The tennis season is heating up as we approach Indian Wells for the first Masters 1000 event of the year. The past several weeks have included shock exits, defaults, and champions. Furthermore, we’re only getting started.
Many of our best players were competing in the two ATP 500s that were held this past week in Acapulco and Dubai. This was a much-needed shake-up for the top 10.
However, with Indian Wells providing a fantastic opportunity for players to climb the rankings, they could not remain there for long.
However, let’s take a look at the most recent Power Rankings before we get too ahead of ourselves and start talking about Indian Wells. Which ATP celebrities moved up or down the top ten? This is my estimation.
Not much has changed with Sinner. Two competitions, two titles, first place. The Italian hopes to make it three wins in a row when he returns to action in Indian Wells, but it may be easier said than done.
With a great showing, though, he should have an excellent chance of maintaining the top spot.
This week in California, the Serb will finally make his comeback after a prolonged absence following the loss in Melbourne.
Few players are a greater threat to Sinner, the five-time Indian Wells champion, so Djokovic will undoubtedly be hoping to return to form with his first title of the year.
Medvedev lost to eventual winner Ugo Humbert in the semifinals in Dubai, which prevented him from moving up to the top two.
The Russian had a decent week overall, but he’ll undoubtedly be searching for more at Indian Wells, and there’s no reason he can’t given his success on hard courts.
Thus far, the Spaniard’s 2024 hasn’t quite gone as planned. For the first time since his breakout, a string of unsatisfactory performances and an injury in Rio have caused people to stop thinking about Alcaraz.
That won’t last long, though, because he will undoubtedly be talking a lot about his Netflix Slam appearance, and as the defending Indian Wells winner, this may be a terrific way to start the season for him.
Relative to his own performance, the German’s hold on fifth place in these rankings actually speaks more volumes about the mistakes made by those below him.
Without that Melbourne semifinal, Zverev might even be staring at the lower half of the top 10. In any other scenario, his disastrous departure in the opening round of Acapulco would have sent him tumbling down the rankings, yet he barely manages to stay in the top five.
Rublev is adored by all, and for good reason. Because of his endearing nature and willingness to let off his emotions, The Russian has amassed one of the largest fan following in the world.
That being said, what transpired in Dubai was unacceptable. It doesn’t really matter if the line judge made the correct decision or not.
It is not a good look for the sport to scream in the face of a line judge, and the default was more than merited in my view.
His previous performances haven’t been fantastic either, so he needs to overcome this and do well at Indian Wells to avoid really risking a slip lower down the top ten.
