Serena Williams Slumps in WTA Rankings After Early Exit at French Open 2020

The French Open 2020 has already ended for the WTA. By all accounts, it was a fabulous tournament for women’s tennis, that saw the miraculous rise of Iga Swiatek, who won the title ranked 54th and didn’t drop a single set.

The French Open 2020 has also led to a few changes in the WTA rankings. Notably, Serena Williams now lies on the fringes of the top 10.

Serena didn’t gain any points from the French Open as she was forced to withdraw from the tournament owing to an Achilles’ injury. Before the Grand Slam, Serena was ranked 9th with 4080 points. But as Petra Kvitova made it to the semifinals of French Open 2020, she jumped three places to reach 8th; thus, pushing Serena down to 10th.

Can Serena Williams drop out of the top 10 in the WTA rankings?

The difference between 10th ranked Serena Williams and 11th ranked Belinda Bencic is just 70 points. But with the uncertain calendar and fewer tournaments, Serena could end her season in the top 10. Serena last ended a season outside the top 10 back in 2018. In 2019, she ended the season ranked 10th.

For Serena, the season restart has not gone according to plans. She resumed her season ranked 8th, but with other players making huge gains around her, Serena dropped to 9th despite reaching the semifinals of US Open 2020.

Serena has not been on the right side of the rankings for the past few years. The last time Serena stood at the helm was back in 2017 and since then, she hasn’t entered the top 5.

After taking a break from the sport in 2017 due to pregnancy, Serena has fallen from the ranks and has found it hard to regain her old footing.

Coming to the big movers in the rankings, French Open 2020 champion Iga Swiatek makes her top 20 debut as she jumps 37 places to reach 17th. Her semifinal opponent Nadia Podoroska jumped 83 places to reach 48th. And Iga’s quarterfinal opponent, Martina Trevisan, moved 76 places upwards to finish 83rd.

In the top 10, 2020 Australian Open champion and 2020 French Open runner-up, Sofia Kenin, re-entered the top 5. Petra Kvitova also re-entered the top 10.

Read More: Iga Swiatek Surpasses an Impressive Serena Williams Record After Winning French Open 2020