[Rollo]

1998

John Barrett-The Financial Times, London
1. Davenport
2. Hingis
3. Novotna
4. Sanchez-Vicario
5. V. Williams
6. Seles
7. Pierce
8. Martinez
9. Graf
10. Tauziat
= Schnyder

[Rollo]

1999

John Barrett-The Financial Times, London
1. Hingis
2. Davenport
3. S. Williams
4. V. Williams
5. Graf
6. Pierce
7. Seles
8. Tauziat
9. Schett
10. Halard

[Rollo]

2000

[Rollo]

2001

[Rollo]

2002

[Rollo]

2003

[Rollo]

2004

[Rollo]

I added one to 1968. We can also put year-end computer rankings in here. If you want to send rankings you can post them here or send me a PM

[chris whiteside]

Tennis World Rankings

Began 1953.

1 Connolly
2 Hart
3 Fry
4 Brough
5 duPont
6 Knode
7 Long
8 Fletcher
9 Gibson
10 Mortimer

1954

1 Connolly
2 Hart
3 Fleitz
4 Brough
5 Pratt
6 Fry
7 Breit
8 Hard
9 Mortimer
10 Mottram

1955

1 Hart
2 Brough
3 Fleitz
4 Mortimer
5 Penrose
6 Ward
7 Knode
8 Breit
9 Hard
10 Fry


1956

1 Fry
2 Gibson
3 Mortimer
4 Brough
5 Buxton
6 Bloomer
7 Pratt
8 Kormoczy
9 Knode
10 Long


1957

1 Gibson
2 Brough
3 Knode
4 Bloomer
5 Hard
6 Fageros
7 Truman
8 Haydon
9 Mortimer
10 Long


1958

1 Gibson
2 Fleitz
3 Kormoczy
4 Hard
5 Mortimer
6 Knode
7 Truman
8 Bueno
9 Bloomer
10 Coghlan

the next five in no particular order were : Haydon, Long, Arth, Hopps, Moore.


1959

1 Bueno
2 Truman
3 Fleitz
4 Reynolds
5 Mortimer
6 Hard
7 Haydon
8 Schuurman
9 Ramirez
10 Knode


1960

1 Bueno
2 Hard
3 Haydon
4 Truman
5 Reynolds
6 Kormoczy
7 Mortimer
8 Lehane
9 Hantze
10 Knode

next five but in no particular order: Brasher, Ramirez, Smith, Schuurman and Vukovich.

[chris whiteside]

Wallis Myers Myers London Daily Telegraph

I'll put in full names and country since many might not be known to us.

1921

1 Suzanne Lenglen France
2 Mola Mallory US
3 Mary Browne US
4 Elizabeth Ryan US
5 Kitty McKane England
6 May Sutton Bundy US
7 Irene Peacock ND (Netherlands)?
8 Geraldine Beamish England
9 Eleanor Goss US
10 Marion Zinderstein Jessup US


1922

1 Suzanne Lenglen France
2 Mola Mallory US
3 Helen Wills US
4 Kitty McKane England
5 Geraldine Beamish England
6 Irene Peacock ND
7 Elizabeth Ryan US
8 Marion Zinderstein Jessup US
9 May Sutton Bundy US
10 Margaret Molesworth Australia


1923

1 Suzanne Lenglen France
2 Kitty McKane England
3 Helen Wills US
4 Geraldine Beamish England
5 Mola Malory US
6 Eleanor Goss US
7 Elizabeth Ryan US
8 Didi Vlasto France
9 Leslie Bancroft US (Man's spelling)?
10 Margaret Molesworth Australia

[chris whiteside]

That Kaiser list for 1968 was brill, Rollo!! Thanks.

Full Seagram list for 1968.

15 top International Tennis Correspondents from around the world were asked to submit their world rankings for 1968 and the lists were amalgamated.

Panellists included:

Alan Trengove Australian Sun News Pictorial
Joseph McCauley World Tennis Magazine (who suspended their own rankings)
Steve Snider United Press International
Gerald Williams London Daily Mail
Judith Elian L'Equipe - France
George McCann Australian Consolidated Press
Fred Tupper New York Times

1 Billie Jean King 149 points
2 Nancy Richey 118
3 Margaret Court 116
4 Virginia Wade 113
5 Ann Jones 92
6 Judy Tegart 76
7 Maria Bueno 66
8 Annette du Plooy 36
9 Lesley Bowrey 26
10 Rosemary Casals 22

Others who received votes were: Julie Heldman 3pts, Gail Sherriff 3, Kathy Harter 3, Francoise Durr 2 and Peaches Bartkowicz 1.

I think you could say that was a pretty definitive list and would be hard to argue with. Interestingly one person did not give King the No. 1 placing. I wonder who that was? And to whom they gave it?

But what I think it exposes is Lance Tingay's list. Obviously there was a great bunfight for #2 Tingay (and Collins) both gave this to Wade, Tingay because she won Forest Hills but can you ignore a first round defeat at Wimbledon plus other results, at best, no worse than the others in the top 4. If you want to argue that winning the USO makes you No. 2 that's fine but then by the same standard.Karen Susman should be No. 1 in 1962. What really exposes his list is the placing of Bueno at #4 (also Collins with Bueno at #5) - ahead of Court who on average is over 3 places ahead on every panellist's list, Jones over 1.5 places ahead and Tegart only 0.67 ahead on average but showing clear water. This is what makes me very iffy about Tingay's rankings which are now almost regarded as "semi-official".

Other lists for 1968.

Lance Tingay

1 King
2 Wade
3 Richey
4 Bueno
5 Court
6 Jones
7 Tegart
8 Du Plooy
9 Bowrey
10 Casals

Bud Collins

1 King
2 Wade
3 Richey
4 Court
5 Bueno
6 Jones
7 Tegart
8 Bowrey
9 du Plooy
10 Casals

And then the joker in the pack.

Rino Tommasi.

1 King
2 Court
3 Richey
4 Wade
5 Tegart
6 Bowrey
7 du Plooy
8 Jones
9 Bueno
10 Durr

I have looked at the results for that year backwards, upside down, inside out, win-loss percentages any way you like and there is just no explanation for how Bowrey and du Plooy could possibly be ranked ahead of Jones and Bueno.

Someone you know rather unkindly suggested that Tommasi ranked with his thoughts below his belt and quite honestly it's the only explanation which sounds plausible!

[Rollo]

I added in those rankings Chris-slowly but surely more will come.


LOL@ your Rino Tomasi aside

[chris whiteside]

1924

Wallis Myers London Daily Telegraph

1 Suzanne Lenglen France
2 Kitty McKane England
3 Helen Wills US
4 Mola Mallory US
5 Mary K. Browne US
6 Eleanor Goss US
7 Elizabeth Ryan US
8 Phylis Satherthwaite England
9 Marion Zinderstein Jessup US
10 Sylvia Lance Australia


1925

1 Suzamme Lenglen France
2 Helen Wills US
3 Kitty McKane England
4 Elizabeth Ryan US
5 Mola Bjurstecht Mallory US
6 Eleanor Goss US
7 D. Douglass Chambers England
8 Joan Fry England
9 Marguerite Bil;out France
10 Marion Zinderstein Jessup US


1926

1 Suzanne Lenglen France
2 Kitty McKane Godfree England
3 Lili de Alvarez Spain
4 Mola Bjurstecht US
5 Elizabeth Ryan US
6 Mary K. Browne England
7 Joan Fry England
8 Phoebe Holcroft Watson England
9 ?
10=Marion Zinderstein Jessup US
Didi Vlasto France

1927

1 Helen Wills US
2 Lili de Alvarez Spain
3 Elizabeth Ryan US
4 Mola Bjurstecht US
5 Kitty Godfree England
6 Betty Nuthall England
7 Bobbie Heine South Africa
8 Joan Fry England
9 Kaa Bouman Netherlands
10 Charlotte Hosmet Chapin US


1928

1 Helen Wills US
2 Lili de Alvarez Spain
3 Daphne Akhurst Australia
4 Eileen Bennett England
5 Phoebe Holcroft Watson England
6 Elizabeth Ryan US
7 Cilly Aussem Germany
8 Kaa Bouman Netherlands
9 Helen Jacobs US
10 Esna Boyd Australia


1929

1 Helen Wills Moody US
2 Phoebe Holcroft Watson England
3 Helen Jacobs US
4 Betty Nuthall England
5 Bobbie Heine South Africa
6 S. Passemand Mathieu France
7 Eileen Bennett England
8 Paula von Reznicek Germany
9 Peggy Saunders Michel England
10 Elsie Goldsack England

1930

1 Helen Wills Moody US
2 Cilly Aussem Germany
3 Phoebe Holcroft Watson England
4 Elizabeth Ryan US
5 S. Passemand Mathieu France
6 Helen Jacobs US
7 Phylis Mudford England
8 Lili de Alvarez Spain
9 Betty Nuthall England
10 Hilde Krahwinkel Germany
2

[Rollo]

Added Chris contributions Chris! and posted two for 1934 with comments.

[chris whiteside]

Originally Posted by Rollo

1935

Pierre Gillou-President of the French Federation
1. Helen Wills-Moody (US)
2. Helen Jacobs (US)
3. Hilde Sperling (Denmark)
4. Joan Hartigan (Australia)
5. Simone Mathieu (France)
6. Kay Stammers (GB)
7. Dorothy Round (GB)
8. Sarah Palfrey-Fabyan (US)
9. Ethel Burkhardt-Arnold (US)
10. Jadwiga Jedrejoska (Poland)

Wallis Myers of the Daily Mail
1. H. Wills
2. H. Jacobs
3. Kay Stammers
4. H. Sperling
5. Palfrey-Fabyan
6. D. Round
7. Mrs. Arnold
8. Mathieu
9. J. Hartigan
10. Peggy Scriven (GB)

A comment or two from Lawn Tennis and Badminton, a British publication. "The value of such lists has often been doubted in some quarters, and there can be no denying that they raise controversy." ...."suggestions have been made from time to time that the International Tennis Federation should issue an official "World" list."

Hughes points out some difficulties in a women's list. Hilde Sperling did not an entire set all year outside of Wimbledon-her lone loss being to Helen Jacobs at the Championships-yet she ranks no higher than 4th on Myer's list. He asks. "is it fair in drawing up a world classification to attacj too much weight to the Wimbledon and American results."

Hughes proposed solution is two lists: one for grass and one for hard [clay] courts.

Sounds to me like the same debate for 1964 and 87.