Analysis of tennis champions’ career: how did top-ranked players perform the previous years?

Professional tennis is a highly competitive sport ranked through an objective, merit-based, mathematical system. The objective of this study was to determine and analyze how top 1°-ranked professional tennis players perform in the previous three years. Data of ranking position of all top 1°-ranked female and male players in the professional era and their performance in Grand Slams tournaments were collected from tennis stakeholders' websites and analyzed. Top 1° male players' ranking position averaged 2.17 ± 1.92 (CI 95%:1.56/2.78), 7.02 ± 18.073, and 10.73 ± 29.31, at 1, 2, and 3 previous years, respectively. Top 1° female players' ranking position averaged 2.21 ± 1.59 (CI 95%:1.61/2.71), 4.78 ± 4.09, and 14.97 ± 26.75, at 1, 2, and 3 previous years, respectively. All top 1° male and female players were ranked within the 1°-10° and 1°-6° positions the previous year, respectively; the majority of tennis champions won at least one Grand Slam tournament during the year before reaching the top 1° ranking position (females = 69%; males = 65%), and during the same season (females = 82%; males = 92%). Female and male top 1°-ranked player maintained that position in the following year in 48.7% and 52.5% of cases, respectively. In conclusion, tennis players need to perform at high level during at least three years prior to reach the top 1° position in the professional tennis ranking. Both, male and female champions, showed similar patterns of performance in their professional career.