Melbourne – Thanks to her surprising entry into the Australian Open final, American tennis player Danielle Collins has joined the world’s top ten for the first time.
The 28-year-old moved up 20 places and is now number ten, according to the rankings released on 31 January. Collins had reached her first Grand Slam final in Melbourne, losing in two sets to Australia’s Ashleigh Barty. Barty, the first domestic tournament winner in 44 years, continues to lead the world rankings. Angelique Kerber from Kiel, Germany’s best tennis player, is still ranked number 20 in the world after the Australian Open despite her first-round exit.
Australian Open champion Rafael Nadal remains fifth in the world rankings. The 35-year-old Spaniard had won the Australian Open for the second time and celebrated his 21st Grand Slam title overall. After trailing 0:2 in the first set, Nadal turned around the final against world number two Daniil Medvedev from Russia and won 2:6, 6:7 (5:7), 6:4, 6:4, 7:5.
Nadal thus rose to become the Grand Slam record winner ahead of Serbian world number one Novak Djokovic and Roger Federer. Federer, who is taking a break due to knee problems, slipped another 13 places and is now ranked 30th. Olympic champion Alexander Zverev from Hamburg is still ranked third despite his elimination in the last 16.