The Top Grand Slam Players of 2010

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Time for a review of the 2010 grand slam season.

Career-high sanyaku ranks are marked with an "*".

1. Rafael Nadal (Yokozuna, open era rank: 7, SF-W-W-W)

Three slam titles (French, Wimbledon, US), completing a career slam, and only one title away from Dai-Yokozuna (great Grand Champion) status. What can one say more. Oh yes: might have won the Aussie Open as well had he not been injured. Nadal's dominance in 2010 was almost scary.

1. Serena Williams (Dai-Yokozuna, 5, W-QF-W-A)

Remains head and shoulders above the rest of the ladies' field: defended her crowns at the Australian Open and Wimbledon, reached the quarterfinals at her lest-favored slam in Paris, had to sit out the US Open. The queen of women' tennis.

2. Roger Federer (Dai-Yokozuna, 2, W-QF-QF-SF)

It feels like this is the twilight of his career, but what a twilight it is: won the Australian Open for his 16th grand slam title, made it to the quarterfinals everywhere else (and to the semifinals at the US Open). At nearly 30 years of age still able to win anything any day.

2. Vera Zvonareva (Ozeki*, 50, R4-R2-F-F)

Made her career breakthrough in 2010 with back-to-back finals at Wimbledon and the US Open. Lost clearly on both occasions, but she has established herself as part of the elite on the ladies' tour. A first-time ozeki (Champion) promotion has been the result.

3. Novak Djokovic (Ozeki, 31, QF-QF-SF-F)

Showed in 2010 why he has been continously at Ozeki since the US Open 2007: regular quarternfinal participant at the slams, semifinals at Wimbledon, then the down to the wire at the US Open after overcoming his nemesis Federer. Lost to, well, Nadal.

3. Kim Clijsters (Ozeki, 15, R3-A-QF-W)

Missed the early part of the season, came back at Wimbledon. Then peaked again in New York, winnning her third slam by blowing Zvonareva off the court--the same player who had still beaten her at Wimbledon. Now the strongest female Ozeki of the open era.

4. Andy Murray (Komusubi, ex-Sekiwake, 50, F-R4-SF-R3)

His career's jo-jo pattern continued: 2nd grand slam final at the Aussie open, early exit at Roland Garros, semis at Wimbledon, then a tough to watch implosion at Flushing Meadows. Clearly has potential for Ozeki, but consitency at the slams continues to lack.

4. Francesca Schiavone (Sekiwake*, 46, R4-W-R1-QF)

The sensation of the 2010 season: won the French Open at an age of almost 30, after having been an also-ran for most of her career, and eanred a promotion straihgt to Sekiwake (=Junior Champion I). Confirmed at the US Open that her triumph was not a fluke.

5. Tomas Berdych (Ozeki*, 81, R2-SF-F-R1)

Had his breathrough year after having been considered a great talent for some time. Semis at Roland garros, then final in Wimbledon, after eliminating Roger Federer in the quarterfinals. Early exit at the US Open, hence kadoban Ozeki at end-year.

5. Samantha Stosur (Sekiwake*, 68, R4-F-R1-QF)

Established hersef firmly in the world elite in 2010 with a first-time grand slam final in Paris that she lost--somewhat surprisingly--to Schiavone. Reached another quarterfinal in New York, where she gave Clijsters one of the toughest match of the tournament.

6. Robin Soderling (Sekiwake, 57, R1-F-QF-QF)

A well-established threat now, can beat any player any day. Reverse fortune at Roland Garros compared to 2009: then he sensationally beat Nadal but lost to Federer in the final, this time he kicked out the Dai-Yokozuna but then fell to Nadal. Quarterfinals at Wimbledon and the US Open. The "George Foreman of tennis" according to McEnroe.

6. Venus Williams (Yokozuna, 9, QF-R4-QF-SF)

The long-time Yokozuna showed that she is still to be reckoned with. The quarterfinal exit at Wimbledon was perhaps a tad disappointing, but her strong run at the US Open all the way to the semifinals compensated, ending with a nailbiter-loss to Clijsters.

Honorable mention:

Mikhail Youzhny (Komusubi, 104, R3-QF-R2-SF), Jo-Wilfried Tsonga (ex-Sekiwake, 77, SF-R4-QF-A), Justine Henin (Yokozuna, 10, F-R4-R4-A), Caroline Wozniacki (Sekiwake, 67, R4-QF-R4-SF), Na Li (ex-Sekiwake, 86, SF-R3-QF-R1)

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The Top 101 Male and Female Players of the Open Era--Update at end-2010

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Nadal enters the top 10, Clijsters now #15

As the U.S. Open have run their course, bringing the 2010 grand slam season to an end, it is time to re-consider the top 101 list of open era tennis players.

Rafael Nadal (picture) improves from #13 at end-2009 to #7, upon winning three more grand slam titles and completing a career slam. One more major title and Nadal would be not only #6 but also Dai-Yokozuna (great Grand Champion)--the only 6th male player of the open era making it to that level. On the ladies' side, Kim Clijsters moved into the top 20 (#15) and is now the highest ranked female Ozeki (=Champion).

The biggest jup of the year outside Nadal and Clijsters made French Open champion Francesca Schiavone, who was not within the top 100 at end-2009 and is now #45. Slam finalists Novak Djokovic, Andy Murray, Robin Soderling, Tomas Berdych, Vera Zvonareva and Samantha Stosur all made major inroads too.

The top 20 are listed below, the top 101 here.

The Top 20 Male and Female Tennis Players of the Open Era

	Male Players	Highest Rank			Female Players	Highest Rank
1	Rod Laver	Dai-Y		1	Margaret Court	Dai-Y
2	Roger Federer	Dai-Y		2	Steffi Graf	Dai-Y
3	Ken Rosewall	Dai-Y		3	Martina Navratilova	Dai-Y
3	Pete Sampras	Dai-Y		4	Chris Evert	Dai-Y
4	Bjorn Borg	Dai-Y		5	Serena Williams	Dai-Y
6	Ivan Lendl	Y		6	Billie Jean King	Dai-Y
7	Rafael Nadal	Y		7	Monica Seles	Dai-Y
8	Jimmy Connors	Y		8	Evonne Goolagong	Y
9	Andre Agassi	Y		9	Venus Williams	Y
10	John McEnroe	Y		10	Justine Henin	Y
11	Mats Wilander	Y		11	Martina Hingis	Y
12	Boris Becker	Y		12	Arantxa Sanchez-Vicario	Y
13	Stefan Edberg	Y		13	Hana Mandlikova	Y
14	John Newcombe	Y		14	Lindsay Davenport	Y
15	Jim Courier	Y		15	Kim Clijsters	O
16	Guillermo Vilas	O		16	Jennifer Capriati	Y
17	Arthur Ashe	O		17	Ann Haydon-Jones	O
18	Ilie Nastase	O		18	Maria Sharapova	O
19	Lleyton Hewitt	O		19	Virginia Wade	O
20	Marat Safin	O		20	Gabriela Sabatini	O

Kim Shows Again She is a Champion

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Blasting past an overmatched Vera Zvonareva , Kim Clijsters won her third U.S. Open title. Clijsters thus makes it straight back to Ozeki (=Champion) for the third time in career. With three grand slam titles and seven final participants she is now clearly the strongest female Ozeki of the open era. Her career stats are in fact already better than those of Yokozuna (=Grand Champion) Jennifer Capriati, and comparable to those of Lindsay Davenport. One wonders whether a Yokozuna promotion may be still in the cards for Clijsters. A tournament victory down under in January would do it for her, as would two more slams at any venue.

Amidst all the well-justified enthusiasm about the charming Belgian, one should not oversee that Zvonareva earned an Ozeki promotion for herself, owing to back-to-back final participations at Wimbledon--where she lost to Yokozuna Serena Williams, who sat the U.S. Open out injured--and now here at Flushing Meadows. Zvonareva is the 30st female Ozeki of the open era. The last two Ozeki before her, Ana Ivanovic and Dinara Safina, could not hold Champion level following their promotions. One hopes Zvonareva will fare better than them.

The sole participating Yokozuna Venus Williams--apart from Serena also Justine Henin sat the tournament out--did well, reaching her first grand slam semifinal since Wimbledon 2009, where she lost a close encounter to Clijsters. This secures Venus active Yokozuna status for at least another year. By contrast, Elena Dementieva exited in round 4, hence losing Ozeki status for the third time in her career. She will join the other semifinalist (and last-year finalist) Caroline Wozniacki at Sekiwake (=Junior Champion I) rank, as well as the French Open finalists Francesca Schiavone and Samantha Stosur (her 4th round victor), who both made it to the quarterfinals. Kaia Kanepi will complete the Sanyaku lineup as Komusubi (=Junior Champion II)--the first time in Kanepi's young career that she makes it to championship rank. Put precisely, Kanepi is the 56th female Komusubi of the open era.

In the mens' tournament, long-standing Ozeki Novak Djokovic prevented an all-Yokozuna final by beating Roger Federer in five sets. In the final Rafael Nadal is waiting, in a quest to complete a career grand slam. Nadal has looked ferocious thus far at the U.S. Open.