Sunday, July 15, 2018

The 2018 Wimbledon Tournament: Promotions, Demotions, and Other Stats

2018 Wimbledon Winners:
  • Novak Djokovic (Dai-Yokozuna)
  • Angelique Kerber (Sekiwake, ex-Ozeki)

New Career Sanyaku Rank:

    Sanyaku Rank Changes
    Player (career rank if different) To From
    Promotions
    Angelique Kerber Ozeki Sekiwake
    Jelena Ostapenko (ex-Ozeki) Sekiwake Komusubi
    Kevin Anderson Sekiwake Maegashira
    John IsnerKomusubi Maegashira
    Daria KasatkinaKomusubi Maegashira
    Julia GörgesKomusubi Maegashira
    Demotions
    Karolina PliskovaSekiwake Ozeki
    Dominik ThiemKomusubi Sekiwake
    Marco CecchinatoMaegashira Komusubi
    Diego SchwartzmanMaegashira Komusubi
    Caroline Wozniacki (ex-Sekiwake)Maegashira Komusubi

    Kinboshi:
    ("gold star" - prize awarded to a non-sanyaku ranked competitor for beating an active Yokozuna):
    • Kevin Anderson - for beating Dai-Yokozuna Roger Federer in the quarterfinals.
    • Kiki Bertens - for beating Yokozuna Venus Williams in round 3.

    Other noteworthy developments:
      Ozeki Marin Cilic, Simona Halep, Sloane Stephens, Garbine Muruguza and Madison Keys all exit early and go kadoban - an Ozeki massacre. They need to reach the quarterfinals at the US Open to preserve Ozeki rank.
    • Karolina Pliskova also lost early and gets demoted to Sekiwake. She still enjoys limited rank protection: a semifinal at the US Open would bring her back to Ozeki.
    • Ex-Ozeki Juan Martin del Potro holds Sekiwake rank with a quarterfinal participation.

Sanyaku ranks Following the 2018 Wimbledon Tournament

Men
Career rank 1/ East Current Rank West Career rank 1/
High Sanyaku (Senior Champion Ranks)
Dai-Y Novak Djokovic Y1 Rafael NadalDai-Y
Dai-Y Roger Federer Y2 --
O Marin Cilic (k) O --
Lower Sanyaku (Junior Champion Ranks)
O Juan Martin del Potro S Kevin AndersonS
S Dominic Thiem K John IsnerK


Women
Career rank 1/ East Current Rank West Career rank 1/
High Sanyaku (Senior Champion Ranks)
Dai-Y Serena Williams Y Venus WilliamsY
O Angelique Kerber O1 Simona Halep (k)O
O Sloane Stephens (k) O2 Garbine Muguruza (k)O
O Madison Keys (k) O3 --
Lower Sanyaku (Junior Champion Ranks)
O Karolina Pliskova (o) S Jelena OstapenkoO
K Daria Kasatkina K Julia Görges K

1/ Highest sanyaku rank achieved in a player's career
Inactive Yokozuna: Andy Murray, Maria Sharapova
(k): kadoban Ozeki
(o): Sekiwake-Ozeki

Wednesday, June 20, 2018

The 2018 French Open: Promotions, Demotions, and Other Stats

2018 French Open Winners:
  • Rafael Nadal (Dai-Yokozuna)
  • Simona Halep (Sekiwake, ex-Ozeki)

New Career Sanyaku Rank:

    Sanyaku Rank Changes
    Player (career rank if different) To From
    Promotions
    Simona Halep Ozeki Sekiwake
    Garbine Muguruza Ozeki Sekiwake
    Madison Keys Ozeki Sekiwake
    Sloane Stephens (ex-Sekiwake) Ozeki Komusubi
    Angelique Kerber (ex-Ozeki) Sekiwake Komusubi
    Juan Martin del Potro (ex-Ozeki) Sekiwake Maegashira
    Dominic Thiem Sekiwake Maegashira
    Diego Schwartzman Komusubi Maegashira
    Marco CecchinatoKomusubi Maegashira
    Demotions
    Jelena OstapenkoKomusubi Sekiwake
    Caroline WozniackiKomusubi Sekiwake
    Stan Wawrikna (ex-Ozeki)Maegashira Komusubi
    Sam Querrey (ex-Sekiwake)Maegashira Komusubi
    Kevin Anderson (ex-Sekiwake)Maegashira Komusubi
    Tomas Berdych (ex-Ozeki)Maegashira Komusubi
    Kyle EdmundMaegashira Komusubi
    Chung HyeonMaegashira Komusubi
    Coco Vandeweghe (ex-Sekiwake)Maegashira Komusubi
    Elise MertensMaegashira Komusubi

    Kinboshi:
    ("gold star" - prize awarded to a non-sanyaku ranked competitor for beating an active Yokozuna):
    • Marco Cecchinato - for beating Dai-Yokozuna Novak Djkokovic in the quarterfinals.

    Other noteworthy developments:
    • Andy Murray loses active Yokozuna status after less then 2 years due to injury that forced him to sit out the last three Grand Slam tournaments. He is scheduled to be back for Wimbledon; a semifinal or two quarterfinals in the next four slams would restore Murray to an active Yokozuna.
    • Dai-Yokozuna Novak Djokokovic preserved active Yokozuna status by reaching the quarterfinals, he will need to repeat this feat at Wimbledon to remain active.
    • In the ladies' game, Dai-Yokozuna Serena Williams and Yokozuna Maria Sharapova both fell short of restoring active Yokozuna status, Sharapova by just one match. This makes Serena's sister Venus Williams the only active female Yokozuna at this stage.
    • Ozeki Marin Cilic held rank with a quarterfinal participation.
    • Sekiwake and Australian Open Champion Caroline Wozniacki exited in the fourth round and missed a first-time Ozeki promotion by just one win. Instead of Ozeki it is Komusubi now for Wozinacki. A semifinal participation at Wimbledon would still elevate Wozniacki to the second highest rank, however.
    • Also demoted to Komusubi gets last year's French Open champion and ex-Ozeki Jelena Ostapenko, who loses rank protection as a result.

Friday, June 15, 2018

Sanyaku Ranks Following the 2018 French Open

Men
Career rank 1/ East Current Rank West Career rank 1/
High Sanyaku (Senior Champion Ranks)
Dai-Y Rafael Nadal Y1 Novak DjokovicDai-Y
Dai-Y Roger Federer Y2 --
O Marin Cilic O --
Lower Sanyaku (Junior Champion Ranks)
S Dominic Thiem S Juan Martin del PotroO
K Marco Cecchinato K Diego SchwartzmanK


Women
Career rank 1/ East Current Rank West Career rank 1/
High Sanyaku (Senior Champion Ranks)
Y Venus Williams Y --
O Simona Halep O1 Sloane StephensO
O Garbine Muguruza O2 Madison KeysO
O Karolina Pliskova (k) O3 --
Lower Sanyaku (Junior Champion Ranks)
O Angelique Kerber S --
O Jelena Ostapenko K Caroline WozniackiS

1/ Highest sanyaku rank achieved in a player's career
Inactive Yokozuna: Serena Williams (Dai-Y), Andy Murray, Maria Sharapova
(k): kadoban Ozeki

Wednesday, June 6, 2018

Madison Keys and Sloane Stephens, Ozeki

Keys
Madison Keys and Sloane Stephens became the 39th and 40st female Ozeki (=Champion) of the open era today by reaching the semifinals at the 2018 French open, following on their successes at the 2017 US Open (Stephens: Title, Keys: final) and the 2018 Australian Open (Keys: quarterfinals) - a rare double promotion at the same tournament (the Ozeki list will be updated once the tournament has been completed). Keys and Stephens will meet in tomorrow's semifinal, as they did in the final of the 2017 US Open.

Stephens
In other developments, both Garbine Muguruza and Simona Halep will return to Ozeki after also reaching the semifinals - hence four active female Ozeki will enter the 2018 Wimbledon tournament. By contrast, Caroline Wozniacki - by career stats already one of the most accomplished female Sekiwake (= Junior champion I) of the open era - failed again more to put an Ozeki run together by exiting in round 4 - a quarterfinal would have sufficed, after her triumph at the 2018 Australian Open. Maria Sharapova fell one win short of re-activating Yokozuna status, after losing in the quarterfinals to Halep.

In the mens' game, Andy Murray missed the third consecutive slam and will lose active Yokozuna status after this tournament.

Monday, January 29, 2018

The Top 20 Players of the Open Era - Update

All-Time #1 Roger Federer
By virtue of Roger Federer winning his 20th slam and becoming a "Double-Dai-Yokozuna", it is time to move him up to first spot in our all-time ranking (more precisely: the ranking of players who played all or part of their careers in the open era).

The comparisons with the older greats Rod Laver and Ken Rosewall are necessarily murky, and one still could make arguments for either of these (Laver: calendar year open era slam, Rosewall: 22 majors (pro and amateur) in a period when among the pros there were only 3 majors a year). But long ago we drew the line for Federer at either winning a calendar year slam himself or at piling up 20 grand slam titles, and the latter line has now been crossed.

Just in case you wonder, Serena Williams will move to the #1 spot once she wins her 24th slam.

Note: active players are in bold .

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

Ray Emerson, Maria Bueno not included as most of their successes were before the open era.

Updated: January 29, 2018