Sep 14 – For nearly a quarter of a century, at least one member of men’s tennis’ celebrated Big Three occupied a place among the world’s top 10. That remarkable run ended on Monday, when Novak Djokovic fell from No. 5 to No. 12 in the latest ATP rankings.
Djokovic, 39, was the final active representative of the generation that included Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal. With Federer retired in 2022 and Nadal stepping away from professional tennis in 2024, Djokovic’s ranking drop means that, for the first time since October 2002, none of the three is inside the top 10.
The timing provides a striking measure of how much the sport has changed. When the Big Three’s uninterrupted presence in the top 10 began, George W. Bush was in the White House, the euro had just entered circulation and Brazil had recently won the 2002 FIFA World Cup. Lleyton Hewitt was the world No. 1.
More than two decades later, Hewitt’s 17-year-old son, Cruz Hewitt, is now beginning his own professional career.
Djokovic’s latest ranking setback follows an unusually early exit from the U.S. Open. He lost in the opening round to Mariano Navone, marking his earliest departure from a Grand Slam tournament since the 2006 Australian Open. It was also the first time Djokovic had lost his opening match at the U.S. Open.
After that defeat, Djokovic acknowledged that his past accomplishments could not change his current position.
“I’ve been very proud of all the achievements in the past, but now is now,” Djokovic said in New York.
The Serbian remains the most successful men’s Grand Slam singles player in history, with 24 major championships. Nadal finished his career with 22, while Federer won 20.
A remarkable run at the top comes to an end
The longevity of Federer, Nadal and Djokovic in the rankings is difficult to match in professional sport.
Federer first entered the ATP top 10 in October 2002. He stayed there continuously until the end of 2016, a period that included 237 weeks as the world’s No. 1 player, an ATP record.
Nadal joined the top 10 in April 2005, shortly before his breakthrough as a teenager on the European clay-court circuit. His stay was even longer. The Spaniard spent 912 consecutive weeks inside the top 10, another record that defined an extraordinary period of consistency.
Djokovic was the last of the trio to break into the top 10, doing so in 2007. His career would eventually include a record 428 weeks at No. 1.
Together, the three players dominated the sport for much of the 2000s, 2010s and into the 2020s. Their rivalry produced dozens of memorable Grand Slam finals and repeatedly forced younger generations of players to compete against extraordinary standards of consistency.
Their departures, however, have occurred at different stages. Federer retired at 41, while Nadal ended his career at 38. Djokovic remains active at 39, but his movement outside the top 10 is another indication that the statistical era associated with the three champions has now reached a significant turning point.
The changing landscape is also visible among the younger stars. Carlos Alcaraz has already spoken about taking more breaks in future seasons, while both he and Jannik Sinner have dealt with injuries during 2026. That has raised questions about whether today’s leading players will maintain the same year-round presence that characterized Federer, Nadal and Djokovic.
Federer himself reflected on that difference before his induction into the International Tennis Hall of Fame last month.
“I kind of showed up everywhere,” Federer said, recalling how he approached his career. He said he never wanted his schedule to become focused only on Grand Slam tournaments because he enjoyed competing across the ATP Tour.
That approach helped define an era in which the leading players routinely remained competitive throughout the entire season.
Zverev takes center stage as Sinner and Alcaraz deal with setbacks
The men’s rankings have undergone a significant change this year, although the top positions still feature familiar names from the current generation.
Sinner, Alexander Zverev and Alcaraz occupy the top three positions in the rankings released Monday, while Ben Shelton moved five places to No. 4 following his run to the U.S. Open final.
Zverev has been the most consistent performer at the Grand Slam tournaments in 2026. He won the French Open and U.S. Open, reached the Wimbledon final and advanced to the Australian Open semifinals.
His U.S. Open victory over Shelton on Sunday gave him his second major championship of the season. Reuters reported that the German defeated Shelton in four sets to claim the title in New York.
Even after such a strong season, Zverev was reluctant to place himself ahead of Sinner.
“If everyone is healthy, I think Jannik is still ahead,” Zverev said after winning the U.S. Open.
The 2026 season has looked considerably different from the previous year. Sinner and Alcaraz met in three of the four Grand Slam finals in 2025, but they did not face each other in a major final this year.
Alcaraz missed the French Open and Wimbledon because of a right wrist injury. Sinner later withdrew from the U.S. Open because of a right knee injury.
Both nevertheless managed to win Grand Slam titles in 2026. Alcaraz captured the Australian Open, while Sinner won Wimbledon.
Their absences have created opportunities for other players, with Zverev making the most of his chances and Shelton emerging as another prominent figure in the men’s game.
Shelton’s appearance in the U.S. Open final also helped push him to a career-high position of No. 4. His rise adds another dimension to a men’s tour increasingly shaped by players who grew up watching the Big Three dominate the sport.
For Djokovic, meanwhile, the immediate challenge is different. He is no longer occupying the ranking position that had been almost synonymous with his name for much of the past two decades.
That does not erase his records, but the latest rankings provide a clear statistical marker of the generational transition now taking place.
Rybakina becomes No. 1 after ending Sabalenka’s reign
The women’s rankings also produced a major change following the conclusion of the U.S. Open.
Elena Rybakina moved to No. 1 after defeating Aryna Sabalenka in the U.S. Open final. The victory completed a season in which Rybakina won two of the four Grand Slam tournaments, adding the New York title to her Australian Open championship.
The WTA reported that Rybakina’s rise made her the 30th woman in the history of the rankings to reach No. 1. Her move to the top also ended Sabalenka’s 99-week run as the world’s highest-ranked player.
Rybakina had already secured the No. 1 ranking by reaching the U.S. Open semifinals, before going on to win the tournament. She then defeated Coco Gauff and Sabalenka in the final two rounds.
The U.S. Open championship was particularly significant because Rybakina had also beaten Sabalenka in the Australian Open final earlier this year. In New York, she won the final 6-4, 5-7, 6-2, finishing the match with her 12th ace.
Sabalenka’s defeat brought her 99-week stay at No. 1 to an end, just one week short of reaching 100 consecutive weeks. She also finished the 2026 Grand Slam season without a major title, after winning three of the four majors in 2025.
Rybakina’s achievement adds another significant change to a tennis landscape that is rapidly moving beyond the names that defined the previous generation.
For men’s tennis, Djokovic’s move to No. 12 is particularly symbolic. Federer and Nadal had already disappeared from the rankings through retirement, leaving Djokovic as the final link to the era that began more than two decades ago.
Now, for the first time since October 2002, the top 10 contains no member of the Big Three. The records they established remain part of tennis history, but the rankings of Monday, offer perhaps the clearest statistical evidence yet that professional tennis has entered a new chapter.