Historical novelty: Federer is unlikely to like the new ATP rankings

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The ATP world rankings of February 19, 2024 are historic: for the first time since their introduction, there is no player in the top ten who masters the one-handed backhand.

On August 23, 1973, the Association of Professional Tennis Players (ATP), founded a year earlier, published a world ranking for the first time. Only one of the ten players in the top ten had a two-handed backhand: Jimmy Connors.

More than 50 years later, there is now a premiere. With the fall of Stefanos Tsitsipas (25) from the top ten, for the first time none of the top ten tennis players in the world play a one-handed backhand. With Tsitsipas (ATP 11) and Grigor Dimitrov (32, ATP 13), there are only two representatives of this rare species left in the top 25.

This is mainly because children at a young age automatically hold the racket with two hands on the weak side, Alessandro Greco, head of top sports at Swiss Tennis, told Blick in August. The fact that the best in the world now only play with two hands is also counterproductive, as young players would turn to the top stars.

While players like Roger Federer (42) and Stan Wawrinka (38) were the great idols at the top of the world ten to fifteen years ago, today they are Novak Djokovic, Carlos Alcaraz or Daniil Medvedev. Everyone plays the backhand double-handed – including Jannik Sinner, the current high-flyer in the tennis circus.

Sinner also makes history

He has also – once again – achieved something historic in the new ATP rankings. After his tournament victory in Rotterdam, the Australian Open champion is now number 3 in the world, behind only Novak Djokovic and Carlos Alcaraz.

No Italian has ever scored so well. Adriano Panatta, the last Grand Slam winner from the Bel Paese until January, reached number 4 after his victory at the French Open in 1976. (SDA/che)

Source : Blick