At the US Open, as in all Grand Slam tournaments, 2,000 points are up for grabs in the ATP rankings, but not all tennis stars can get the same number of points.

World number one Daniil Medvedev is the reigning champion and can only retain the 2,000 points he earned from last year’s win. At most, he would have 6,885 points if he rose to the top of the tournament.

Casper Ruud was eliminated in the 2nd round of the 2021 US Open and thus retains only 45 points in the rankings. The Norwegian could earn a maximum of 6,650 points if she is to claim a historic Grand Slam win.

If he wins a sensational US Open victory, the Norwegian will certainly become world number one, as long as his opponent in the final is not Rafael Nadal.

Nadal did not participate in last year’s US Open and is the best in the race for first place in the ATP rankings. He would end up with 7,630 points winning the tournament, which he did in his last appearance in 2019.

Apart from Nadal, Medvedev and Ruud, Carlos Alcaraz and Stefanos Tsitsipas could also end up as number one.

Passing Djokovic

Although victory at the US Open and subsequent status as world number one is highly unlikely for Ruud, the Norwegian is almost certain to move up the rankings. The 23-year-old dropped to 7th in the last update, but there are few points separating the top spot.

However, Ruud will overtake Novak Djokovic in the world rankings again, as the Serb will not be allowed to sit at the US Open due to his vaccine refusal. He reached the final a year ago and ended up more than 1,000 points behind Ruud in his next update.

Alexander Zverev also missed out on the tournament following the injury he sustained at Roland-Garros. The German dropped 720 points from last year’s US Open semifinals, but Ruud still has to reach this year’s tournament semifinals to catch up with Zverev.

Semifinals give the best career

The semi-final spot means that Ruud secures at least a 4th place in the ATP rankings and a new best record of his career. That’s because Ruud wants to meet Tsitsipas in the quarter-finals if both succeed.

In Norway’s semifinal spots, Ruud is ahead of Djokovic, Zverev and Tsitsipas, while Medvedev and Alcaraz will therefore have to match the Norwegian to keep him behind in the ATP rankings. Medvedev is on the same side of the scoreboard as Ruud, while Alcaraz and Nadal are on the other side.

The latter will be world number one if he reaches the final, unless there is a final defeat against Medvedev.

Ruud must win the final against anyone other than Nadal, or reach the final with Nadal eliminated before the quarter-finals, to catch up to his idol in the rankings for the first time.

The Norwegian kicks off the first round of today’s Grand Slam tournament against Kyle Edmund.