WTA Rankings Wimbledon: 5 players at risk of big drop – ft. Marketa Vondrousova & Ons Jabeur
Wimbledon is just a day away – and the women’s draw is as intriguing as ever at the All England Club.
And it is not just the race for the title that is at stake, with big rankings points available for all of those who go deep into the draw.
However, a year on from the 2023 Championships, some are under pressure to defend their points from twelve months ago – or face a huge rankings drop.
We look at five women who are under rankings pressure this Wimbledon fortnight.
Marketa Vondrousova
Current ranking: 6
2023 result: Champion
Points to defend: 2,000
Vondrousova stunned the tennis world with her surprise triumph twelve months ago, becoming the first unseeded woman in history to lift the Venus Rosewater Dish.
A year on the Czech star sits at a career-high of sixth in the WTA Rankings, but after her fair share of ups and downs since her victory, is under some rankings pressure at the All England Club.
Vondrousova has ten points earned merely from entering again this year, but take away the remaining 1,990 points she has to defend, and she has only 2,473 points in the live rankings.
That would see her fall ten spots to world No 16, and potentially even further if others were to gain points and move above her.
Wimbledon women’s singles draw: 5 takeaways – ft. Iga Swiatek, Coco Gauff, Emma Raducanu
Wimbledon Odds: Who are the betting favourites for SW19 glory?
Ons Jabeur
Current ranking: 10
2023 result: Finalist
Points to defend: 1,300
A year on from reaching the 2022 final, the Tunisian trailblazer was able to defend those ranking points by returning to the final for a second straight year.
But the 12 months since her loss to Vondrousova have not been too kind, and though she has recaptured some good form recently, a disappointing start to 2024 has already seen her slip down the rankings.
Jabeur was the sixth seed in 2023 but is the tenth seed this time around and has an uphill task to return to the final once again.
Similar to Vondrousova, Jabeur could fall to around world No 16 with an early exit.
Practice makes perfect, @Ons_Jabeur #Wimbledon pic.twitter.com/k2jVNz0PsB
— Wimbledon (@Wimbledon) June 28, 2024
Elina Svitolina
Current ranking: 21
2023 result: Semi-final
Points to defend: 780
Svitolina’s run to the semi-final in 2023 was one of the feel-good stories of the Championships, with the Ukrainian wildcard beating world No 1 Iga Swiatek on her way to the last four.
That was a second Wimbledon semi-final for Svitolina and she has generally backed up that run well, sitting just outside the top 20 as things stand.
However, the former world No 3 has struggled with injuries and to find consistency in 2024, and is at risk of a big rankings drop at the All England Club.
With 780 points to defend, Svitolina would likely fall outside of the top 40 should she lose early, with a projected ranking of 42nd as things stand.
Mirra Andreeva
Current ranking: 23
2023 result: Round 4
Points to defend: 240
Andreeva starred at the Championships in 2023, with the teenager coming through qualifying and eventually progressing to round four, where she nearly beat Madison Keys.
Since her breakout summer, the 17-year-old has performed well again this year on the biggest stages, progressing to the second week of the Australian Open – before her French Open semi-final run.
Andreeva broke into the top 30 following her Roland Garros run and has done well to cushion the 240 points she has to defend at the All England Club.
However, the Russian would be close to dropping back out of the top 30 with an early exit.
Marie Bouzkova
Current ranking: 40
2023 result: Round 4
Points to defend: 240
The 2023 Championships were a case of what could have been for Bouzkova, who stormed to the opening set against Vondrousova in round four – before losing to the eventual champion.
A slow half-season to date means that the Czech is down to 40th in the WTA Rankings already, and is at risk of a further dip.
Bouzkova would fall hesitantly to world No 49 with an opening-round exit at the All England Club, and could find herself outside of the top 50 other results go against her.