Zverev, Del Potro, Dimitrov Highlight Movers Of 2017

One of the biggest storylines of the 2017 ATP World Tour season was undoubtedly the fresh faces ascending the Emirates ATP Rankings. A new contingent of stars staked their claim with career-highs inside the Top 10, sending a message to the rest of the circuit. Meanwhile, veterans returning from injury rediscovered their elite form in returning to the upper echelons of the game.

Four players made their debut in the Top 10 in 2017: Alexander Zverev, David Goffin, Jack Sock and Pablo Carreno Busta. Zverev and Carreno Busta are the biggest movers to the Top 10, with both rising 20 spots from the start of the season. At age 20, Zverev is the youngest member of the group and is the highest-ranked German since Tommy Haas in 2002, concluding his campaign at No. 4. The first-time qualifier at the Nitto ATP Finals was bolstered by ATP World Tour Masters 1000 crowns in Rome and Montreal. Carreno Busta, meanwhile, soared from No. 30 to No. 10 behind semi-final finishes at the US Open and in Indian Wells.

The German and the Spaniard were two of five players to rise double-digit spots to the Top 10, joining fellow debutant Sock as well as Grigor Dimitrov and Roger Federer. Sock rose 15 spots to No. 8 following his title at the Rolex Paris Masters, while Nitto ATP Finals champion Dimitrov climbed 14 spots to No. 3, three years after first making his Top 10 debut. On the heels of a tour-leading seven titles, Federer impressively returned to No. 2 after falling out of the Top 10 due to injury. He also moved up 14 spots.

In addition, World No. 1 Rafael Nadal is in the top spot to conclude a season for the fourth time. After kicking off 2017 at No. 9, he has made the biggest single-season jump to year-end No. 1 since Andy Roddick went from No. 10 in 2002 to No. 1 in 2003.

Biggest Movers Inside Top 20

While Carreno Busta, Dimitrov, Federer, Sock and Zverev enjoyed significant moves to the Top 10, two players celebrated even bigger ascents to the Top 20. Kevin Anderson soared 53 spots to No. 14 following an injury-plagued 2016 campaign, while Juan Martin del Potro rose 27 places to No. 11. With neither player having Emirates ATP Rankings points to defend in January, both will be in strong position to return to the Top 10 in the early stages of the 2018 season.

The surging #NextGenATP contingent also made great strides in climbing the Emirates ATP Rankings this year. Denis Shapovalov, the ATP Star of Tomorrow presented by Emirates, was also named the Most Improved Player for a reason. The Canadian teen vaulted 199 spots, from No. 250 to No. 51, thanks to a breakthrough semi-final run at the Rogers Cup and Round of 16 finish at the US Open.

Two other #NextGenATP stars also enjoyed moves of at least 100 spots to the Top 100, with Andrey Rublev catapulting 117 positions to No. 39 and Stefanos Tsitsipas rising 120 spots to No. 89. Rublev notched his maiden ATP World Tour title in Umag, while Tsitsipas won his first ATP Challenger tour crown in Genova, Italy, and had a stunning run to the semi-finals at the European Open in Antwerp as a qualifier.

But no list of 2017 Emirates ATP Rankings movers would be complete without Matthew Ebden, Cedrik-Marcel Stebe, Filip Krajinovic and Nicolas Jarry, following their performances on the ATP Challenger Tour. The quartet are the only players to soar at least 200 spots to the Top 100. Stebe and Krajinovic were nominees for the Comeback Player of the Year in the 2017 ATP World Tour Awards presented by Moët & Chandon, while Ebden has risen a whopping 615 spots to No. 80 in his return from knee surgery. Jarry, aged 22, makes his Top 100 debut on Monday after claiming his third title of the season in his comeback from wrist surgery.