The National Bank Open, formerly Rogers Cup

Pete’s Power Rankings: Djokovic extends dominance after Wimbledon win

July 13, 2021

Welcome to Pete’s Power Rankings, where we paint a picture of the ATP Tour by looking at recent results and ranking players based on their current form, rather than the ATP’s point system.

The power rankings will be updated weekly all the way up to the National Bank Open.

Forget about the current tour, the question of Novak Djokovic’s dominance is now extending to the history of tennis.

By winning Wimbledon, the Serb tied Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal with 20 Grand Slam singles titles, further solidifying his case for being the greatest men’s player of all time.

It is barely even worth discussing if he is the best player in the world right now. It’s not even in doubt.

But as for the rest of the men, there is some jostling going on as they try to position themselves as the biggest threat to the world number one.

With the tour shifting to hard courts, here are the post-Wimbledon ATP Power Rankings:

PETE’S ATP TOUR POWER RANKINGS – Week of July 12, 2021

1. Novak DjokovicChange: –
2021 Record: 34-3 (4 Titles)Actual Rank: 1Last Week Result: Wimbledon – W

Another Wimbledon title, champion at all three majors so far in 2021, and now co-leader in the men’s all-time Grand Slam singles titles.

What more is there to say about Djokovic’s dominance over the ATP Tour right now?

2. Matteo BerrettiniChange: –
2021 Record: 32-7 (2 Titles)Actual Rank: 8Last Week Result: Wimbledon – F

The Italian made history last week by being the first man from his nation to reach the Wimbledon final. Berrettini went 11-1 during the grass swing and, even though he lost, was competitive in the final against Djokovic and should be bringing confidence and good form to the North American hard courts, where his breakout came back in 2019 at the US Open.

3.Denis ShapovalovChange: +1
2021 Record: 22-14Actual Rank: 10Last Week Result: Wimbledon – SF

If we learned one thing about Shapovalov at Wimbledon, it’s that he is not afraid of the big stage and is capable of bringing his best tennis to big matches.

The young Canadian was arguably the most impressive player at Wimbledon, reaching his first major semi-final by dismantling a series of top-notch opponents, including two on this list, before giving Djokovic all he could handle in the semis.

And now he’s returning to the surface where he has historically played his best tennis.

4.Hubert HurkaczChange: +5
2021 Record: 20-12 (2 Titles)Actual Rank: 11Last Week Result: Wimbledon – SF

A maiden Masters 1000 title and a first major semi-final make for a pretty good season and should make Hurkacz a contender at every event he enters in 2021.

Sure, he lost six matches in a row between those two results, but clearly he prefers the faster surfaces where the rest of the season will be played.

5.Daniil MedvedevChange: +1
2021 Record: 29-8 (2 Titles)Actual Rank: 2Last Week Result: Wimbledon – R4

While a quarter-final and a spot in the last sixteen may be disappointing Slam results for a world number two, given Medvedev’s poor results on clay and meh results on grass in previous years, the Russian should be very happy with how his spring went.

And now he gets to return to the hard courts that he loves. If he played well on his weaker surfaces, he should be in a good position to match, if not better, his results from previous years in North America.

6.Félix Auger-AliassimeChange: -1
2021 Record: 24-14Actual Rank: 15Last Week Result: Wimbledon – QF

The grass season was a huge step forward for 20-year-old Canadian. A final, a win over Roger Federer, and a maiden Slam quarter-final, including an epic win over a Top 10 opponent, certainly make for a successful run.

Auger-Aliassime looks to be picking up steam and confidence and that sense of inevitable success that surrounds him is also growing.

7. Alexander ZverevChange: +1
2021 Record: 27-11 (2 Titles)Actual Rank: 5Last Week Result: Wimbledon – R4

Zverev had a pretty solid run in Europe this spring, but he will be happy to return to the hard courts where he is most comfortable. As a former champion in Canada and last year’s US Open runner-up, he will see the summer as an opportunity to claim some big wins.

8. Andrey RublevChange: -1
2021 Record: 36-11 (1 Title)Actual Rank: 7Last Week Result: Wimbledon – R4

Rublev was solid through the clay and grass swings, but failed to pick up a title, although he did reach a couple of finals. He will also be happy to return to the hard courts where he has reached the quarter-finals or better at every event he has played on the surface in 2021.

9.Roger FedererChange: -6
2021 Record: 9-4Actual Rank: 9Last Week Result: Wimbledon – QF

Hopefully that bagel in the third set of his Wimbledon quarter-final is not the last we see of Roger Federer on Centre Court, but for real this time it feels like the Swiss’ career is approaching its end. His grass results were disappointing and it is hard to see him doing better on hard courts.

But never count Federer out until he is actually finished. He could still pull out some magic and make a run somewhat like Pete Sampras at the 2002 US Open.

10.Karen KhachanovChange: –
2021 Record: 20-15 Actual Rank: 25Last Week Result: Wimbledon – QF

Khachanov has historically done pretty well in Canada and Cincinnati, and to a lesser extent the US Open. Coming off a quarter-final appearance at Wimbledon, his confidence should be high and he has the big-hitting game to do a lot of damage on the hard courts.

11.Stefanos TsitsipasChange: –
2021 Record: 39-10 (2 Titles)Actual Rank: 4Last Week Result: Wimbledon – R1

The Greek will be looking to put a disappointing Wimbledon behind him when he returns to action this week. He is one of the few top players making a stop on the clay in Hamburg before switching to the North American hard courts.

Tsitsipas’ breakout came in the summer of 2018 in Washington and Toronto, and he will be looking to use those events as an opportunity to get back to the winning ways he developed in the first half of 2021.

12.Rafael NadalChange: Return to List
2021 Record: 23-4 (2 Titles)Actual Rank: 3Last Week Result: DNP

We now have a set date for Nadal’s return to the tour, and therefore he returns to the Power Rankings.

Despite withdrawing from the Olympics, the Spaniard is still going to have a busy summer as he will make his debut in Washington before the Masters 1000 events leading into the US Open, where he will have extra competition as he looks to take the Slam title lead.

An under-the-radar story to watch this summer: Nadal will go for his first hard-court three-peat at the National Bank Open.

13.Roberto Bautista AgutChange: –
2021 Record: 23-16Actual Rank: 14Last Week Result: Wimbledon – R4

Bautista Agut was his usual consistent self through the spring, always winning a match or two, but he will certainly be happy to return to the hard courts, where he has already reached a pair of finals and a Masters 1000 semi in 2021.

His Wimbledon campaign ended with a brutal beatdown at the hands of Shapovalov, so he will definitely be looking to move on quickly.

14.Diego SchwartzmanChange: –
2021 Record: 18-12 (1 Title)Actual Rank: 12Last Week Result: Wimbledon – R3

The Argentine is one of the few players who has barely played on hard courts this year, so it is hard to say how he will fare over the summer. He still matched his career-best result at Wimbledon by reaching the third round after not playing any warm-up events, so that’s a good sign.

15.Marin CilicChange: -3
2021 Record: 19-12 (1 Title)Actual Rank: 38Last Week Result: Wimbledon – R3

On the one hand, Cilic is a former US Open and Cincinnati champion. On the other, his hard-court results have not been great for several years now.

There is no question that he has the game to take the racquet out of opponents’ hands, but the 32-year-old has lacked the consistency over recent years.

Off the list:

  • Sebastian Korda (Lost in Wimbledon R4)

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