Jannik Sinner, the former champion, speaks out: “The weakest Top 10 in a long time”

Former British tennis player John Lloyd spoke on the Inside-In Tennis podcast about Alexander Zverev’s victory at the U.S. Open and how it has shifted the balance at the top of the ATP Tour. “It was undoubtedly a major upset. Over the past two years, men’s tennis had been boiling down to a two-man race between Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz.”

The former Australian Open finalist, however, is very skeptical about the current Top 10 in the world rankings: “To be honest, as far as I’m concerned, I’ll be frank: I think the current men’s Top 10 is one of the weakest in recent years. I believe any player outside the Top 10 should think, ‘There’s no reason why I can’t be there.’”

According to Lloyd, the overall level remains high, but only thanks to the top three players: “The Top 10, aside from the top three, is a bit weak; the gap is obvious.”

Fabio Fognini played down Zverev’s success, pointing out Sinner’s absence and the difficulties faced by Alcaraz, who was returning after a four-and-a-half-month layoff, while Boris Becker staunchly defended his compatriot: “I find certain comments unacceptable. What fault does Sascha have if Sinner got injured and if Alcaraz was sidelined for four months? He can only beat the opponents on the other side of the net.” This view was also shared by Patrick Mouratoglou, who noted on LinkedIn how Zverev has managed to persevere for years despite the obstacles posed first by the Big Three and then by the new generation, comparing his career trajectory to that of Stan Wawrinka.