[joao]

Does anyone know if Venus will be the 1st player being crowned for the 1st time #1, after having played only 15 tournaments??? With Dubai it will be her 16th tournament, but we all know now, that even without Dubai she would have been #1!!!

Thanks!

 

[Rollo]

No Joao-under the old "average" system many players were #1 with only 14 events, including Steffi Graf. The rule change in 1997 made that very difficult. Dubai will give Venus a cushion to perhaps hold onto the spot longer.

 

[Bright Red]

What about under the current system, Rollo? (apples to apples)

 

[Ted of Teds Tennis]

Well, the current system has only been Best 17 for just over a year. Before that, it was Best 18; in 1997, I believe *ALL* points were counted.

Having said that, I'm fairly certain that Hingis had the minimum number of events throughout 1999 and 2000; I *think* Davenport did in those small parts of the two years when she was #1.

João: I believe Venus has only played 14 events, not counting Dubai. Counting backwards, she had:

1) Antwerp
2) Paris
3) AO
4) Gold Coast
5) US Open
6) New Haven
7) San Diego
8) Stanford
9) Wimbledon
10) French Open
11) German Open
12) Hamburg
13) Key Biscayne
14) Indian Wells

Did I miss an event? Since I run a tennis web-site, I should hope not!

It's also interesting to note that in next week's rankings, five of the top six players will not have played the minimum 17 events. The only exception will be #4 Clijsters, with 22 events.

--Ted