Carlos Alcaraz is undeniably one of, if not the best player on the ATP Tour.
Alas, the nature of the ATP rankings system does not always reflect that, and at present he sits third, behind Jannik Sinner and Alexander Zverev.
Spending five months sidelined will certainly not help a situation such as this, and with the Italian having now confirmed his season is over, we are guaranteed to have a brand new player ascend to the apex of the world rankings.
Despite that, it remains to be seen whether Zverev will be able to remain as competitive in 2027, when both these generational talents are back fit and firing again.
Given what Carlos Alcaraz has already exhibited on his return, he could actually enjoy a year of unprecedented dominance.
Carlos Alcaraz leads ATP Tour in key statistic
At last year’s US Open, many revelled in Alcaraz’s new serve, which effectively shot him to the title.
He lost just one set en route to a second triumph in New York, and lost his serve a mere three times. In the final, Sinner could only create a single break point, which he converted, to his credit.
| Stat | Percentage |
| Return Games Won | 32.9% |
| First-Serve Return Pts Won | 35.8% |
| Second-Serve Return Pts Won | 54% |
| Break Pts Converted | 44.4% |
This area of his game remains a strong point, even if it has lost a little bit of power since his return from injury.
However, his return game has arguably reached new heights this season, combining his fine form before his injury with his current run since returning.
In fact, last year Sinner actually led the ATP Tour for percentage of return games won, at 32.63%.
This year, it is Alcaraz who now holds that title, having maintained an average of 31.7% across 2026, which has actually increased to 32.9% since his comeback.
Some pundits continue to suggest that Alcaraz is still not back to his best. If that is the case, it marks a frightening prospect for his rivals in 2027.
Carlos Alcaraz told he has the best forehand on the ATP Tour
With this very real and statistically proven notion, Patrick Mouratoglou offered a more subjective view on who has the best forehand on the ATP Tour.
The famous French coach flitted between plenty of star names, preferring Jakub Mensik to Alexander Zverev before snubbing both for Jack Draper and eventually settling on Joao Fonseca.
Where does Carlos Alcaraz’s forehand rank among the greatest of all time? 🎾
Mouratoglou then picked Casper Ruud’s forehand over Novak Djokovic, before eventually whittling it down to Sinner vs Alcaraz.
“They are very close,” Mouratoglou admitted. “But I would still choose Alcaraz.”
