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ATP World Tour: rankings changes after Australian Open

By Harry Floyd

MELBOURNE, AUSTRALIA - JANUARY 28: Runner-up Marin Cilic of Croatia speaks at the presentation after losing the 2018 Australian Open Men's Singles Final against Roger Federer of Switzerland on day 14 of the 2018 Australian Open at Melbourne Park on January 28, 2018 in Melbourne, Australia. (Photo by Michael Dodge/Getty Images)
MELBOURNE, AUSTRALIA - JANUARY 28: Runner-up Marin Cilic of Croatia speaks at the presentation after losing the 2018 Australian Open Men's Singles Final against Roger Federer of Switzerland on day 14 of the 2018 Australian Open at Melbourne Park on January 28, 2018 in Melbourne, Australia. (Photo by Michael Dodge/Getty Images) /
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The ATP World Tour is seeing a bit of a shakeup in the rankings after the Australian Open. Here’s a look at how things are shaping up this week.

The rankings have changed after the 2018 Australian Open. Looking at the ATP World Tour, here are the major shakeups after action at Melbourne Park.

One of the biggest changes comes for young South Korean tennis star Hyeon Chung. After a fantastic semifinals run which saw him fall to eventual champion Roger Federer, Chung makes enormous leaps in the singles rankings. He is now the world No. 29 in men’s singles, moving up 29 places on the ATP World Tour.

Also jumping leaps and bounds is Kyle Edmund. Now the world No. 26, he moves up 23 places in the singles rankings. Edmund made a semifinals run this month at Melbourne Park, falling to the eventual runner-up. At just 23-years-old, Edmund is entering his prime on tour.

Looking at the ATP Top 5, there are a few significant changes. While Rafael Nadal retains the top ranking, Federer is inching even closer to the position. With his Australian Open title, he moves within 200 points of friend and rival Nadal. Especially if the Spanish tennis star is sidelined at all due to injury in the coming weeks, Federer could take the top ranking sooner rather than later.

Australian Open runner-up Marin Cilic is seeing all-time highs.

Cilic is now the world No. 3 in men’s singles tennis. He jumps ahead of both Grigor Dimitrov and Alexander Zverev for the spot. Just behind them is Dominic Thiem who drops one place in the singles rankings. If Cilic can keep up the impressive tennis he has displayed so far in 2018, there is no reason to think he will slide much in the coming months. The young stars on his heels will, however, be gunning to break back into the elusive ATP Top 3.

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The next few months will be telling for the 2018 ATP World Tour. As Federer appears unstoppable, he is likely the player to beat for the foreseeable future. A healthy Nadal though, could shake things up come clay court season. Last year, Nadal notched his tenth career French Open title and he must be considered a favorite anytime he plays on clay. In comparison, Federer has just one French Open title. His win at Melbourne Park was his sixth at the Australian Open.

Several other factors will play a part in the early 2018 rankings. Former world No. 1 Andy Murray is sidelined due to injury right now. He recently had surgery on his hip and is expected to make a return near Wimbledon. Serbian tennis star Novak Djokovic is also evaluating his ongoing elbow injury. The elbow appeared to bother him during his final match at the Australian Open. If any top players are sidelined for a significant amount of time, young stars will continue to have an impact on the rankings. Stay tuned to see how the 2018 ATP World Tour unfolds and check back for any updates on rankings moves in the coming weeks.

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