So while it is not technically the end of the year yet, now that it is clear how the WTA are treating Jo's announcement, i thought i'd go ahead a post this now. Its a graph of the year end rankings for every player who ever made it to Year End GB#1.
Disclaimer: The WTA website doesn't exactly lend itself to pulling together this graph, so hopefully i haven't overlooked anyone or got the numbers disastrously wrong, but aplogies if i have. Note: The graph just includes those who were GB#1 at year end (and only considers their year end ranking).
So it certainly pays to be called Jo. With her retirement, Jo(hanna) will end her career tying with the other Jo in making it 6 years as the Year End GB#1 player. However JoKo collected her 6 in a row and also currently holds the top 3 (and 4 of the Top 5) year end rankings for any GB female. She is also the only GB player to end a year inside the world's Top10. Impressive stuff.
Some other non-Jo related observations:
Virginia Wade is conspicuous by her absence, but the rankings only go back as far as 1983 and she only got as high as GB#2 in the years since then (1983).
Monique Javer makes 16 appearances in the Year End rankings, the most of the GB#1s. Elena and Anne K appear 14 times. Heather will join them if she does not retire between now and Dec 2022.
Sam Smith took the longest time to make it to Year End GB#1. Her first appearance was in 1988. She made Year End GB#1 8 years later in 1996. it would seem she did spend 2 years out of the rankings though, so in terms of a continuous stretch, the honours go to JoKo, with 7 years (2008 1st appearance, 2015 GB#1).
The nadir was 1995, where a year end WR of 184 was enough to be GB#1. Although most of the next 10 years were not that much better.
The closest run thing was in 1985 when Annabel Croft took her only Year End GB#1. She was ranked WR24, two ahead of Jo Durie (WR26).
The most 'dominant year' was 2005, when Elena was GB#1 and Anne K GB#2. There was 100+ places between their respective WRs. (Note the graph is logarithmic, hence why it might seem the JoKo/Heather years were a more dominant sceanario)
I am afraid I dont do graphs so well, my brain doesnt discern the information!
But the table below is very instructive. In the years 1994 to 2007, we had one year where we ended up with a top 100 #1. We have had a top 100 #1 ever since though. Says a lot about the relative paucity of the womens game around the turn of the century
Notable that Konta was removed immediately but Gabriella Taylor has kept her ranking despite spending most of her time painting these days.
Isn't that because Jo has asked to be removed and is officially retired whereas Gaby has not asked to be removed even if she is not playing. With a ranking Gaby could still come back if she chose to.
Players are only removed from the rankings when they submit a player retirement form. Jo will have done this. Gabi is, in her words, taking time away from the tour so won't have done. Although, having, by coincidence, been looking at her art work yesterday seeing how happy she seems to be and how much her art sells for I wouldn't be surprised if she didn't return to the tour.
Still no word on what is happening with remaining points from 2019 ITF events in the WTA rankings but, whether it gives any clue as to the WTA/ITF thinking, for the ITF rankings all remaining 2019 points will be dropped on 4 April. 2020 and 2021 points will drop on a weekly basis to return to a 52 week ranking system from the beginning of 2023.
There are new rulebooks for 2022 available on the ITF website. The following is copied from the summary of changes, and sets out explicitly how the ranking points will drop off.
(Mens and Womens) Section XIII. ITF WORLD TENNIS RANKINGS
A. Introduction
ITF World Tennis Ranking points are also awarded in ITF World Tennis Tour Tournaments. The ITF World Tennis Ranking system is a 52-week, cumulative system in which the number of Tournament results that comprise a players ranking is capped at a players best fourteen (14) Tournament results for singles and best fourteen (14) Tournament results for doubles. This system was modified in 2020 and again 2021 due to the Covid-19 pandemic. Points from all tournaments played 4th March 2019 onwards were frozen and therefore eligible to be counted amongst a players best fourteen (14) tournaments. Subject to any further amendments, the ITF World Tennis Ranking is scheduled to return to a 52-week system in Week 1 of 2023 by the following procedure:
All remaining points from 2019 (March to December) drop on 4th April 2022. Points from 2020 drop on a weekly basis from January 2022. Points from 2021 are dropped on a weekly basis, as normal during 2022. Ranking returns to a 52-week system in Week 1 2023.
-- Edited by the addict on Sunday 2nd of January 2022 01:08:33 PM