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Australian men close to achieving 42-year rankings first

Australian men close to achieving 42-year rankings first

Australia, 20 May 2024 | Leigh Rogers

The leading Australian men have come exceptionally close to achieving a 42-year first in the latest ATP Tour singles rankings.

With Adam Walton making his top-100 debut this week, it means there are currently nine Australian men ranked inside the elite category.

James Duckworth sits just outside at world No.103, a mere seven ranking points shy of also holding a top-100 position.

> READ MORE: Walton leads rising Australians in latest rankings

It has been more than 42 years since 10 Australians featured inside the ATP Tour’s top 100 in singles, with this last happening in the week of 4 January 1982.

ATP Tour singles rankings
Top-ranked Australians
January 1982 May 2024
Player Rank Player Rank
Peter McNamara No.10 Alex de Minaur No.11
Mark Edmondson No.20 Jordan Thompson No.37
John Fitzgerald No.60 Alexei Popyrin No.51
John Alexander No.61 Chris O’Connell No.64
Phil Dent No.62 Rinky Hijikata No.78
Rod Frawley No.71 Max Purcell No.92
Kim Warwick No.84 Aleksandar Vukic No.93
Paul McNamee No.89 Adam Walton No.95
David Carter No.93 Thanasi Kokkinakis No.98
Chris Johnstone No.97 James Duckworth No.103

This effort highlights the increasing depth in Australian men’s tennis.

This is even more pronounced when considering there were only four Australian men ranked inside the world’s top 100 this time 10 years ago, with Lleyton Hewitt leading the way at world No.44.

By May 2019, the number of top-100 Australian men had increased to six.

Australia is now one of the most heavily represented among the 30 nations boasting top-100 men’s singles players. Only the USA, with 11 players, currently has more.

Most top-100 players by nation
(as of 20 May 2024)
Nation Players
USA 11
Australia 9
France 9
Italy 9
Argentina 7

> READ MORE: Fourteen Australians to contest qualifying at Roland Garros 2024

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