Australian Alex de Minaur is now the world’s fifth-ranked professional tennis player. It’s a career best for the 27-year-old and the first time since Lleyton Hewitt in 2009 that an Australian man has been ranked in the top five.
Here is what to know.
De Minaur
De Minaur’s change in rankings from sixth to fifth was confirmed on Monday following the conclusion of Wimbledon, which saw him beaten in the Round of 16 by ninth-seeded Italian Flavio Cobolli. Despite a disappointing Wimbledon campaign which he described as “gut-wrenching”, De Minaur moved into fifth ahead of American Ben Shelton, who was eliminated in the opening round.
De Minaur is the seventh Australian man to have held a top five ranking after Rod Laver, Ken Rosewall, John Newcombe, Pat Cash, Pat Rafter and Lleyton Hewitt. Along with his ranking boost, De Minaur has also become a husband after getting married to his fiancée and Great Britain’s second-ranked women’s player, Katie Boulter, on Sunday.
How do the rankings work?
The ATP updates its singles rankings each Monday, with points accumulated over the previous 52 weeks. Every player's total is built from 19 tournaments: The four Grand Slams, eight mandatory Masters 1000 events, and their best seven results from other tour stops.
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Grand Slam winners earn 2,000 points while Masters 1000 champions earn 1,000. Points roll off exactly a year after they are won, forcing players to defend their haul at the same event the following year or lose ground. The system is built to reward season-long consistency, not one-off deep runs at the majors.
Other ranking changes
Wimbledon runner-up Alexander Zverev of Germany moved from third to second, overtaking Spain's Carlos Alcaraz, who has been sidelined with a wrist injury since April. British wildcard Arthur Fery rose 78 places to No. 36 following a fairytale semi-final run at Wimbledon.
On the women's side, Belarusian Aryna Sabalenka held her position at world No. 1 for a 91st consecutive week despite a fourth-round exit. Czech pair Karolína Muchová and Linda Nosková hit career-highs of No. 6 and No. 7, respectively, with 21-year-old Wimbledon champion Nosková entering the top 10 for the first time.
What’s next?
The final Grand Slam of the year is the U.S. Open, starting in New York on Monday 31 August. Before that, players will fine-tune their hard-court games at Masters events in Montreal, Toronto and Cincinnati.
