Jannik Sinner’s reign as world No 1 has continued despite his absence from the US Open, but he has a big rival chasing him down in the final weeks of the season in the official ATP Rankings.

Sinner’s injury lay-off has seen the huge lead he had at the top of the rankings chipped away by Alexander Zverev, after the German lifted his first US Open title in New York.

Yet there are alternative versions of the tennis rankings that may provide a more accurate reflection of the current form at the top of the men’s game and in the ATP Race, Zverev is now ahead of Sinner.

While the ATP Rankings are assessed over a 52-week period, the ATP Race tracks form in this calendar year and is the marker used to decide who qualifies for the lucrative end-of-season ATP Finals in Turin.

Zverev’s appearance in the Australian Open semi-final, the Wimbledon final and his wins at the French Open and US Open have cemented his status as the best player in the world in 2026 and that is confirmed as he is now No 1 in the ATP Race.

More Tennis News

Ben Shelton is up to No 3 in that ranking calculation after his run to the US Open final, with Australian Open champion Carlos Alcaraz in at No 4 and Flavio Cobolli at No 5.

The UTR Rating also makes for alarming reading for Novak Djokovic, who is down to No 15 after his first round exit at the US Open.

Djokovic is down to No 12 in the ATP Rankings and ATP Race, but he has sunk even lower in the updated UTR list.

UTR MEN’S RATING

1. Jannik Sinner

2. Carlos Alcaraz

3. Alexander Zverev

4. Arthur Fils

5. Rafael Jodar

6. Ben Shelton

7. Taylor Fritz

8. Felix Auger-Aliassime

9. Frances Tiafoe

10. Sebastian Korda

In the women’s rankings, Elena Rybakina is up to world No 1 after her win against Aryna Sabalenka in the US Open final and she is also dominating the WTA Race for 2026.

Rybakina is over 1,000 points ahead of Sabalenka in the rankings for this calendar year and the picture is even more bleak for Sabalenka in the UTR Ratings.

While the official ATP list is compiled using a 52-week rolling points system, the UTR Ranking is built using an algorithm that reflects results in real time.

Victories against higher-ranked players are worth more in the UTR list than in the official ATP or WTA Ranking, meaning they offer a more accurate reflection of the current form at the top of the game.

Sabalenka’s dip in form over the last few months has seen her slide down the UTR list to a lowly No 6 position.

Eala leads the UTR Rankings, with Coco Gauff in second spot and Elena Svitolina in third.

This list also highlights the impressive form of Alex Eala in recent months, with the Filipina up to No 15 in the UTR list, three places higher than her official WTA ranking.

UTR WOMEN’S RATING

1. Elena Rybakina

2. Coco Gauff

3. Elina Svitolina

4. Iga Swiatek

5. Marta Kostyuk

6. Aryna Sabalenka1

7. Mirra Andreeva

8. Linda Noskova

9. Karolina Muchova1

10. Jessica Pegula

READ NEXT: John McEnroe makes Alexander Zverev world No 1 ranking claim after his US Open victory