"Sinner number 1, Djokovic excluded, Fonseca": the incredible AI prediction on the ATP Top 10 2026

A new world number 1, a Djokovic relegated out of the ranking: when artificial intelligence steps into the future of tennis.

© AFP

Arthur Millot

le 25/12/2025 à 18h43

1 min to read

Alcaraz Carlos Auger-Aliassime Felix Cobolli Flavio De Minaur Djokovic Novak Fonseca Joao Mensik Jakub Musetti Lorenzo Shelton Ben Sinner Jannik Zverev Alexander

Asking artificial intelligence about the future has become a common practice.

And that is precisely the experiment conducted by the 'Painting the Lines' project, which fed several AI systems with a mass of data from the most recent ATP season.

The goal was to imagine the ATP Top 10 at the end of the year 2026.

Sinner reclaims the world number 1 spot

According to this projection, Jannik Sinner will be the world number 1 by the end of 2026, ahead of Carlos Alcaraz.

Then, behind this duo, the AI bets on the continued progress of Felix Auger-Aliassime and Ben Shelton, two players with strong potential.

But that's not all, as this top 10 will include two surprises: Jakub Mensik, a promising young player of 21, and Joao Fonseca, a Brazilian gem of only 19 years old.

Djokovic out of the Top 10

Finally, it's an absence that is making the most noise. Indeed, Novak Djokovic does not appear in this 2026 Top 10.

Approaching 39 years old, the Serb should, according to the AI, exit a ranking he has dominated for many years.