Jannik Sinner may have been the big winner in the richest match in tennis history, but the player he beat in that contest has ousted him from the world No 1 spot in the alternative tennis rankings.

Sinner beat Alcaraz in the deciding match of the Six Kings Slam exhibition in Saudi Arabia, with the Italian claiming a stunning $6million prize cheque from just three days of work on court.

That contest in Riyhad was not an ATP Tour match, so that result will not count towards the official tennis rankings, where Sinner holds a commanding lead over his big rival.

Yet the UTR Rating offers a more vivid snapshot of the current state of play in the men’s game and Alcaraz has taken over as No 1 in that list from Sinner.

The ‘Big 2’ in the men’s game have been swapping placed at the top of the UTR Ratings throughout 2024, with Sinner claiming control in the opening months of the year before Alcaraz struck back.

With the duo collecting two Grand Slam titles each this year, it is hard to separate them and yet Alcaraz has won the three big head-to-head battles they have contested, including a key win in the French Open semi-finals.

Alcaraz’s win against Sinner in a thrilling China Open Final earlier this month will have contributed to the movement in the UTR Rating, with the algorithm used to calculate the rankings based on recent form rather than the year-round calculation of the ATP Ranking.

Victories against higher-ranked played are worth more in the UTR list than the official ATP or WTA Ranking, meaning they offer up a more accurate reflection of the current form at the top of the game.

The UTR Rankings are based on the current form from the last few weeks and months rather than reflecting results that occurred up to a year ago, with the system created to promote fair and competitive play across the tennis world.

All players, regardless of age, gender, geography, or skill level, are rated on the same scale between 1.00 and 16.50 based on actual match results.

The UTR Ranking is open to players of all levels of the game and the algorithm used provides an intriguing insight at the top of the game.

Novak Djokovic is at No 3 in the UTR list, with the 24-time Grand Slam champion among those who have endorsed the algorithm used to produce this rankings list.

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Alexander Zverev is at No 4 in the UTR Rankings, with Alex de Minaur at No 5 and Taylor Fritz at No 6.

The Russian duo Andrey Rublev and Daniil Medvedev are next on the list, with USA’s Tommy Paul at No 9 after his win on the ATP Tour in Stockholm last weekend and US Open semi-finalist Jack Draper sneaking into the top ten.

Sinner’s rise to No 1 in the UTR Rating comes after Fritz suggested the top two players in men’s tennis hit the ball with more venom than the fabled ‘Big 3’ of Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic.

“One thing both of those guys do is… their defence is incredible,” Fritz told the Tennis Channel.

“They don’t really play that much defence. When they are full on the run out in the corners, they just crush the ball.

“I can be in a backhand cross (court) rally with either one of them and if I hit a forehand, it’s got to be so good or else that next ball is getting just drilled huge cross court.

“They just play these lateral baseline points… like we used to see Nadal and Fed and most you saw Nadal and Novak have these long points, corner to corner.

“When Sinner and Alcaraz do it corner to corner, they have these same rallies but I swear they are hitting the ball ten miles an hour faster. It’s just crazy.”

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