For the First Time Since 2002, the Men's Top 10 Has No Federer, Nadal or Djokovic

The last time the men's top 10 didn't include Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal or Novak Djokovic, the No. 1 player was Lleyton Hewitt. His son Cruz is 17 now and playing on the pro tour himself.

That's how long it had been until Monday, when Djokovic, 39, fell from fifth to 12th in the new rankings. Federer retired in 2022 and Nadal in 2024, so Djokovic was the last one left holding the line.

The drop came after a shock at the US Open, where Mariano Navone beat him in the first round. It was the first time Djokovic had ever lost his opener in New York and his earliest exit at any major since the 2006 Australian Open. He said afterward that he's proud of what he did in the past, but that now is now. He still has the most majors, with 24, to Nadal's 22 and Federer's 20.

Numbers that may last

Federer joined the top 10 in late 2002 and stayed until the end of 2016, with a record 237 straight weeks at No. 1 in there. Nadal arrived in April 2005 and stayed a record 912 weeks in a row, until 2023. Djokovic joined them in 2007 and holds the record for total weeks at No. 1, 428.

It's hard to picture anyone matching that. Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz each missed majors this year with injuries, and Alcaraz has said he wants to take more breaks. Federer said last month, before his Hall of Fame induction, that he was proud he played the whole calendar every year instead of saving himself for the Slams.

The current top three stayed put: Sinner, Alexander Zverev and Alcaraz. Zverev won the French and US Opens this year, though he says a healthy Sinner is still better. US Open finalist Ben Shelton jumped to No. 4. And on the women's side, Elena Rybakina took over No. 1, ending Aryna Sabalenka's 99 straight weeks at the top.