaraz had a great 2025, winning two more Grand Slams, so the split was even more surprising. It sounds like disagreements between Ferrero and others close to Alcaraz caused the change.
In an interview, Ferrero answered a question everyone's been asking: Have he and Alcaraz been in touch since they stopped working together?
We haven't talked yet because he needs to relax so he can train. Once things calm down, we'll talk, and everything will be fine.
Ferrero's nice words about Alcaraz suggest they'll talk again. He thinks they can still be friends after all they've achieved.
I've learned a lot from Carlos. He's a kid with amazing charisma. He's always loyal and honest, tells the truth, and works really hard. I'm happy because once things settle, I'm sure we'll keep talking, remembering all the things we did together, and stay friends.
It must be tough for Ferrero not to be coaching Alcaraz after working so hard to make him one of the best. Taking some time before talking to the 22-year-old might also be good for him.
Juan Carlos Ferrero was also asked about coaching Jannik Sinner after splitting from Carlos Alcaraz.
Since 2024, one of Ferrero's main jobs has been helping Alcaraz figure out how to beat Jannik Sinner. Together, they've won every men's singles Grand Slam in the last two seasons.
Now that Ferrero isn't Alcaraz's coach, he was asked if he'd consider joining Sinner's team, which would be a huge change in tennis.
Ferrero didn't say no. Instead, he said he needed time to get used to not coaching Alcaraz. Sinner is still coached by Simone Vagnozzi and Darren Cahill, after Cahill changed his mind about retiring at the end of 2025.
NIKE OR UNIQLO? THE TRUTH BEHIND EMMA RADUCANU’S 2026 SPONSORSHIP SWITCH REVEALED NOW
Emma Raducanu arrives for the 2026 United Cup in Nike gear, silencing Uniqlo rumours. Get the latest on her fitness and schedule.
The tennis world's been buzzing about Emma Raducanu possibly leaving Nike for another brand before the 2026 season.
Word was she was getting ready to sign a big deal with Uniqlo, following in the footsteps of Roger Federer.
If she had dropped Nike, it would have been a shock. They picked her up right before she won the US Open in 2021 and became a global star overnight.
Even though she hasn't won a tournament since that US Open win four years ago, she's still popular, has tons of followers on social media, and everyone's still talking about her.
So, a switch to Uniqlo wouldn't have been totally out of left field. Since her mom is Chinese, the Japanese company might see her as having value for their brand.
But, when she showed up in Perth for the United Cup, she was still rocking Nike gear.
She could still switch to Uniqlo for 2026 since her Nike deal probably lasts until the end of the year. But for now, it looks like she's sticking with her current brand.
Her arrival in Australia also shut down rumors that a foot problem might keep her from starting the season.
She recently told the media she's feeling good about the upcoming season.
I feel solid with where I am at on and off the court. “I’m in a good spot,” Raducanu said.
I'm feeling like I am building back in the gym, to start with.
“I also feel pretty chill about next year, which is sweet. And I’m just proud of the season that I put in this year and the progress I have made.
Next year, I want to play less than I did this year. But I think also just putting fitness into my warm-ups, so it’s not necessarily just my fitness sessions that are separate.
So much has helped, and I think the biggest thing is little and often; just try and add in as much as you can for your overall health.
I think I’ve found peace with myself, and I’m happier with how I’m doing tennis and the team and the environment I have.
That’s the most important thing because it takes so much work to get where we need to be. And just enjoying each day and being healthy is awesome.
Raducanu is about to play her first event representing Great Britain in the United Cup, but Jack Draper won't be joining her since he's still dealing with an arm injury.