Emma Raducanu, meanwhile, has climbed one place to a new career ranking of No. 10, breaking into the WTA top 10 for the first time in her career despite her second-round exit. Having entered Wimbledon as the world No.3, Djokovic dropped four places, only the second time he had been outside the top five since 2007. He had started the season as the clear No.1, initially losing his top spot shortly after failing to to defend his Australian Open title due to his expulsion from Australia. Then in April came Wimbledon’s decision to ban Russian and Belarusian players in the face of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. The ATP and WTA’s response – the removal of ranking points – followed in May. Throughout the Championship, players considered competing without points as they progressed through the rounds. Under normal circumstances, first-time champion Elena Rybakina would have risen from No 23 to No 6, but instead she remains in exactly the same ranking position as No 23. This means that despite achieving a lifelong dream, the much more modest goals since the beginning of the year remain unchanged. “The goal for this year was to be in the top 10 and it’s still the same goal,” Rybakina said, grinning sheepishly after winning the Wimbledon title. Before enjoying the fortnight of his life at Wimbledon by reaching the semi-finals, Cameron Norrie had never made it past the third round of a grand slam tournament. The British No. 1, however, was unfazed by not receiving the boost to his rankings that usually accompanies such a run. “It doesn’t change anything,” he said, “I’ll still be heavily seeded and I’ll still be in every tournament. What’s really difficult is the players just outside the top hundreds and guys like Liam Broady who went into the third round and Alastair Gray, who would now be in slam qualies.” Elena Rybakina’s win at Wimbledon would normally have lifted her into the WTA top 10, but instead she remains at No 23. Photo: Tom Jenkins/The Guardian Ranking points are their own currency on the tennis tours, allowing players an objective measure of their form and results. They are also necessary for lower-ranked players, whose ratings determine which level of the event they can participate in and thus the amount of money they can compete for. Ons Jabeur, who dropped from No. 2 to No. 5 despite a career-best run to the final, said the lack of points was more of a concern for lower-ranked players such as surprise semi-finalist Tatjana Maria, who would have moved up to career high inside the top 40, but is ranked 98th. “I’m not going to lie to you. The more you do good, the more you don’t regret it [having] any point,” Jabeur said. “Honestly I’m not just looking at myself. But I also look at Tatjana, because she struggled with her ranking to come back. He’s always wanted to have a wild card, but it’s never easy. Now he is doing well and has no points.” Ajla Tomljanovic reached her first career grand slam quarter-final at Wimbledon last year and returned this year to reach her second. Such a result would normally have cemented her ranking for another year, but instead she fell from 44th to 71st this week. Like many others, Tomljanovic was oblivious to the missed ranking opportunity, but said it had complicated her schedule as she tries to make up for the significant number of points she lost. “The only reason I’m a little upset with the points is that maybe there’s more thought,” she said. “For example, I entered the next two events in Budapest and Palermo. I don’t like chasing points. I just went into it because if I had come down here early, I would have played because I felt hungry and ready to play.” Despite her disappointment, Jabeur, who is £1,050,000 richer after reaching a maiden grand slam final, also offered some perspective. “It is what it is. We stop focusing on the spots and maybe we’ll see that the money is a little bit better,” he said with a smile. Broady, who reached a third round of a grand slam for the first time in his career and won £120,000, agreed: “I would play Wimbledon without points and prize money,” he said as a smile spread across his face. “At least I get the prize money.”
