Novak Djokovic finishes top of final UTR Rankings for 2023 as Carlos Alcaraz weirdly finishes behind Rafael Nadal

The 36-year-old is often regarded as the greatest player in the history of men’s singles tennis in the Open era, having won as many as 24 Grand Slam titles.

Djokovic had a fabulous year at the highest level where he ended up winning three out of four Grand Slams and his only defeat in a major tournament was in the final at Wimbledon.

So Djokovic finished in 2023 as the number one in the UTR rankings, but what is the Universal Tennis Rating (UTR) exactly?

This amazing system tracks your skill level based on your match results and performance. Whether you are a beginner with a UTR of 1 or a pro like Rafael Nadal above 16, you can always improve your game and challenge yourself with UTR. UTR is dynamic and responsive, meaning it changes with every match you play. It takes into account who you play against, how well they play, and how close the match is. Plus, it doesn't matter if you are male or female, UTR is the same for everyone. You can join tournaments with players of different genders and ages, and boost your rating by competing with them.

However, on that UTR ranking, surprisingly, the number two on the list is Italy’s young tennis star Jannik Sinner.

The 22-year-old had a fabulous year where he not only won four ATP titles including a Masters event in Canada but also went on to play in the final of the ATP Finals in his home country where he lost to the current world number one player.

Other than that, Sinner also played a huge role in helping Italy in securing their first Davis Cup title in more than four decades. While doing that, he also joined the elite list of players who managed to defeat Djokovic twice in the space of one week.

More surprisingly, the only other Grand Slam winner in 2023 — Spain’s Carlos Alcaraz — finished behind the former world number one Rafael Nadal who has not played any tennis from the last 10 months.