Beating one of the tennis players in the Top-10 turns out to be a difficult goal. In 2022, the best tennis players in the ATP ranking have a real thorn in their side: a player who has the highest winning percentage against the best tennis players in the world.
The first place is surprisingly occupied by Borna Coric. The Croatian has managed to get his head back up after numerous injuries and will contend for the Comeback Player of the Year award with Stan Wawrinka, Dominic Thiem and Yibing Wu.
Coric has won four of five matches played against the top ten tennis players, (80%) three of which were in Cincinnati. Just at the Western & Southern Open, the native of Zagreb achieved an unexpected success and conquered the first Masters 1000 of his career.
Novak Djokovic, on the other hand, is on the second step of the podium with a percentage of 78.6%. The Serbian champion was unable to take part in two out of four Grand Slams and missed all the American 1000m. That didn’t stop him from setting an 11-3 record.
ATP Top-10 players had a real ‘thorn in the side’ in 2022
The Belgrader is the only one to have reached double figures. The undefeated victory obtained at the ATP Finals was fundamental. Rafael Nadal stopped at 72.7% and took home eight hits out of eleven against the Top 10.
The Mallorcan’s season was characterized by ups and downs and a large number of injuries. In fourth place, tied, are Stan Wawrinka and Ugo Humbert with 66.7% . Both faced a top ten tennis player on the circuit three times and scored two victories.
The Swiss and the French defeated the same opponents, namely Casper Ruud and Daniil Medvedev. Carlos Alcaraz and Holger Rune also ended 2022 with the same percentage of successes against the Top 10 (64.3%). The youngest number one in history and the Dane won nine out of fourteen matches.
Rune, at the Paris-Bercy Masters 1000, became the first tennis player able to stop five top ten players, Hubert Hurkacz, Andrey Rublev, Alcaraz, Felix Auger-Aliassime and Djokovic, in the same tournament since 1973. The last tennis player who closed his year positively against the Top 10 with a percentage of 60% bears tis Nick Kyrgios. The Australian reached his first Grand Slam final against the All England Club last July.
