Golubic falls behind – For the first time since 1978: Switzerland is not represented in the tennis top 100 – Sport

In the last 46 years, there has always been at least one Swiss person in the top 100. Until October 14, 2024.

Most recently, Viktorija Golubic had company for two weeks: Alexander Ritschard broke into the top 100 for the first time in his career at the end of September thanks to his victory at the Challenger tournament in Lisbon as ATP number 99. At the same time, Golubic was able to maintain her place in the WTA top 100 as 97th.

In the new world rankings published on Monday, October 14th, the two Zurich tennis professionals are now missing from the top 100. Golubic’s points for her victory at the Challenger tournament in Rouen (FRA) last year were removed from the rankings, which meant she was lowered in the ranking Lost 27 positions. Ritschard lost the points for his Challenger semi-final entry in Fairfield (USA) and thus lost 8 places.

In May 2019, a women’s quintet was in the top 100

Golubic’s descent means that for the first time since October 2, 2011, there is no Swiss woman in the top 100 of the WTA rankings. At that time, Romina Oprandi, as the best Swiss woman, was just outside the top 100 tennis players in the world.

On October 3, 2011, the Bernese woman was again ranked 100th. And since then there has always been at least one Swiss woman in the top 100. In May 2019, five Swiss women, Belinda Bencic, Golubic, Jil Teichmann, Timea Bacsinszky and Stefanie Vogele, were among the 100 best tennis players at the same time.

For men, before Ritschard’s rise, there was no Swiss in the top 100 for around two and a half months. This had hardly happened once in the previous 50 years. Not least thanks to exceptional players such as Heinz Günthardt, Jakob Hlasek, Marc Rosset, Roger Federer and Stan Wawrinka, Switzerland was always represented in the top 100 at the ATP from February 1978 to August 2022.

The Swiss series ends after 46 years and 8 months

Now there is an almost unique situation for Swiss tennis. From February 13, 1978, when the former SRF tennis expert Günthardt cracked the ATP top 100 for the first time in his career, until last Sunday, at least one Swiss man or woman was always in the top 100. Only in the early days of the two world rankings – the ATP has had them since 1973, the WTA since 1975 – was there a constellation without Swiss participation at the top.

Of course, this situation does not have to last. However, it will be almost impossible for Golubic to make it back into the top 100 in 2024. Next week she will lose another 140 points for her victory last year at the ITF tournament in Shrewsbury (GBR). And even Ritschard still has 32 points to defend by the end of the year. On Saturday, the 30-year-old failed in the first qualifying round in Stockholm.

Given the current situation, Bencic’s upcoming comeback comes at just the right time. The former world number 4 would like to fight her first serious fights again after her maternity break in November at the Billie Jean King Cup. Bencic wants to return to the tour in 2025 – and hopefully get back into the top 100 soon.