A Perfect Storm of Falling Points
The ATP Tour's rolling 52-week points system means that every week brings gains and losses simultaneously. For the week of October 26, the situation is unusually complicated because players will drop points not only from last year's Vienna Open and Swiss Indoors in Basel, but also from the Paris Masters. The Paris event fell a week earlier in the calendar this year, meaning its points expire during this same window and add to the overall shake-up.
World No. 1 Jannik Sinner faces the steepest drop of anyone. The Italian, who ended his 2026 season early due to a knee injury, will shed 1,500 points after defending his Vienna Open title (500 points) and Paris Masters crown (1,000 points) from last year. That leaves him at around 9,450 points and opens a genuine window for Alexander Zverev to claim the top spot.
Who Wins and Who Survives the Slide
Zverev enters this stretch trailing Sinner by 880 points in the official rankings and will drop a more manageable 730, having been runner-up in Vienna and a semifinalist in Paris twelve months ago. If the German can go deep in Vienna and then follow up in Paris, the No. 1 ranking could finally be his.
Carlos Alcaraz, by contrast, is in an enviable position. Having skipped Vienna and Basel last year and losing early in Paris, he drops just 10 points this week, giving the seven-time Grand Slam champion a golden opportunity to chip away at the gap ahead of him. Ben Shelton drops 250 points after his Basel and Paris results from a year ago.
TennisDraw users have been tracking Zverev closely as one of the most popular picks to claim top ranking before the season ends.
