Serena out of top 50 in WTA; Rafa moves up
Serena Williams (1061 points) has dropped out of the top 50 in the WTA Rankings for the first time since 2006 (yearly rankings). She has slipped 12 places to finish at the 59th spot. Rafael Nadal has moved one place up to finish at number 5 in the ATP Rankings. He can further improve his ranking with an impressive showing at the Australian Open.
Why does it matter?
With 23 Grand Slam titles under her kitty, Serena is the most decorated tennis player in the Open Era in both men's and women's categories. However, she endured a poor run in 2021, which affected her rankings. She played just six tournaments last year after picking up an injury during her first-round exit at 2021 Wimbledon. She missed US Open with the same injury.
Serena set to drop out of 200 after Australian Open
As per reports, Serena's ranking is set to further dip after the conclusion of the 2022 AO. She is skipping the Melbourne event to nurse her leg injury. Serena missing AO means, she will not collect a single point from the tournament and subsequently lose the 780 points she accumulated last year. It could result in Serena going out of the top 200.
When was last time Serena was out of top 100?
The last time Serena slipped out of 100 (weekly rankings), it was on July 4, 2011, when she was ranked 175. She slipped out of 100 after losing to Marion Bartoli in the last 16 of the Wimbledon Championship on June 27, 2011.
Nadal moves up in ATP Rankings
Nadal started 2022 on a positive note by taking the Melbourne Summer Set trophy home. Thereafter, he hammered world number 66 Marcos Giron 6-1, 6-4, 6-2 to progress to the second round of the Australian Open. Nadal's (4,875) last week activity helped in gaining one place to re-enter the top five. Novak Djokovic (11,015) is leading the chart followed by Daniil Medvedev (8,935).
ATP Rankings: A look at the top 10
Germany's Alexander Zverev (7,970) is occupying the third spot on the table followed by Greek Star Stefanos Tsitsipas (6,540). Russian player Andrey Rublev (4,785) has slipped to sixth place. He is followed by Italy's Matteo Berrettini (4,568), Norway's Casper Ruud (4,155) and Canada's Felix Auger-Aliassime (3,608). Italian tennis player Jannik Sinner is sitting at the tenth spot with 3,390 points under his name.
Ash Barty leads women's chart
Ashleigh Barty is leading the WTA Rankings with 7,111 points. She is followed by Aryna Sabalenka (5,698), Spain's Garbine Muguruza (5,425), Czech's Barbora Krejcikova (5,213), and Karolina Pliskova. Paula Badosa has moved to a career-high sixth ranking after winning the Sydney event. Madison Keys has jumped 36th places to finish at 51st after winning Adelaide International 250. This was her first title since 2019.
