The leading Australian men have come exceptionally close to achieving a 42-year first in the latest ATP Tour singles rankings.
With Adam Walton making his top-100 debut this week, it means there are currently nine Australian men ranked inside the elite category.
James Duckworth sits just outside at world No.103, a mere seven ranking points shy of also holding a top-100 position.
> READ MORE: Walton leads rising Australians in latest rankings
It has been more than 42 years since 10 Australians featured inside the ATP Tour's top 100 in singles, with this last happening in the week of 4 January 1982.
| ATP Tour singles rankingsTop-ranked Australians | |||
| January 1982 | May 2024 | ||
| Player | Rank | Player | Rank |
| Peter McNamara | No.10 | Alex de Minaur | No.11 |
| Mark Edmondson | No.20 | Jordan Thompson | No.37 |
| John Fitzgerald | No.60 | Alexei Popyrin | No.51 |
| John Alexander | No.61 | Chris O'Connell | No.64 |
| Phil Dent | No.62 | Rinky Hijikata | No.78 |
| Rod Frawley | No.71 | Max Purcell | No.92 |
| Kim Warwick | No.84 | Aleksandar Vukic | No.93 |
| Paul McNamee | No.89 | Adam Walton | No.95 |
| David Carter | No.93 | Thanasi Kokkinakis | No.98 |
| Chris Johnstone | No.97 | James Duckworth | No.103 |
This effort highlights the increasing depth in Australian men's tennis.
This is even more pronounced when considering there were only four Australian men ranked inside the world's top 100 this time 10 years ago, with Lleyton Hewitt leading the way at world No.44.
By May 2019, the number of top-100 Australian men had increased to six.
Australia is now one of the most heavily represented among the 30 nations boasting top-100 men's singles players. Only the USA, with 11 players, currently has more.
| Most top-100 players by nation(as of 20 May 2024) | |
| Nation | Players |
| USA | 11 |
| Australia | 9 |
| France | 9 |
| Italy | 9 |
| Argentina | 7 |
> READ MORE: Fourteen Australians to contest qualifying at Roland Garros 2024
Find your way to play: Visit play.tennis.com.au to get out on court and have some fun!