Welcome to Pete’s Power Rankings, where we paint a picture of the WTA Tour by looking at recent results and ranking players based on their current form, rather than the WTA’s point system.
The power rankings will be updated weekly all the way up to the Omnium Banque Nationale.
Another slam, another unique women’s tournament.
We are now halfway through Wimbledon 2021 and, as usual, the ladies singles draw has been full of surprises.
Through three slams this year, 22 different women have accounted for the 24 quarter-final spots.
Again, the only thing predictable about women’s tennis is the unpredictability.
With that in mind, here are the mid-Wimbledon WTA Power Rankings:
(Please note, rankings were made after Manic Monday but before Tuesday’s play and do not necessarily reflect quarter-final results)
*Asterisk denotes player is still active in the tournament.
PETE’S WTA TOUR POWER RANKINGS – Week of July 5, 2021
| 1. | Ashleigh Barty | Change: +1 | |
| 2021 Record: 32-6 (3 Titles) | Actual Rank: 1 | Last Week Result: Wimbledon – SF* |
The world number one has shown little signs of the injuries the dogged her through the end of the clay season, which bodes well for her, and poorly for the opposition, in the second week of Wimbledon.
Barty only dropped one set on her way to the quarter-final, that being a tiebreak in round one. She has also beaten some quality opposition, including French Open champion Barbora Krejcikova. She looks to be the person to beat at the All-England Club.
| 2. | Angelique Kerber | Change: +9 | |
| 2021 Record: 18-10 (1 Title) | Actual Rank: 28 | Last Week Result: Wimbledon – SF* |
After having not reached the quarter-final of a major since winning Wimbledon in 2018, Kerber is back in the last eight and is the only former champion left in the draw.
She has not had things all her own way in this tournament, needing to battle for some of her wins, but she has managed to dig deep when required to grit out some impressive victories. The three-time major champion looks to be near the top of her game.
| 3. | Aryna Sabalenka | Change: +7 | |
| 2021 Record: 34-10 (2 Titles) | Actual Rank: 4 | Last Week Result: Wimbledon – SF* |
FINALLY a quarter-final for Sabalenka. It was by no means easy, as the Belarusian needed three sets twice in her first four matches, but the second seed at Wimbledon finally put her power game together to reach the last eight at a Slam for the first time in her career.
And then she upped her level again to beat the red-hot Ons Jabeur to reach her first semi-final!
Is this the moment when Sabalenka takes over the tour?
| 4. | Ons Jabeur | Change: +4 | |
| 2021 Record: 33-11 (1 Title) | Actual Rank: 24 | Last Week Result: Wimbledon – QF |
Is there a better story this spring than Ons Jabeur?
The Tunisian’s great run on the grass just keeps getting better, as she became the first Arab woman to reach the quarter-finals of Wimbledon, doing so by beating three straight former slam winners in Venus Williams, Garbine Muguruza, and Iga Świątek all in a row.
She may have bowed out to Sabalenka in the quarter-finals, but it was still an incredible performance from Jabeur.
| 5. | Karolina Pliskova | Change: Return to List | |
| 2021 Record: 20-12 | Actual Rank: 13 | Last Week Result: Wimbledon – SF* |
Pliskova has been quietly solid in 2021, not making any big splashes but is usually good for a few wins.
Fittingly, she has quietly snuck up on everyone at Wimbledon, advancing all the way to the semi-finals without dropping a set. Wimbledon was the only slam where she had never reached the semi-final before, but she’s arguably been the best player at the tournament this year.
| 6. | Cori Gauff | Change: -3 | |
| 2021 Record: 31-12 (1 Title) | Actual Rank: 23 | Last Week Result: Wimbledon – R4 |
The Coco Gauff rise continued this year at the All-England Club as the 17-year-old reached the fourth round at Wimbledon for the second time in her career, doing so without dropping a set.
Sure, she lost to Kerber in round four, but Gauff has been one of the most consistent players on the tour over recent months, which is even more impressive given her age.
| 7. | Barbora Krejcikova | Change: – | |
| 2021 Record: 29-10 (2 Titles) | Actual Rank: 17 | Last Week Result: Wimbledon – R4 |
The French Open champion backed up her title run in Paris with an impressive performance in her debut at Wimbledon.
Krejcikova won her first two matches in straight sets before battling for a third-round win. Her tournament ended at the hands of the world number one Barty, but at the very least the Czech proved her win in Paris was no fluke.
| 8. | Iga Świątek | Change: -4 | |
| 2021 Record: 27-8 (2 Titles) | Actual Rank: 9 | Last Week Result: Wimbledon – R4 |
Any talk of Świątek being a clay-court specialist should have been silenced at Wimbledon. The Pole reached the fourth round with three convincing straight-set wins and looked very comfortable on the surface.
It took a superb effort from Jabeur to take her out in the last sixteen. Świątek should be considered a threat at any event on any surface going forward.
| 9. | Serena Williams | Change: -8 | |
| 2021 Record: 12-5 | Actual Rank: 8 | Last Week Result: Wimbledon – R1 |
The 2021 Championships quickly fell under a cloud on day two when Williams became the biggest victim of the slippery grass, falling and injuring herself just minutes into her first-round match, ultimately being forced to retire.
We do not know how serious the leg injury is, but given that it was Williams’ first injury retirement at a slam in 23 years, it must have been bad to force a warrior like Williams to stop playing.
| 10. | Elena Rybakina | Change: New to List | |
| 2021 Record: 19-13 | Actual Rank: 20 | Last Week Result: Wimbledon – R4 |
After another good run at a slam, you just cannot ignore Rybakina anymore. The Kazakhstani woman backed up her quarter-final run at the French Open by reaching the fourth round at Wimbledon, where she took Sabalenka to three sets.
While she has struggled in smaller events, her penchant for performing at the biggest events shows what she is truly capable of.
| 11. | Madison Keys | Change: New to List | |
| 2021 Record: 10-9 | Actual Rank: 27 | Last Week Result: Wimbledon – R4 |
Keys has been hovering on the edge of being a contender again for a while now, and while the breakthrough did not come at Wimbledon, she is starting to build some consistency.
She looked good at the All-England Club, not dropping a set on her way to the fourth round. Keys appears to be a player in the ascendency.
| 12. | Victoria Azarenka | Change: -6 | |
| 2021 Record: 15-5 | Actual Rank: 14 | Last Week Result: Wimbledon – R2 |
Azarenka will be disappointed with her three-set loss to Sorana Cirstea in the second round, especially given her good form over recent weeks.
If this loss was just a blip, she should still be in a good position for some good results on the summer hard courts, where she is more comfortable.
| 13. | Maria Sakkari | Change: -4 | |
| 2021 Record: 22-11 | Actual Rank: 18 | Last Week Result: Wimbledon – R2 |
It seems like it will take some time for Sakkari to translate her game to grass. The French Open semi-finalist failed to carry her momentum across the channel, falling in the second round of Wimbledon in straight sets.
However, it is too early to suggest the French Open run was just a flash in the pan, and Sakkari has had some success on the summer hard courts in the past. She is definitely worth keeping an eye on heading towards the Omnium Banque Nationale.
| 14. | Sofia Kenin | Change: -9 | |
| 2021 Record: 11-10 | Actual Rank: 6 | Last Week Result: Wimbledon – R2 |
The question heading into Wimbledon was which Kenin would show up: 2020 slam-winning Kenin? Or 2021 can’t-win-a-match Kenin. Well, it was closer to the latter as the young American lost in the second round to countrywoman Madison Brengle in straight sets.
Kenin is still ranked number six in the world and will have some good draws as a result, but unless her results improve, she will not be that high much longer.
| 15. | Karolina Muchova | Change: New to List | |
| 2021 Record: 17-6 | Actual Rank: 22 | Last Week Result: Wimbledon – QF |
Like Rybakina, Muchova seems to bring her best tennis to the slams. She reached her second major quarter-final of the season, after having reached the semis in Melbourne, and beat French Open runner-up Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova to do it. Pretty impressive.
Now Muchova just needs to find this level during the rest of the season. She has reached four total quarter-finals in 2021, two of them at slams.
Off the list:
- Belinda Bencic (Lost in Wimbledon R1)
- Garbine Muguruza (Lost in Wimbledon R3)
- Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova (Lost in Wimbledon R3)
- Petra Kvitova (Lost in Wimbledon R1)
