Five players who made biggest jumps in ATP rankings in 2024

Brazilian teen Joao Fonseca has enjoyed the largest jump in ATP rankings.

With the 2024 ATP season now behind us, it is perhaps time to take stock of the major movers and shakers among the men. The depth in men’s tennis means no player can take their position for granted. For the better part of the season, the ATP rankings resembled a revolving door, solidifying only on completion of the season.

The ATP rankings are a tangible yardstick for assessing the pecking order in men’s tennis. The 2024 season witnessed seismic upsets and the ushering in of unexpected players into the spotlight.

Presenting five notable players who have skipped ahead of their peers with biggest jumps in the ATP rankings in 2024. The skyrocketing positions serve as a reflection of their performances.

Jack Draper (No. 61 to No. 15)

While the southpaw from Sutton may have climbed a modest 46 spots in the ATP rankings from No. #61 at the beginning of the year to No. #15 as the curtains fell on the 2024 season, the British player made quite an impression.

Jack Draper became the new British No. #1, taking over from Cameron Norrie. The 22-year-old rose through the ranks thanks to a strong summer. The late-season surge fetched Jack Draper a pair of ATP-level titles in Stuttgart and Vienna. 

Winning the Boss Open in Stuttgart gave the British player his maiden ATP trophy. He also reached the last four at the US Open and earned the prize scalp of World No. #2 Carlos Alcaraz in Queen’s, London.

Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard (No. 205 to No. 31)

Standing at a towering 6’8” and with an overpowering serve, Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard cleared his way through the field to conclude the year as the ATP No. #31. It was a remarkable climb from No. #205 in January 2024. 

Perricard earned a memorable triumph in Lyon on home turf to mark his first ATP-tour victory. After claiming the Open Parc trophy as a wildcard, the Frenchman went on to win the Swiss Indoors Basel while unseeded. The 21-year-old Perricard defeated fourth seed Holger Rune and eighth seed Ben Shelton for the biggest win of his career.

Perricard jumped a not-too-shabby 174 ranking places in 2024.  He also earned his first Grand Slam match win at Wimbledon by taking out Seb Korda in the opener, eventually making it to the round of 16 before losing to Lorenzo Musetti.

Jakub Mensik (No. 167 to No. 48)

Jakub Mensik broke into the top 50 in the ATP rankings to finish the season ranked No. #48. The Czech teen, who was at No. #167 when the season got underway, reached his first ATP Final in Doha. Mensik eliminated Andy Murray and Andrey Rublev from the competition along the way.

On making his first tour final, Mensik broke into the top 100 in the ATP rankings. He followed it up with a quarter-final run at the Shanghai Masters, where he earned a second win of the season against Andrey Rublev and overcame Grigor Dimitrov in the fourth round.

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Kei Nishikori (No. 352 to No. 105)

Japanese veteran and the 2014 US Open runner-up Kei Nishikori landed just outside the top 100 at No. #106 as the 2024 season came to an end. Nishikori made the last eight at two major events in the calendar, the ATP Masters Canada and the Japan Open in Tokyo. 

Nishikori has returned victorious twice at his home event, tasting victory in 2012 and 2014. Winning the Challenger title in Helsinki aided Nishikori in returning from a season-low of No. #576 in August to No. #105 in November.

Joao Fonseca (No. 730 to No. 145)

The rise of Joao Fonseca in 2024 has been nothing less than meteoric. Fonseca, an 18-year-old from Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, has climbed 590 spots since the season got underway. Fonseca had his breakthrough moment on home turf when he beat Arthur Fils and Cristian Garin to make the semi-finals at the Rio Open. He was competing as a wild card in Rio and was ranked No. #655 in the world. 

A quarter-final run in Bucharest was followed shortly after with a first Masters win in Madrid. Fonseca defeated fellow Next Gen player Alex Michelsen in the opening round in the Spanish capital.

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