Novak Djokovic, Emma Raducanu and Andrey Rublev face rankings implications after Madrid Open defeats
This year’s Madrid Open has been notable for the upset results and the fall-out will have a big implication on both the ATP and WTA rankings.
A host of big names headed to the Spanish capital eyeing up runs that would give them a huge rankings boost, but the upsets have been flowing on a daily basis heading into week tw of the tournament.
Here are some of the big names who will have their ranking impacted or severely dented after their early exits in Madrid.
Andrey Rublev
The defending Madrid Open champion has been in horrible form over the last few months and this was always going to be a crucial event for him as he tried to recoup as many of the 1,000 ranking points as possible from his run to victory last year.
His exit at the last-32 stages in Madrid will see Rublev’s ranking take a hit by a massive 850 ranking points when they are updated after the Madrid Open, with the Russian losing his position in the top 10 of the ATP Rankings and set to be demoted down to No 17 in the current live list.
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Jasmine Paolini
World No 6 Paolini is now an established member of the WTA Tour’s elite list, so her 6-2, 6-1 defeat against world No 82 Maria Sakkari at the Madrid Open was a real shocker.
Former top 10 star Sakkari has lost her way over the last couple of years and her ranking confirms as much, but she had a real chance to collect ranking points on her favoured clay courts and came up horribly short.
She will be defending 2,600 points from her runs to the French Open and Wimbledon finals over the next few weeks and if she loses half of them, she may drop out of the top 10 in the rankings.
Novak Djokovic
The Serbian legend may not have lost ranking points in Madrid, but he missed a valuable chance to challenge Taylor Fritz for a place in the top four of the ATP Rankings after losing his first match in Madrid against Matteo Arnaldi.
Getting into the top four of the ATP Rankings ahead of the French Open could be crucial to Djokovic’s hopes at Roland Garros, as it would ensure he would avoid a meeting with the players in the top two of the rankings until the semi-finals.
Yet the chances of Djokovic getting that far in the upcoming Grand Slam seem unlikely as he admits his current form is not good enough to compete at the top of the men’s game.
Jessica Pegula
The world No 3 was beaten in another shock result against Japan’s Moyuka Uchijima, opening the door for her rivals to overtake her in the rankings.
Coco Gauff’s unpredictable form needs to be polished up if she is to overtake Pegula, with Australian Open champion Madison Keys also eyeing up a leap to third spot in the rankings.
Emma Raducanu
The 2021 US Open champion can be encouraged from her two matches in Madrid, with her battling performance in a second round defeat against Marta Kostyuk suggesting she is starting to find her feet on clay.
Raducanu has maintained her status in the top 50 of the WTA Rankings with her wins in Madrid, but she had a chance to overtake Katie Boulter and become British No 1 again with a deep run in Madrid. That battle will continue when the two Brits play at next month’s Italian Open in Rome.
Holger Rune
Rune looked like a player to beat on clay after some sparkling performances saw him lift the Barcelona Open title earlier this month, but he crashed out early in Madrid.
That didn’t impact the ranking of a player who is currently at No 8 in the live rankings, but he had a chance to climb into the top six and that opportunity has gone for now.
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