2026 ATP General News

[Kieran]

Are you saying that 2018 SW19 Rafa was not going to beat both Novak and Roger.. Even Novak knows open roof he does not win that battle of two days

That’s the truth. And I think Rafa would have won Wimbledon in 2022 if he’d stayed fit. Last time he was “fit” relative to himself, was early in the season, but after that Wimbledon to this day itself, he hasn’t been fit..

 

[lomaha]

Holger Rune has announced his comeback to tennis will be at Denmarks Davis Cup games on 18 og 19 of september...

 

[the AntiPusher]

Holger Rune has announced his comeback to tennis will be at Denmarks Davis Cup games on 18 og 19 of september...

He may regret he did not try Cincy and the USO... This was a gift from Sinner. may not see another one in a while. I guess he was listening to his doctors and team to wait.

 

[PhiEaglesfan712]

That’s the truth. And I think Rafa would have won Wimbledon in 2022 if he’d stayed fit. Last time he was “fit” relative to himself, was early in the season, but after that Wimbledon to this day itself, he hasn’t been fit..

Thing was, Rafa was hurt and got lucky to win the French Open. He really should have lost to FAA (but he let him off the hook... just like he did with Djokovic at Wimbledon this year), but Rafa wasn't going to win Wimbledon in 2022. (Maybe in 2018 or 2019, but even that version still got beat by Federer. He wasn't going to win at SW19 a full 3 years later.) Djokovic was in better shape in 2023, 2024, and 2025 than Rafa was in 2022, and he didn't even win Wimbledon in any one of those years.

Rafa should have skipped Wimbledon and rested up for the US Open. No points were even being awarded at that Wimbledon. If Rafa skipped Wimbledon and just went straight to the US Open, I think he would have had a better chance of winning, and possibly finished the year with the #1 ranking.

 

[the AntiPusher]

Thing was, Rafa was hurt and got lucky to win the French Open. He really should have lost to FAA (but he let him off the hook... just like he did with Djokovic at Wimbledon this year), but Rafa wasn't going to win Wimbledon in 2022. (Maybe in 2018 or 2019, but even that version still got beat by Federer. He wasn't going to win at SW19 a full 3 years later.) Djokovic was in better shape in 2023, 2024, and 2025 than Rafa was in 2022, and he didn't even win Wimbledon in any one of those years.

Rafa should have skipped Wimbledon and rested up for the US Open. No points were even being awarded at that Wimbledon. If Rafa skipped Wimbledon and just went straight to the US Open, I think he would have had a better chance of winning, and possibly finished the year with the #1 ranking.

Saying Rafa was lucky to win RG is like saying if Jordan made it to the NBA championship he was lucky to win the title and become MVP.. Make it make sense!

 

[El Dude]

Saying Rafa was lucky to win RG is like saying if Jordan made it to the NBA championship he was lucky to win the title and become MVP.. Make it make sense!

I think its worse. Basketball is a team sport and as great as Jordan was, he needed a good team around him. Rafa won--and lost--on his own power, and only had his opponent and own body to struggle with.

I know Phi is talking about a specific RG, but part of Rafa's greatness was never giving up and finding a way, whether through pressuring his opponent to mess up or just overwhelming them with a barrage of Rafa-ness. Saying he was "lucky" to win RG 2022 ignores the fact that he beat Novak right after FAA, and blew Ruud off the court in the final.

 

[PhiEaglesfan712]

Don't forget that Rafa lucked out with Zverev getting injured during the semifinal. That one was destined to be a 6+ hour match until Rafa caught the lucky break. Who knows if Zverev stayed healthy and Rafa had to play the entire 5 sets in 6-7 hours, even if he had won, would Rafa's body have given up during the final? (Something to think about since we know that Rafa's body gave out during Wimbledon.)

In any case, Rafa's decision to play Wimbledon was not smart, especially considering they were not awarding points. Rafa should have rested up and give it a better go at the US Open (especially knowing that Novak wasn't allowed to be there). I know there's no guarantee that he would have won the US Open, but he still could have made a deeper run, which would have pretty much sealed his sixth Year End #1.

 

[mrzz]

Don't forget that Rafa lucked out with Zverev getting injured during the semifinal. That one was destined to be a 6+ hour match until Rafa caught the lucky break. Who knows if Zverev stayed healthy and Rafa had to play the entire 5 sets in 6-7 hours, even if he had won, would Rafa's body have given up during the final? (Something to think about since we know that Rafa's body gave out during Wimbledon.)

In any case, Rafa's decision to play Wimbledon was not smart, especially considering they were not awarding points. Rafa should have rested up and give it a better go at the US Open (especially knowing that Novak wasn't allowed to be there). I know there's no guarantee that he would have won the US Open, but he still could have made a deeper run, which would have pretty much sealed his sixth Year End #1.

I hear you, but that is the point with these guys: they go for it. And when they get it, it is exactly this kind of stuff that make them what they are.

 

[lomaha]

He

He may regret he did not try Cincy and the USO... This was a gift from Sinner. may not see another one in a while. I guess he was listening to his doctors and team to wait.

He was training intens with Carlos before the US Open to figure out how his body was doing and they didn't feel he had enough stamina yet.

 

[PhiEaglesfan712]

@El Dude , you probably posted this already, but how many players outside the big 3 had better major seasons than Zverev's 2026? 1 semi, three finals, two titles, lost the semi in the fifth to the eventual champion. Not too shabby...

You don't have to go too far back. Sinner's 2025 was better. He made all 4 finals.

 

[mrzz]

You don't have to go too far back. Sinner's 2025 was better. He made all 4 finals.

I figured Sinner and Alcaraz would be part of the list as well (should have mentioned them as well), but still, apart from them...

 

[El Dude]

@El Dude , you probably posted this already, but how many players outside the big 3 had better major seasons than Zverev's 2026? 1 semi, three finals, two titles, lost the semi in the fifth to the eventual champion. Not too shabby...

Well, that depends upon how you value Slams vs other tournaments. If you look at slams only, and you convert all years to 2026 ATP points, Zverev earned 6100 ATP points from Slams (2x 2000 Wins = 4000, 1 x 1300 Final, 1 x 800 SF = 6100). There aren't a huge number of seasons that are better than that, in terms of Slams only.

But that is really not a great way to assess the greatness of seasons, because for much of the Open Era, the tour wasn't quite as "Slam-centric" as it has been in the last couple decades. John McEnroe's 1984 is without a doubt one the very best seasons of the Open Era, and he only played three Slams, earning 5300 points by today's system. But he was MUCH better than Zverev in 2026. Where Zverev has won no other tournaments, Mac won the Tour Finals, the WCT Finals, five Masters equivalents, four minor titles, and two Davis Cup final wins, with a 96.5 W%.

In my (unpublished) 100 Greatest Seasons list, Zverev's 2026 is currently around #70--very close to Rafa in 2022, which by my accounting was Rafa' 9th best season. But there are still two 500s, two Masters, and the Tour Finals still left to be played, so let's revisit this when the season is done. If he fizzles out and doesn't win anything else, he'll be stuck around #70. But with a strong finish, he could jump into the top 50. A possible comparable season might end up being Agassi's 1999, which I have ranked at #52.

 

[Federberg]

Either way, this Slam title has separated Zverev from guys like Medvedev and even Roddick and Chang, I think. Of two Slam winners, the only one who was clearly greater than Zverev was Ilie Nastase. I'd say Zverev's resume is right there with Smith and Hewitt, and probably better than everyone else (Safin, Rafter, Kafelnikov, Bruguera, Kriek). The surly German is moving up in the world!

not sure he's up there with Hewitt yet, but the rest I largely agree with. Let's not forget how good Hewitt was for a minute. Didn't he straight set Sampras at a US Open final? I applaud Sasha, he's taken advantage of a strange year. I'll remind you he's not beaten Sincaraz once this year. Hewitt was going out and rag dolling Sampras, and doing number 1 things for a while. There's no world in which Zverev has reached that type of level yet. Respectfully

 

[PhiEaglesfan712]

The only argument that guys like Safin or Hewitt had over Zverev was a higher peak. You can even argue that is out the window now that Zverev, in 2026, has had a 1999 Agassi type season. Safin and Hewitt were done as elite players by 25. Zverev's advantage in longevity puts him well ahead of Safin and Hewitt (and I don't even like Zverev at all).

This slam puts Zverev in the Tennis Hall of Fame.

 

[Federberg]

The only argument that guys like Safin or Hewitt had over Zverev was a higher peak. You can even argue that is out the window now that Zverev, in 2026, has had a 1999 Agassi type season. Safin and Hewitt were done as elite players by 25. Zverev's advantage in longevity puts him well ahead of Safin and Hewitt (and I don't even like Zverev at all).

This slam puts Zverev in the Tennis Hall of Fame.

I recall you saying you're quite young. Forgive me if I'm wrong. But were you watching tennis at that time or are you basing your opinion on the data? I can totally see how just looking at the data you might reach that conclusion. But there was a time when Hewitt was a solid entrenched number 1 in the world. Until Sasha does that, I can't see how he can be on the same level. Just my opinion

PS, I get how a lot of players look 'less than' in the shadow of the Big 3, but there have been lions and tigers in the sport through out history. There was a time when Hewitt was one of those. Completely on merit. One could even argue that he was the first of the new breed, superb court speed and footwork. And absolute rock of a backhand. When you watch the tapes now it doesn't look that impressive. But the fact is, Hewitt was THE guy at one point. That can never be taken away from him, and it's sad that a box score 20 years later is used to diminish him. In that moment he was the guy... Sasha has had a great year, but.. we all know things would probably have been very different if Sincaraz was fully active

 

[britbox]

I recall you saying you're quite young. Forgive me if I'm wrong. But were you watching tennis at that time or are you basing your opinion on the data? I can totally see how just looking at the data you might reach that conclusion. But there was a time when Hewitt was a solid entrenched number 1 in the world. Until Sasha does that, I can't see how he can be on the same level. Just my opinion

PS, I get how a lot of players look 'less than' in the shadow of the Big 3, but there have been lions and tigers in the sport through out history. There was a time when Hewitt was one of those. Completely on merit. One could even argue that he was the first of the new breed, superb court speed and footwork. And absolute rock of a backhand. When you watch the tapes now it doesn't look that impressive. But the fact is, Hewitt was THE guy at one point. That can never be taken away from him, and it's sad that a box score 20 years later is used to diminish him. In that moment he was the guy... Sasha has had a great year, but.. we all know things would probably have been very different if Sincaraz was fully active

I agree with the take on Hewitt and I think Safin can probably be added to that category in a slightly different way - higher peak, albeit for a couple of short bursts. But the difference maker is that both could have at one time said I am the best tennis player in the world. I don't think Sascha has scaled that peak. That's not to say I'd put an asterisk against any of his majors - I don't... and he'll probably be a cert for the Hall of Fame based on what he's won anyway.

 

[El Dude]

not sure he's up there with Hewitt yet, but the rest I largely agree with. Let's not forget how good Hewitt was for a minute. Didn't he straight set Sampras at a US Open final? I applaud Sasha, he's taken advantage of a strange year. I'll remind you he's not beaten Sincaraz once this year. Hewitt was going out and rag dolling Sampras, and doing number 1 things for a while. There's no world in which Zverev has reached that type of level yet. Respectfully

I definitely agree that Hewitt had a higher peak. But it depends upon what sort of spans of time to consider, and as with all such conversations, how we choose to balance peak vs career, and also how we weigh "eyeball memory" vs. statistics.

I agree with you that during Hewitt's peak--especially 2001-02--he was a more dominant force on tour. Despite it being a weak period between peak Sampras and the rise of Federer, Hewitt was the best player on tour for a period of time, which is something that Zverev can never claim. Even if he finishes #1 this year, he is clearly a distant third behind Sincaraz. I think whether or not one is the best player on tour at any point in their career is a significant factor in greatness.

Zverev has a longer and, overall, more robust prime. So far he's won big titles over a span of 10 years (hard to believe), from 2017-26. For Hewitt it was just a measly three years (2001-03).

Anyhow, here are their stats:

ZVEREV:
Slams: 2 Wins, 4/7/6 F-SF-QF
Other titles: 2 Tour Finals, 1 Olympics,
Rankings: Best #2; 6 years in top 5, 9 years in top 10
W%: 71%; best 80% (2021, 2026)

HEWITT:
Slams: 2 Wins, 2/4/7 F-SF-QF
Other Titles: 2 Tour Finals, 2 Masters, 2 500s, 22 250s
Rankings: Best #1 (two YE 1), 4 years in top 5, 5 years in top 10
W%: 70%; best: 82% (2001)

 

[mrzz]

Well, that depends upon how you value Slams vs other tournaments. If you look at slams only, and you convert all years to 2026 ATP points, Zverev earned 6100 ATP points from Slams (2x 2000 Wins = 4000, 1 x 1300 Final, 1 x 800 SF = 6100). There aren't a huge number of seasons that are better than that, in terms of Slams only.

But that is really not a great way to assess the greatness of seasons, because for much of the Open Era, the tour wasn't quite as "Slam-centric" as it has been in the last couple decades. John McEnroe's 1984 is without a doubt one the very best seasons of the Open Era, and he only played three Slams, earning 5300 points by today's system. But he was MUCH better than Zverev in 2026. Where Zverev has won no other tournaments, Mac won the Tour Finals, the WCT Finals, five Masters equivalents, four minor titles, and two Davis Cup final wins, with a 96.5 W%.

In my (unpublished) 100 Greatest Seasons list, Zverev's 2026 is currently around #70--very close to Rafa in 2022, which by my accounting was Rafa' 9th best season. But there are still two 500s, two Masters, and the Tour Finals still left to be played, so let's revisit this when the season is done. If he fizzles out and doesn't win anything else, he'll be stuck around #70. But with a strong finish, he could jump into the top 50. A possible comparable season might end up being Agassi's 1999, which I have ranked at #52.

Thanks, but I was actually interested in the "slams only" category, as I figured it was quite a good one. The curious part is that, not too long ago, people would say that Zverev was a choker at majors. Maybe that was true, but, liking the guy or not, the turnaround is remarkable.

Yesterday I checked my 2025 predictions, and there I put that Zverev would be win a major. I was one year ahead, could be worst...

 

[Federberg]

I definitely agree that Hewitt had a higher peak. But it depends upon what sort of spans of time to consider, and as with all such conversations, how we choose to balance peak vs career, and also how we weigh "eyeball memory" vs. statistics.

I agree with you that during Hewitt's peak--especially 2001-02--he was a more dominant force on tour. Despite it being a weak period between peak Sampras and the rise of Federer, Hewitt was the best player on tour for a period of time, which is something that Zverev can never claim. Even if he finishes #1 this year, he is clearly a distant third behind Sincaraz. I think whether or not one is the best player on tour at any point in their career is a significant factor in greatness.

Zverev has a longer and, overall, more robust prime. So far he's won big titles over a span of 10 years (hard to believe), from 2017-26. For Hewitt it was just a measly three years (2001-03).

Anyhow, here are their stats:

ZVEREV:
Slams: 2 Wins, 4/7/6 F-SF-QF
Other titles: 2 Tour Finals, 1 Olympics,
Rankings: Best #2; 6 years in top 5, 9 years in top 10
W%: 71%; best 80% (2021, 2026)

HEWITT:
Slams: 2 Wins, 2/4/7 F-SF-QF
Other Titles: 2 Tour Finals, 2 Masters, 2 500s, 22 250s
Rankings: Best #1 (two YE 1), 4 years in top 5, 5 years in top 10
W%: 70%; best: 82% (2001)

2 year end number ones are a massive separator. We can look at any span we want but that is a big deal. Also winning slams against a GOAT level player is a different type of gravy to Shelton and Cobolli.

All of this makes me sound as if I'm not a Sasha fan. But I am a fan and I've been hugely impressed by what he's done this year. But... let's all calm down. There are levels to this. We can't be disrespecting the likes of Hewitt to exaggerate what Sasha has done in what has, if we're being honest, been a tennis leap year.

 

[Federberg]

2 year end number ones are a massive separator. We can look at any span we want but that is a big deal. Also winning slams against a GOAT level player is a different type of gravy to Shelton and Cobolli.

All of this makes me sound as if I'm not a Sasha fan. But I am a fan and I've been hugely impressed by what he's done this year. But... let's all calm down. There are levels to this. We can't be disrespecting the likes of Hewitt to exaggerate what Sasha has done in what has, if we're being honest, been a tennis leap year.

And let's not forget that his other major win was against David Nalbandian. He beat him like a ginger haired stepchild