“I Would Be No. 4”: Andrey Rublev Agrees With Alexander Zverev, Slams ATP’s Revised Ranking System

The ATP uses one of the most sophisticated formulas to determine the rankings of its players. However, German professional Alexander Zverev recently called it a mess. Now, World No. 8 Andrey Rublev has also spoken on this subject.

Last year, the ATP froze the ranking points to combat the ramifications of the coronavirus outbreak. Although this was supposed to help the less-ranked players, it directly affected the top ranks too.

For instance, the 23-year-old Zverev reached the US Open and the Paris Masters final in 2020. Comparatively, Roger Federer only reached the Australian Open semifinals, the only tournament he played in the calendar year.

Even then, the Swiss maestro is ranked sixth in the ATP rankings, whereas Sascha is ranked seventh. Similarly, Andrey Rublev had an incredible season last year but remains in the lower half of the Top 10.

Read More: “A Mess”: Alexander Zverev Slams ATP Rankings After Dropping Below Roger Federer

Andrey Rublev agrees with Alexander Zverev’s ATP rankings criticism

When asked if he agreed with Alexander Zverev, the Russian said, “If we had the normal system, I would be #4 in the world,” Rublev said. “So what do you think is better for me, to be #8 or #4? With the system we have now, for me, it’s much tougher to be #4, so here’s the answer.”

As of March 15, 2021, Rublev has won the ATP Cup with Russia, reached the Australian Open quarterfinals, won the Rotterdam Open, and reached the Qatar Open semifinals. This has earned Rublev 1,260 points, putting him third in the Race to Turin 2021. But due to the ranking points frozen, he hasn’t moved anywhere in the singles ranking since last year.

However, if things run smoothly throughout the year, the ranking system will return to what it was by 2022.

Read More: ATP Race to Turin 2021: Rafael Nadal and Dominic Thiem Far Away From Top 8

Unlike Rublev and Sascha, Medvedev and Tsitsipas rise up in rankings

While some players faced a disadvantage due to the updated rankings system, some created history in the sport. Particularly, Russian Daniil Medvedev entered the Top 2 in ATP rankings, breaking the big four’s reign of 16 years.

Apart from the Russian, the Greek Stefanos Tsitsipas regained his career-high ranking after overtaking the Swiss maestro and becoming the World No. 5. In time, the system will fall into place, and the shortcomings of the update will fade away. Do you agree or disagree with Zverev’s comments on the ATP rankings?

Also Read: “Relieved”: Stefanos Tsitsipas Speaks Out After Overtaking Roger Federer in ATP Rankings