ATP Top 10: First Time Since 2002 Without Federer, Nadal, Djokovic
A monumental shift has occurred in men’s tennis: the ATP top 10 now stands without Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal, or Novak Djokovic for the first time since October 2002. Djokovic’s recent drop from the top 10 following a US Open first-round exit officially closes an unparalleled era of dominance.
Roger Federer, 2002 | © PsNewz
For the first time since October 7, 2002, the ATP top 10 released this week contains none of Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal or Novak Djokovic – closing a run of roughly 24 uninterrupted seasons in which at least one of the three was always among the world’s top 10.
Novak Djokovic, the most decorated of the trio with 24 majors, kept the group’s top-10 streak alive on his own for nearly two more years
The last man standing fell from No. 5 to No. 12 in the rankings published Monday, September 14, 2026. The slide followed a stunning first-round exit at the US Open, where the 39-year-old was beaten by Argentina’s Mariano Navone – Djokovic’s first-ever opening-round loss at Flushing Meadows and his first at any Grand Slam since the 2006 Australian Open. It’s also the first time he has been outside the top 10 since 2018.
Djokovic played the semifinals of the US Open in 2025.
Nadal, who won 22 Grand Slam titles including a record 14 at Roland-Garros, played his last match at the 2024 Davis Cup Finals in Málaga. Roger Federer had stopped his career in 2022.
The last top 10 without any of them, dated October 7, 2002, is a snapshot of a vanished era: 1. Lleyton Hewitt, 2. Tommy Haas, 3. Andre Agassi, 4. Marat Safin, 5. Tim Henman, 6. Juan Carlos Ferrero, 7. Albert Costa, 8. Sébastien Grosjean, 9. Carlos Moyá, 10.
Yevgeny Kafelnikov. Several of those names later coached or crossed paths with the Big Three – Ferrero now coaches Carlos Alcaraz, Moyá coached Nadal, Agassi briefly worked with Djokovic – underlining just how long the trio’s dominance stretched.
What it signals. The vacuum has been filled cleanly by the new order: Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner have taken over the top of the game, and the ranking now reflects a genuine generational handover rather than a transition. Djokovic remains active and could climb back, but at 39 and increasingly selective with his schedule, a sustained return to the top 10 is no longer guaranteed – making this less a blip than a milestone.
