Alcaraz finishes as ATP year-end No. 1 ahead of Sinner, Auger-Aliassime at career-high

Carlos Alcaraz's defeat to Jannik Sinner at the 2025 ATP Finals did not stop him from finishing as the year-end No. 1 for the second time.

The Spaniard first achieved that feat as a 19-year-old in 2022. He won his maiden Grand Slam title at that year's US Open and became a worldwide name, now loved by millions of tennis fans.

Novak Djokovic and Sinner were the 2023 and 2024 year-end No. 1s. Alcaraz won Wimbledon in 2023 and two Grand Slams last year, but that was still not enough to finish as the best-ranked player in either season.

Sinner retook the No. 1 ranking before the ATP Finals after title runs in Vienna and Paris. However, the ranking points he was defending from winning last year's year-end championships title gave Alcaraz a chance to overtake him.

The six-time Grand Slam champion achieved that with group stage victories against Alex de Minaur, Taylor Fritz, and Musetti. He needed three sets to overcome Fritz in what was a high-quality battle.

Alcaraz booked his place in the final with a straightforward triumph against Felix Auger-Aliassime before falling 6-7, 5-7 in the title decider. He held a set point in the first set, but was left helpless by a powerful first serve from Sinner.

The Italian had some fortunate moments, including a shanked return landing in on the first of his two successful break points in the second set. Sinner made the most of those moments to secure his second successive title in Turin.

Alexander Zverev's group stage exit at the ATP Finals did not prevent him from finishing as the world No. 3. Losing to Sinner in the 2025 Australian Open final was his most notable achievement this season.

The German may have been overtaken had Novak Djokovic not withdrawn from the ATP Finals. Djokovic had intended to play at the event he has won seven times, but changed his mind after winning a brutal 2025 Athens Open final against Lorenzo Musetti.

Djokovic finished as the world No. 4. That is an exceptional achievement for a 38-year-old who plays a lighter schedule than his rivals. Despite being ranked a spot lower, the 24-time Grand Slam champion is widely viewed as the world's third-best player.

Ben Shelton's disappointing ATP Finals saw him slip four spots to No. 9. The 2025 Canadian Open champion lost all his group-stage matches, despite being viewed as a dark horse before the tournament.

By contrast, Felix Auger-Aliassime is now at a career-high ranking of No. 5. The Canadian's terrific end to 2025, including US Open semifinal and Paris Masters final runs, saw him rise steeply in the rankings.

Taylor Fritz at No. 6, Alex de Minaur at No. 7, Lorenzo Musetti at No. 8, and Jack Draper at No. 10 complete the year-end Top 10. Draper would almost certainly have finished higher had he not been forced to end his season early with an arm injury.

Alexander Bublik at No. 11, Casper Ruud at No. 12, Holger Rune at No. 15, Denis Shapovalov at No. 23, Joao Fonseca at No. 24, and 2025 Shanghai Masters winner Valentin Vacherot at No. 31 are among the other notable points from the ATP year-end rankings.