Tennis news: Significant changes in updated ATP and WTA rankings

Monday's updated ATP and WTA rankings will usher in significant and historic changes in the tennis world. As with all changes in sports (or life), there is some associated sadness and happiness.

To begin with, since the ATP rankings were established in 1973, there has always been at least one player in the Top 10 with a one-handed backhand. That will no longer be the case on Monday as Stefanos Tsitsipas, the last man in the Top 10 who possessed a one-handed backhand, will exit the Top 10. Many wonder with the advent of the younger players using the two-handed backhand if there will be an influx of one-handed backhands in the men's game in the coming years. Further proof that the Roger Federer era of tennis is in the past.

Jannik Sinner makes Italian tennis history on Monday when he overtakes Daniil Medvedev and becomes the new World No. 3. No other Italian has ever ranked this high. Adriano Panatta, 73, was ranked World No. 4 in August 1976. Sinner continues to shatter his country's records.

The Greeks exit the Top 10

The final piece of rankings news is about the Greek tennis stars, Stefanos Tsitsipas and Maria Sakkari. Tsitsipas, as mentioned previously, will slip out of the Top 10, for the first time in five years. In more bad news for the Greeks, Maria Sakkari not only split with her coach this week, but she is also falling out of the Top 10 for the first time in 2 1/2 years.

Both Tsitsipas and Sakkari have struggled. Hopefully, both find their game to claw their way back in. More importantly, the pair likely have the Paris Olympics on their mind. They were quarterfinals in the mixed doubles competition at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.

Read more on Lob and Smash