The Wimbledon 2016 Championship's will probably be most remembered as the tournament when Dai-Yokozuna (=Great Grand Champion) Serena Williams equalized fellow Dai-Yokozuna Steffi Graf's record of 22 open era grand slams (as a side note, Serena reached this number at age 34, Graf at age 29). For the Yokozuna rankings this is irrelevant: Serena has been a Dai-Yokozuna before Wimbledon and will be thereafter (as does Graf, of course). Put differently: Serena has already achieved all there is to achieve.
For the rankings, the main events are Andy Murray's promotion to the 17th male Yokozuna (= Grand Champion) of the open era, and Angelique Kerber's promotion to the 35th female Ozeki (= Champion) of the open era. We reported about both in separate posts.
Murray has the bad fortune of playing is career in the shadow of three Dai-Yokozuna, Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal (currently inactive) and Novak Djokovic. Arguably as a result, he could make it to Yokozuna only after 44 grand slam tournaments - no other male Yokozuna has been promoted so late in his career. But his 2nd Wimbledon title, following (lost) finals at the 2016 Australian and French Open, finally did it for Murray.
His opponent in the Wimbledon final, Milos Raonic, has Ozeki - or more - written all over him, with his big serve, accurate ground strokes, and increasingly variable attack game (he brought chip-and-charge back to Wimbledon!). But this time he fell still short by one match and remains at Sekiwake (= Junior Champion I). A semifinal at the US Open is now what is required for a Raonic Ozeki promotion.
Elsewhere in the mens' game, Ozeki Stan Wawrinka went out early - to a resurgent ex-Ozeki Juan Martin del Potro - and goes kadoban, i.e. he needs to reach the quarterfinals at the US Open to defend Ozeki rank. Another ex-Ozeki, Tomas Berdych, reached one more grand slam semifinal and joins Raonic at Sekiwake. The Komusubi (= Junior Champion II) ranks are currently deserted, with Berdych moving up and Richard Gasquet and Dominik Thiem moving down.
In the ladies' tournament, Serena Williams outgunned a game Kerber in the final, who well earned her Ozeki promotion, having won the Australian Open earlier this year. As remarkable is that Venus Williams reactivated her Yokozuna status, by reaching her first grand slam semifinal in more than 6 years - while Maria Sharpaova, who is on doping suspension, loses active Yokozuna status.
Simona Halep missed out on an immediate return to Ozeki by one match, losing to Kerber in the quarterfinals, and settles for now at Sekiwake. The ladies' Komusubi ranks are filled by 2016 French Open champion Garbine Muguruza, who went out early, and surprise semifinalist Elena Vesnina. Vesnina thus became the 62nd female Komusubi of the open era.
| Player (career rank if different) | To | From |
|---|---|---|
| Promotions | ||
| Andy Murray | Yokozuna* | Ozeki |
| Angelique Kerber | Ozeki* | Komusubi |
| Tomas Berdych (ex-Ozeki) | Sekiwake | Komusubi |
| Milos Raonic | Sekiwake | Maegashira |
| Elena Vesnina | Komusubi* | Maegashira |
| Demotions | ||
| Garbine Muguruza | Komusubi | Sekiwake |
| Samantha Stosur (ex-Ozeki) | Maegashira | Komusubi |
| Richard Gasquet (ex-Sekiwake) | Maegashira | Komusubi |
| Agnieszka Radwanska (ex-Sekiwake) | Maegashira | Komusubi |
| Dominik Thiem | Maegashira | Komusubi |
| Kiki Bertens | Maegashira | Komusubi |
* New career high
Kinboshi:
("gold star" - prize awarded to a non-sanyaku ranked competitor for beating an active Yokozuna):
- Milos Raonic - for beating Dai-Yokozuna Roger Federer in the semifinal.
- Sam Querry - for beating Dai-Yokozuna Novak Djokovic in round 3.
Other noteworthy developments:
- Venus Williams re-activates her Yokozuna status.
- Maria Sharapova loses active Yokozuna status.
- Ozeki Stan Wawrinka goes kadoban.
- Sekiwake-Ozeki Simona Halep loses rank protection and competes as a regular Sekiwake at the US Open.
