Weeks ago, Serena Williams’ former coach, Patrick Mouratoglou sparked plenty of debate on social media by claiming the ATP top ten now is stronger compared to ten years ago.
The Frenchman suggested stars among the current crop, such as Ben Shelton, Alexander Zverev and Alex de Minaur are better than the likes of Juan Martin Del Potro, Stan Wawrinka and Tomas Berdych.
His comments were not well-received by many, including Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, who fired back at Mouratoglou.
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Many agreed, however, including Taylor Fritz, with the American claiming there is a ‘big nostalgia factor’ when people say the top ten is weaker nowadays.
Responding to Fritz’s comments, Mouratoglou doubled down on his argument.
Patrick Mouratoglou doubles down on argument about top ten
In a post on Instagram, Mouratoglou said: “What were my points? Tennis is evolving. The next generation is always stronger than the previous ones because tennis is evolving.
“It’s not to diminish the previous generation. It’s just to witness a fact in the history of our sport. And the second idea is that people who react badly or aggressively are just being very nostalgic, which I understand.
“And for some, maybe a little bit bitter. If the new generation is better than the previous ones, it’s because the previous ones established a standard, and the new generation is developing based on this standard to try to push it further.
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“And that’s what’s happening all the time. I just meant that tennis is evolving and that’s throughout the history of our sport.
“It’s constantly progressing, and the new generations are always better than the previous ones.”
The current top ten on the ATP Tour
Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner are currently ranked first and second, respectively, on the ATP Tour, while Novak Djokovic trails behind in third.
In fourth is Zverev, followed by Lorenzo Musetti, who reached a career-high ranking of fifth earlier this year.
De Minaur, Fritz and Felix Auger-Aliassime, though the Canadian has dropped three places from fifth since the start of his 2026 campaign.
Then, Shelton and Alexander Bublik are ranked ninth and 10, with the Kazakh star recently cracking the top ten for the first time.
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