Kunieda, De Groot and Alcott crowned 2020 year-end No.1s
Japan’s Shingo Kunieda, Diede De Groot of the Netherlands and Australian Dylan Alcott have ended the 2020 season as the ITF UNIQLO Wheelchair Tennis Tour’s year-end world No.1s.
Kunieda has now held the year-end No.1 ranking in nine seasons since first doing so in 2007, second only to Esther Vergeer’s record of 13 consecutive year from 2000-2012. For De Groot, this marks the third year in succession she has topped the rankings at the end of the season, while it is the fifth year that Alcott has ended the year as world No.1 after doing so in 2015, 2016, 2018 and 2019.
With playing opportunities in 2020 curtailed by the Covid-19 pandemic, the ITF modified the UNIQLO Wheelchair Tennis Tour ranking criteria to provide fairness to players to the greatest extent possible, while also keeping the familiar concept of the rankings. Considerations were also made to ensure a fair approach for qualification for the Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games that recognises results achieved during the original qualification period.
As a result, the ranking period is currently extended back to March 2019 and will rise to 104 weeks by March 2021. Players’ rankings are currently comprised of their best seven (quad), eight (women’s) or nine (men’s) results in that time, with only the best result taken from each tournament in instances where it has been played twice. This temporary measure, introduced when play resumed at the 2020 US Open, will be phased out to return to a standard 52-week ranking by March 2022.
You can find more information on the UNIQLO Wheelchair Tennis Tour ranking changes here.
Kunieda became the most decorated wheelchair tennis Grand Slam champion in history in 2020, equalling Vergeer’s 44 singles and doubles major titles with victory at the Australian Open before setting a new record with his 45th at the US Open.
The 36-year-old, who first topped the men’s singles rankings back in 2006, only lost twice in 2020 and to just one player, beaten by Belgium’s Joachim Gerard at the Melbourne Wheelchair Tennis Open and Roland Garros, while his 6-3 3-6 7-6(1) victory over Alfie Hewett in the US Open final avenged his loss to the Briton in New York a year earlier.
With victory at the Tweed Heads International to open a Covid-affected campaign, Kunieda reassumed the year-end top spot from Gustavo Fernandez, the Argentine ending the year at No.2 ahead of Hewett and Gerard.
“I am excited to be back as year-end world No.1 for the first time since 2018,” Kunieda said. “This is a challenging year for everybody, but I really appreciate the ITF and all tournament organisers for making the Wheelchair Tennis Tour happen despite the difficult circumstances. I cannot wait for the 2021 season and the Tokyo Paralympics!”
De Groot set the highest of bars for herself in 2020 after ending the previous season with seven of the eight women’s singles and doubles Grand Slam titles to her name, as well as her NEC Wheelchair Singles Masters and UNIQLO Doubles Masters victories. Having competed exclusively at the majors in 2020, over the past 12 months she has defended her US Open singles and Roland Garros doubles crowns.
“It has been such a strange year for all of us,” De Groot said. “I am happy to maintain my No.1 position but I am also aware it hasn’t been under normal circumstances. I think we are all looking forward to more tournaments and more matches in 2021.”
Alcott became the first quad player to claim 10 Grand Slam singles titles with his sixth Australian Open triumph in January, adding an 11th when he defended his Roland Garros crown shortly after reaching the US Open final, where he finished runner-up to Netherlands’ Sam Schroder - his only singles loss of the season.
With further titles at Tweed Heads and the French Riviera Open and Grand Slam doubles crowns claimed at the Australian and US Opens, Alcott ended the year with an 18-1 singles win-loss record and leads the rankings in front of Great Britain’s Andy Lapthorne, Schroder, and USA’s David Wagner.
“In such a strange year, it is a massive honour to finish the year as world No.1,” Alcott said. “A big thanks to my team and everyone who supports me. I also want to send my love to everyone who has done it tough in 2020. Let’s hope we can all keep working together and get ready for a – hopefully – brighter 2021!”
ITF President David Haggerty said: “Congratulations to Dylan Alcott, Diede De Groot and Shingo Kunieda for ending the year as world No.1s on the UNIQLO Wheelchair Tennis Tour rankings. They have all provided memorable moments despite the many challenges faced this year. We look forward to seeing them in action in 2021, on the UNIQLO Wheelchair Tennis Tour, at the Grand Slams and at the Paralympic Games in Tokyo.”