Here is the current (October 12^th.) WTA rankings list:-

Points.            Events.               Slam wins.

1. Jankovic Jelena  Serbia  4555                 22                       0

2. Safina Dinara Russia    3782                  22                       0

3. Williams Serena USA    3717                 14                        9

4. Ivanovic Ana Serbia     3287                  17                        1

5. Dementiava Elena  Russia 3235            18                        0

6. Sharapova Maria  Russia  3040              12                       3

7. Kuznetsvia Svetlana  Russia  2835        20                        1

8. Zvonereva Vera  Russia     2372            24                        0

9. Williams Venus  USA       2247              12                        6

10. Radwanska Agnes  Poland   2126         23                         0

The tour ranking system is the cumulative total of the points earned by each player over the course of 52 weeks. The totals are from their individual showings from their best 17 tournaments. So if a player is knocked out in the first round and only earns 2 points, these 2 points will not appear in the total providing the player participates and places higher in their 18^th., 19^th., or 20^th. Events.

Points are awarded:-

Grand Slam Events. Winner 1000.

Runner up 700.

Semi 450.

Quarter 250

Tier One Events Winner 750.

Runner up 525.

Semi 325.

Quarter 185.

This may not be the best system, but it is the only system. It is designed to ensure that the best players participate in a maximum number of events. The fans want to see them, and the tournament organizers need them to boost ticket sales. It is conceivable for a player to win the four Grand Slam events for a total of 4000 points, yet still not be ranked as Number 1. It is also conceivable for a player to play in twenty four tournaments, win some and be runner up in some and never win a Major title and be placed Number 1 based on their point total. Such is the case with Jelena Jankovic. She is on a roll at the moment having won the last 3 tournaments she has played. She won 6-2, 6-4 over Zvonereva in the Kremlin Cup in Moscow, she won 6-3, 6-2 over Kuznetsvia in the China Open, and 6-4, 6-3 over Petrova in the Porsche Grand Prix in Germany. She is committed to play in Zürich next week, then after a short rest she will participate in the final event of the tear in Doha. A total of 24 events for 2008, and zero Grand Slam wins. Maybe the 2009 Australian Open will be her first.

If you take a look at the list of top ladies, only 5 have won Major tournaments, with 3 players accounting for 18 victories. Serena and Venus have won 15 between them, but together will have barely played as many events as some of the other women. Maria Sharapova who hasn’t played since July, has managed to hang on with her ranking, and she must realize that had she been healthy she would surely be ranked as number 1. These women players are a long way from following in the footsteps of the past tennis greats like Justine Henin, Martina Hingis, or Steffi Graf, and as one critic of the game wrote, “They wallow in a sea of mediocrity.”