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Brian Swartz · 11-11-2022, 04:08 PM

Year 101 Top Ten Rankings

1. Ben Faille (22, FRA, 97%, 9.32, +0.18) - 15,810

The top of the sport is going to be boring for a while. Faille is destined to be an all-time great. He's competing with history, not with anybody in this current era. My prediction is that it's four years before we can reasonably discuss who knocks him from the perch. 3 Slams, 5 Masters and a Tour Final this year was just the beginning.

While Ben chases history, we'll document his accomplishments to be sure, but also focus on the re-arrangement happening beneath him. Taking over the top spot was the start of the changing of the guard - others are pushing upwards as well.

2. Leon Polychroniadis (27, GRC, 90%, 9.09, -0.04) - 11,020

Polychroniadis just narrowly edged out his long-time rival Cananis to get back to the #2 spot. Their battles will continue as they gradually recede from the apex.

3. Renke Cananis (27, DEU, 88%, 9.15, -0.10) - 10,440

At present, Cananis is tied for 5th all-time with four World Tour Finals trophies. That's the biggest feather in the cap of his career.

4. Themis Xanthos (28, CYP, 89%, 8.84, -0.03) - 6,370

'Best of the rest' may be about to change, but for now Xanthos is holding on. Added another Masters Shield this year at Cincinatti, but also missed a Slam and two other Masters events.

5. Jochen Weigle (26, SUI, 92%, 8.92, +0.15) - 6,030

Weigle is second-best; a very distant second obviously, but still second-best among players who are still improving. In an era such as this it's easy to ignore anyone who isn't at 9+, but Jochen made noise at the end of the year in reaching the USO and WTF finals. The next two years should be his best, and he could well reach #2 for a while. That's as much as anyone could ask for. No longer laminated as a reliable quarterfinal pushover, he appears to be a legitimate factor and really made good strides this season.

6. Toni Bardales (26, ESP, 90%, 8.68, +0.02) - 5,550

Bardales made the Monte Carlo final and a couple of semis, but he never did as much as I thought he could do on clay. Time has probably run out - perhaps he'll have one last hurrah this year but I doubt it. A solid second-tier player for quite a while, his decline is now set to begin.

7. Oleg Urazov (23, CAN, 96%, 8.91, +0.29) - 4,700

Urazov really broke through this year, as you can see by the numbers. He was looking quite serve-focused previously, but has mostly balanced that out, and his improvement at the back of the court paid dividends. A semifinal showing at Roland Garros was the key moment, and was followed by a couple more at the Canada and Paris Masters.

Urazov is arguably the best in the next generation, 'not Faille' category. He's definitely the highest-ranked of that group, and figures to join Weigle in kicking out Polychroniadis & Cananis for the #2 and #3 spots - although that's probably still a year away from really starting to happen.

8. Solitris Papadias (27, GRC, 88%, 8.68, -0.04) - 4,470

Papadias has held on bravely, but he was clearly not nearly the player at the end of the year that he was at the start. It's probably as much to do with other players improving than his regression, but the 'other Greek' is now reduced to the role of gatekeeper. I expect he's seen his last year as a member of the Top 8.

9. Johann Przalowik (23, DEU, 97%, 8.57, --) - 3,355

As I've noted, I didn't think enough of Przalowik to rate him last year. Clearly this was in error. Having said that, he's still probably a bit of an over-achiever. Technical abilities are getting close but not quite to the world-class level, good mental game and very good power. In an era without Faille, his endurance (~4.8 peak) would be the talk of the Top 10, and even here it's still definitely notable.

Maybe Johann proves me wrong again, but I think he hangs out right around where he is this year, and pays the price for his hubris so to speak. He's the first-in of the contingent of new top-quality German players, and I definitely see him as a Top-5 player down the road.

10. Ale Ballok (25, ITA, 92%, 8.46, -0.07) - 3,050

Ballok continues to over-emphasize his serve, which has surpassed that of Cananis as the best in tennis. So why did he slide a spot? Mental game is still weak, baseline play is inadequate for a world-class player, and everyone pays the piper on that eventually. I'd say he's more regressed to about the spot where he should be.

Analysis

Overall, the Top 10 is a hair better than a year ago; 8.86 average rating compared to 8.85. Reimann and Copperfield left, replaced by Urazov and Przalowik. The replacement process will continue, players churning below the unreachable Ben Faille. Starting this year, I expect the French legend-in-the-making to put up some truly stupidly-dominant numbers.

11-11-2022, 04:08 PM	#1321
Brian Swartz Grizzled Veteran Join Date: May 2006	Year 101 Top Ten Rankings 1. Ben Faille (22, FRA, 97%, 9.32, +0.18) - 15,810 The top of the sport is going to be boring for a while. Faille is destined to be an all-time great. He's competing with history, not with anybody in this current era. My prediction is that it's four years before we can reasonably discuss who knocks him from the perch. 3 Slams, 5 Masters and a Tour Final this year was just the beginning. While Ben chases history, we'll document his accomplishments to be sure, but also focus on the re-arrangement happening beneath him. Taking over the top spot was the start of the changing of the guard - others are pushing upwards as well. 2. Leon Polychroniadis (27, GRC, 90%, 9.09, -0.04) - 11,020 Polychroniadis just narrowly edged out his long-time rival Cananis to get back to the #2 spot. Their battles will continue as they gradually recede from the apex. 3. Renke Cananis (27, DEU, 88%, 9.15, -0.10) - 10,440 At present, Cananis is tied for 5th all-time with four World Tour Finals trophies. That's the biggest feather in the cap of his career. 4. Themis Xanthos (28, CYP, 89%, 8.84, -0.03) - 6,370 'Best of the rest' may be about to change, but for now Xanthos is holding on. Added another Masters Shield this year at Cincinatti, but also missed a Slam and two other Masters events. 5. Jochen Weigle (26, SUI, 92%, 8.92, +0.15) - 6,030 Weigle is second-best; a very distant second obviously, but still second-best among players who are still improving. In an era such as this it's easy to ignore anyone who isn't at 9+, but Jochen made noise at the end of the year in reaching the USO and WTF finals. The next two years should be his best, and he could well reach #2 for a while. That's as much as anyone could ask for. No longer laminated as a reliable quarterfinal pushover, he appears to be a legitimate factor and really made good strides this season. 6. Toni Bardales (26, ESP, 90%, 8.68, +0.02) - 5,550 Bardales made the Monte Carlo final and a couple of semis, but he never did as much as I thought he could do on clay. Time has probably run out - perhaps he'll have one last hurrah this year but I doubt it. A solid second-tier player for quite a while, his decline is now set to begin. 7. Oleg Urazov (23, CAN, 96%, 8.91, +0.29) - 4,700 Urazov really broke through this year, as you can see by the numbers. He was looking quite serve-focused previously, but has mostly balanced that out, and his improvement at the back of the court paid dividends. A semifinal showing at Roland Garros was the key moment, and was followed by a couple more at the Canada and Paris Masters. Urazov is arguably the best in the next generation, 'not Faille' category. He's definitely the highest-ranked of that group, and figures to join Weigle in kicking out Polychroniadis & Cananis for the #2 and #3 spots - although that's probably still a year away from really starting to happen. 8. Solitris Papadias (27, GRC, 88%, 8.68, -0.04) - 4,470 Papadias has held on bravely, but he was clearly not nearly the player at the end of the year that he was at the start. It's probably as much to do with other players improving than his regression, but the 'other Greek' is now reduced to the role of gatekeeper. I expect he's seen his last year as a member of the Top 8. 9. Johann Przalowik (23, DEU, 97%, 8.57, --) - 3,355 As I've noted, I didn't think enough of Przalowik to rate him last year. Clearly this was in error. Having said that, he's still probably a bit of an over-achiever. Technical abilities are getting close but not quite to the world-class level, good mental game and very good power. In an era without Faille, his endurance (~4.8 peak) would be the talk of the Top 10, and even here it's still definitely notable. Maybe Johann proves me wrong again, but I think he hangs out right around where he is this year, and pays the price for his hubris so to speak. He's the first-in of the contingent of new top-quality German players, and I definitely see him as a Top-5 player down the road. 10. Ale Ballok (25, ITA, 92%, 8.46, -0.07) - 3,050 Ballok continues to over-emphasize his serve, which has surpassed that of Cananis as the best in tennis. So why did he slide a spot? Mental game is still weak, baseline play is inadequate for a world-class player, and everyone pays the piper on that eventually. I'd say he's more regressed to about the spot where he should be. Analysis Overall, the Top 10 is a hair better than a year ago; 8.86 average rating compared to 8.85. Reimann and Copperfield left, replaced by Urazov and Przalowik. The replacement process will continue, players churning below the unreachable Ben Faille. Starting this year, I expect the French legend-in-the-making to put up some truly stupidly-dominant numbers.