ATP Tour
Why ASICS remains the footwear brand setting the pace in tennis
ASICS continues to lead tennis footwear, with top players trusting its shoes in matches.
In tennis, footwear can shape everything from balance to confidence, and ASICS continues to sit at the forefront of that conversation.
The brand has spent years establishing itself as a leader in the trainer battle, with more and more players choosing its shoes for match play. That presence is reinforced by some of the sport’s biggest names. Novak Djokovic, Taylor Fritz and Jack Draper may be aligned with other clothing companies, but they still step onto court in ASICS shoes when it matters most.
Djokovic’s long-running success in his custom-made ASICS footwear has become a major reference point for the brand. Speaking at an event Tennis365 attended at Wimbledon, he outlined how much work goes into getting every detail right.
“I spend a lot of time with the designers saying what we want until we get the perfect shoe,” said Djokovic.
He added further detail about the process behind his trusted setup:
“We went back and forward and I know I was not easy on the ASICS guys because there was more than a few times that I came up with different models and I didn’t like the small details.
“Everything matters about how you feel on a tennis court. Rackets and shoes are the two most important things we have on a tennis court and I’m really pleased with what we have come up with.
“Speaking to other players who are also using this shoe, they say it is the best they have played in so I am grateful to Rene and the team for being patient and getting us to this point.”
Rene Zandbergen, Senior Manager CPS Footwear and Innovation at ASICS Europe, described the challenge of turning player demands into practical solutions.
“What I always find really interesting is the passion and the desire they all have to get the best shoe when they go onto the court,” said Zandbergen.
The latest ASICS collections were also showcased for the US Open, with Lorenzo Musetti and Arthur Fery among those wearing the brand’s clothes and trainers. In the women’s game, Belinda Bencic and Jasmine Paolini are brand ambassadors.
Taylor Fritz wore the ASICS ‘Night Energy’ collection in New York and praised the support it gave him during night sessions.
Sporting footwear has increasingly become a technical craft, and ASICS remains one of the clearest examples of that shift.
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Zverev closes in on Sinner as rankings picture shifts in 2026
Zverev moves ahead in the ATP Race as Sinner stays No 1 officially after the US Open.
Jannik Sinner remains the official world No 1 despite missing the US Open, but Alexander Zverev has narrowed the gap in the closing stretch of the 2026 season after his New York title.
Sinner’s injury absence has allowed Zverev to chip away at a lead that once looked substantial. The German’s US Open triumph is the latest result to alter the shape of the men’s rankings race, even if the official ATP list still reflects a 52-week system rather than current form.
That is where the ATP Race offers a different view. Built around results from this calendar year, it also decides qualification for the ATP Finals in Turin. In that year-to-date picture, Zverev has moved ahead of Sinner and now stands as No 1.
His season has been underlined by a semi-final appearance at the Australian Open, a place in the Wimbledon final, and victories at the French Open and US Open. Those results have made him the standout performer in 2026 by the race standings.
Ben Shelton’s run to the US Open final has lifted him to No 3 in the ATP Race, with Carlos Alcaraz at No 4 and Flavio Cobolli at No 5.
The UTR Rating presents another variation of the men’s game, and it is not flattering for Novak Djokovic. After his first-round exit at the US Open, he sits at No 15 in that system. He is No 12 in both the ATP Rankings and ATP Race.
UTR MEN’S RATING
1. Jannik Sinner
2. Carlos Alcaraz
3. Alexander Zverev
4. Arthur Fils
5. Rafael Jodar
6. Ben Shelton
7. Taylor Fritz
8. Felix Auger-Aliassime
9. Frances Tiafoe
10. Sebastian Korda
In the women’s game, Elena Rybakina has climbed to world No 1 after beating Aryna Sabalenka in the US Open final, and she also leads the WTA Race for 2026. She is more than 1,000 points clear of Sabalenka in the year-to-date standings.
Rybakina also heads the UTR list, where Sabalenka has dropped to No 6. Alex Eala leads that ranking, with Coco Gauff second and Elina Svitolina third. Eala is listed at No 15, three places higher than her official WTA ranking.
UTR WOMEN’S RATING
1. Elena Rybakina
2. Coco Gauff
3. Elina Svitolina
4. Iga Swiatek
5. Marta Kostyuk
6. Aryna Sabalenka1
7. Mirra Andreeva
8. Linda Noskova
9. Karolina Muchova1
10. Jessica Pegula
ATP Tour
Djokovic slips to No. 12 after US Open setback ends long top-10 run
Djokovic falls to No. 12 after a poor US Open and long top-10 run ends.
Novak Djokovic has dropped to world No. 12 after the US Open, ending a top-10 run that lasted eight years.
The Serbian endured a disappointing Grand Slam, falling in the first round to Mariano Navone in a five-set match. That result came after another early exit on the North American hardcourt swing, with Thiago Agustin Tirante beating him in the opening round of the Cincinnati Open.
Those results have pushed Djokovic further down the ATP Tour rankings, leaving him outside the top 10 for the first time in eight years. The last time he was absent from that group was on July 2, 2018, when injury forced him out of the game’s elite. He was then ranked world No. 21, while Rafael Nadal, Roger Federer, and Alexander Zverev occupied the top three spots.
Djokovic responded quickly on that occasion, winning Wimbledon a few weeks later and climbing back into the top 10. Until this latest drop to No. 12, he had stayed inside the top 10 continuously, a remarkable run that underlined his consistency across the tour.
The development also carries historical weight for the ‘big three’. This is the first time since the 2002 season, when Federer first entered the top 10, that none of Federer, Nadal, or Djokovic are ranked there.
Even so, Djokovic has a clear chance to recover ground before the season ends. He is defending only 600 ranking points from now until the close of the year, and his upcoming China Open appearance offers an opportunity for points, as he did not play there last year.
The only tournament he won in this period last year was the Hellenic Championships in Athens, which returns in November. He also reached the semi finals of the 2025 Shanghai Masters before losing to eventual champion Valentin Vacherot.
Djokovic’s latest ranking setback may prove temporary, with a swift return to the top 10 still well within reach.
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Alcaraz sets out packed finish to 2026 after injury-delayed return
Alcaraz returns to action with a busy late-season schedule after his wrist injury.
Carlos Alcaraz has mapped out the closing stretch of his 2026 season, with seven tournaments added to his schedule for the remainder of the year. Only four of those events will count as official ATP Tour appearances.
The seven-time Grand Slam champion has been limited to seven tournaments so far this season after a right wrist injury interrupted his campaign. He was sidelined for four months and did not return to match play until the US Open, where he reached the quarter-finals before losing in five sets to Ben Shelton.
Before the setback, Alcaraz had already picked up important results. He won the Australian Open and the Qatar Open, and also finished runner-up to Jannik Sinner at the Monte Carlo Masters. His year, however, was badly affected when he injured his wrist at the Barcelona Open. That issue forced him to miss the Madrid Open, Italian Open, French Open, Wimbledon, Canadian Open and Cincinnati Open.
At Flushing Meadows, he was cleared to compete and moved through five matches without any visible effects from the wrist problem. With the injury now said to be fully behind him, the world No. 3 is preparing for a crowded end to the year.
His next stop is the Laver Cup, which will be staged at the O2 Arena in London from 25 to 27 September. He will again feature for Team Europe, alongside newly-crowned US Open champion Alexander Zverev, Flavio Cobolli, Rafael Jodar, Jakub Mensik and Casper Ruud. It will be his third straight appearance in the event, and Team Europe will be aiming to take back the title after Team World’s 15-9 win in San Francisco last year.
Alcaraz then returns to ATP Tour action in Tokyo, where he will defend his Japan Open title from 30 September. He follows that with the Shanghai Masters from 7 to 18 October, a tournament where he will not be defending points after missing last year’s event with an ankle injury.
After that, he is scheduled for the exhibition Six Kings Slam in Riyadh from 21 to 24 October, before the Paris Masters from 2 to 8 November and the ATP Finals in Turin from 15 to 22 November. His final event of the season is likely to be the Davis Cup Finals in Bologna, Italy, provided Spain qualify.
Zverev closes in on Sinner as rankings picture shifts in 2026
Why ASICS remains the footwear brand setting the pace in tennis
Djokovic slips to No. 12 after US Open setback ends long top-10 run
Alcaraz Confronts On‑court Microphones During US Open Practice Ahead of Opelka Match
Raducanu Arrives at US Open With Momentum After Strong Hard‑Court Swing
