Champions keep playing until they get it right.
Billie Jean King
Did you know that the Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP) governs men's tennis, and compiles those players' statistics? Female tennis players have their own governing body: the Women's Tennis Association (WTA). Each authority tracks, compiles and publishes tennis rankings differently.
We relied on those two agencies to create our list of great tennis players. We used their official points standing at the time of writing to decide which order to present them. Now, here come the champions; the ones who keep playing until they get it right, as our quoted tennis legend says.
| 📊WTA/ATP Ranking | 🎾Player | 🌍Nationality | 🔢Official point count |
|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | Jannik Sinner | Italian | 11 830 |
| #2 | Alexander Zverev | German | 7 915 |
| #3 | Taylor Fritz | American | 5 100 |
| #4 | Daniil Medvedev | Russian | 5 030 |
| #5 | Casper Ruud | Norwegian | 4 255 |
| #1 | Aryna Sabalenka | Belarusian | 9 416 |
| #2 | Iga Swiatek | Polish | 8 295 |
| #3 | Coco Gauff | American | 6 530 |
| #4 | Jasmine Paolini | Italian | 5 344 |
| #5 | Qinwen Zheng | Chinese | 5 340 |
| #6 | Elena Rybakina | Kazakhstani | 5 171 |
| #7 | Jessica Pegula | American | 4 705 |
Jannik Sinner
Jannik is the first Italian tennis player, male or female, to take the ATP top spot. His performance is rather remarkable because he didn't have much success as a junior player. He began playing professionally when he was 16.
Now 23 years old, Jannik is now one of the best male tennis players active today. He's currently the world No 1 tennis player male.
Alexander Zverev
Alexander was born into a tennis family: both of his parents, and his older brother, were all professional tennis players. Alexander started playing when he was three years old, insisting he mustn't leave the court unless he wins. That tenacity paid off during his professional career, though he's yet to win an Open tournament.
Taylor Fritz
The Taylor Fritz ranking is due to his relatively low points accumulation. Points aside, Fritz remains the US's #1 male tennis player. Like Elena, he came to tennis rather late and, like Alexander, he comes from a tennis family.
In his short time on the pro circuit, Taylor has racked up eight ATP Tour Singles titles. He claimed his first ATP title at his third career event. That's a feat only John Isner, another American tennis player, managed.
Daniil Medvedev
Daniil came to tennis by chance. His mother saw an advertisement for tennis lessons at their local swimming facility. His father thought taking lessons was a good idea, as the child was deeply intellectual, and could use physical activity.
Daniil studied physics and maths at a specialised school, before enroling into an economics program at university. He then chucked away intellectual pursuits to focus on tennis, even changing universities to study coaching. He finally committed to tennis when he was 18 years old.
Casper Ruud
Unlike Jessica, Casper burst onto the tennis Junior circuit, ready to win. In fact, he set a record: in 2016, he started the season as the #1 Junior player. No other Norwegian had ever done so. He soon claimed another record: winning a debut event, which he did also in 2016.
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Aryna Sabalenka
Aryna's height gives her a powerful serving advantage, and a bit more reach. Those factors alone don't make her great; her skill and talent do that heavy lifting. Also, the rivalry she enjoys with our next player, Iga, spurs her to work harder.
Not only does Ms Sabalenka set the courts on fire playing Singles tennis, she is also a part of the best tennis pairs active today. She was the #1 Doubles player in 2021, the year she and Elise Mertens won the Australian Open.
Iga Świątek
This tennis sensation is the current Pride of Poland. She stormed onto the professional courts in 2016, and has seldom met defeat. In 2024, she became the first Polish player to ever win an Olympic medal in tennis. As noted above, Iga's rivalry with Aryna sees these two players taking turns at the top of the ranks.
Iga was devastated to lose to her rival at the 2024 Cincinnati Open. Particularly after her historical win over Aryna, then the defending champion, at the 2024 Madrid Open. The Cincinnati loss began a chain reaction that ultimately awarded Aryna the #1 spot for the year.
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Coco Gauff
Coco became the youngest player in Wimbledon tournament history, in 2019. To cement her legend, she then bested Venus Williams; all that, on a wildcard draw! With such a phenomenal showing, some pundits began to tout Coco as the next Serena Williams.
Still, many wonder over the Coco Gauff ranking, in light of her hit-and-miss appearance record. The fact is, Coco has had a lot to deal with, including injuries and withdrawals due to illness. Still, she's such a powerful player that she easily makes up for time lost.
Jasmine Paolini
Jasmine cuts a small but dynamic figure on the courts. She turned pro in 2011, when she was just 15. Her debut year on the WTA circuit wasn't exactly fruitful. She played better as a Double than in Singles' matches.
From her record, one must conclude that Jasmine does not fare well opposite any Australian women's tennis player. Playing Singles or Doubles, Jasmine has never climbed higher than 4th runner-up at any Australian Open, nor has she triumphed over any player from Australia.
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Qinwen Zheng
Zhang Qinwen grew up dreaming of Li Na, China's tennis sensation of the early aughts. She began tennis lessons when she was seven years old, moving around the country for access to the best coaches. She turned pro in 2018, and has since made mincemeat of the greatest names in tennis.
We found little mystery in this Qinwen Zheng ranking. For instance, she defeated the world's #1 player, Iga Świątek, before winning Gold in the Paris Olympics. Furthermore, she is the first Asian player to win Singles Gold. Maybe she's just moving so fast, the rankings just haven't had time to catch up with her.
Elena Rybakina
Elena is the first Kazakhstani to rank in the world's Top Ten, and is the current #1 player in that country. She came to tennis late in her athletic pursuits; she preferred ice skating and gymnastics. Unfortunately, her height barred her from competition in those sports, so she chose one where being tall is an asset.
Elena has gone up against some of the best tennis players in Australia, and from around the world. Though she doesn't (yet) have a clear win on Australian courts, she's certainly made an impression there. As young as she is, and this early in her pro career, we have a lot to look forward to with Elena.
Jessica Pegula
Jessica maintains a steady track record of Singles wins, but she shines in Doubles contests. She began her pro career as a Doubles wildcard pick. She and her partner didn't take the title that time. However, her second outing, again on a wildcard, saw her qualify for a main draw event.
She didn't debut on the Singles circuit until 2015, nearly 6 years after turning pro. That's when she first tasted Singles success. Still, a major win escapes her.
The Sport of Kings has a long history. Its records boast many 'best' players - best in their day, best on grass courts, best backhand, and greatest tennis player of all time, of course. In the end, we have to conclude that, statistics aside, who is the best tennis player in the world is the one you prefer.
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