ATP Race Rankings: 20th July, Top 8 pull away
ATP Race Rankings: 20th July, Top 8 pull away
Now beyond the halfway point of the year, the ATP Race Rankings are more revealing than ever. With a week of Davis Cup action across the globe more a source of national pride than points in the race, it gives us a chance to take stock after a hectic period of tennis.
With the French Open and Wimbledon having come and gone in what feels like the blink of an eye, the make-up of the current Top 20 in the race will not differ too drastically from the year end rankings when all is said and done in November.
Attention will rightly shift onto the Top 8 places in the Race, which for many of the top players is one of the main reasons to monitor their standings in both the Rankings and the Race. We will take this opportunity to assess the landscape for qualification to the 2015 World Tour Finals.
For a full run through of how the Race rankings are calculated and how they differ from the official ATP rankings, see here.
Race Rankings – 1 to 10
| Place | Player | Nation | Points |
| 1 | Novak Djokovic | SRB | 9585 |
| 2 | Andy Murray | GBR | 5700 |
| 3 | Stan Wawrinka | SUI | 4590 |
| 4 | Roger Federer | CZE | 4525 |
| 5 | Tomas Berdych | ESP | 3480 |
| 6 | Kei Nishikori | SUI | 2975 |
| 7 | David Ferrer | JPN | 2915 |
| 8 | Rafael Nadal | ESP | 2855 |
| 9 | Richard Gasquet | FRA | 1770 |
| 10 | Milos Raonic | CAN | 1720 |
When looking through the current standings, there are really two magic numbers to be considered. The first will steadily drop as the season finale draws closer. At this very moment the World Tour Finals Qualification Cut stand at 6155 points.
Only Novak Djokovic has assured himself of qualification under this current standard, which is the maximum a player could attain and still finish 9th in the Race. The number will drop as more events take place and more players will confirm their qualification.
The second important number is 4,440 points. This was the total of 8th place Milos Raonic in the Race in 2014. In previous years the benchmark has actually been much lower, with last year proving to be exceptionally close. In 2013 the points total for the 8th place player was Stan Wawrinka on 3,330.
By this logic, you can almost assure Andy Murray and Swiss duo Roger Federer and Stan Wawrinka qualification. It shows once again that the big names can be relied upon to make it to the unique event. Thomas Berdych is also on the cusp, hovering around the kind of number that will take him to the O2.
Race Rankings – 11 to 20
| Place | Player | Nation | Points |
| 11 | Gilles Simon | FRA | 1645 |
| 12 | Kevin Anderson | RSA | 1515 |
| 13 | Gael Monfils | FRA | 1345 |
| 14 | John Isner | USA | 1270 |
| 15 | Viktor Troicki | SRB | 1242 |
| 16 | G Garcia Lopez | ESP | 1125 |
| 17 | Grigor Dimitrov | BUL | 1090 |
| 18 | David Goffin | BEL | 1085 |
| 19 | Jo Wilfried Tsonga | FRA | 1080 |
| 20 | Ivo Karlovic | CRO | 1070 |
It is also important to remember one caveat to the rules, which can now only be enacted at the US Open. A Grand Slam winner from this year can earn a place at the World Tour Finals so long as they finish the Race inside the Top 20. The 2,000 points for a win guarantees this and therefore the US Open is a free ticket to London.
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Clearly it would class as one of the shocks of the decade for this top happen. Marin Cilic is the perfect example in more ways than one. His shock 2014 US Open victory launched him into qualification, but he will need a similarly heroic and equally unlikely repeat of this feat to be there again.
Those from 11th to 20th place, or even down from 9th really face an uphill battle to qualify. Whilst the Masters events offer lucrative points rewards to the winners, 1,000 to be precise, the guys at the top of the game seem to have a monopoly over those titles.
It will require deep runs to finals at Masters events backed up by some 500 event titles and a solid showing in New York to amass the 2,000 or so points required to elevate those in this second table. In my eyes it is difficult to look beyond the current Top 8, with Milos Raonic the only major threat, although whose place he could steal is impossible to call.
Next: Wimbledon 2015: Top 5 Upsets in Men's Draw
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