Australia has a long and storied history with the sport of tennis. From Margaret Court to Lleyton Hewitt, some of the most iconic tennis stars of all time have grown up in the land down under.
2022 is no different either; there are a number of players who sit in the upper echelon of the rankings that will go on to inspire the next generation of the Australian tennis stars.
Read on as DMARGE takes you through the highest ranked Australian professional tennis players in the world today.
Rankings as of 25 October 2022
Nick Kyrgios
- ATP Rank: 20
Nick Kyrgios, the bad boy of professional tennis, is a Canberra native who is almost as well known for his antics on and off the court, as he is for his talent on the tennis court.
But whatever you think about the man, his amazing tennis ability is undeniable. He established himself on the world stage by defeating then world No. 1 ranked Rafael Nadal in his Wimbledon debut in 2014.
He is only the third player to have beaten tennis legends Nadal, Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic in the first time playing against them.
From there, he has gone on to win the men’s doubles with fellow Australian Thanasi Kokkinakis at the 2022 Australian Open and reach the singles final of Wimbledon that same year, eventually losing to the aforementioned Djokovic. He has won a total of seven career titles.
His ranking of 20 does not fully reflect how talented he is as a player, sometimes choosing to miss ATP events in favour of focusing on Grand slams.
After the US Open in 2022, he said. “I think pretty much every other tournament during the year is a waste of time really. You should just run up and show up at a Grand Slam. That’s what you’re remembered by.”
However, a solid result at the upcoming 2023 Australian Open could propel Kyrgios into the top-10 for the first time.
Alex de Minaur
- ATP Rank: 24
At the tender age of 23, Alex de Minaur has already established himself on the world stage as one of tennis’ brightest young talents.
Despite being born in Australia, he honed his craft in Alicante, Spain, his family moving there when he was only five years old. He is still very proud of being Australian though, getting a tattoo of the number 109 as he was 109th man to represent Australia in the Davis Cup.
He is famous for his speed and agility, earning him the aptly humorous title of ‘Speed Demon’.
The Sydney-born youngster has been ranked as high as No. 15 last year, having won six titles over the course of his ATP career. De Minaur’s best result in a Grand Slam is a quarter-final appearance in the 2020 US Open, bowing out to eventual winner Dominic Thiem.
He showed his potential again in 2022, reaching the fourth round of both the Australian Open and Wimbledon.
Will 2023 be the year that Alex de Minaur comes into his own?
Ajla Tomljanovic
- WTA Rank: 34
The highest ranked Australian in women’s singles, Ajla Tomljanovic as originally played for her country of birth, Croatia, before switching allegiances after she was granted Australian citizenship in 2018.
Tomljanovic was an accomplished junior player, winning the Australian Open girl’s doubles in 2009.
In her professional career, she has yet to win any WTA titles but has performed solidly in a number of Grand Slams, reaching the quarter final of Wimbledon and the US Open in 2022.
In the US Open tournament, she defeated former world No.1 and arguably the women’s singles GOAT Serena Williams. It was Williams’ last professional singles match, retiring after the tournament.
Tomljanovic said after the match, “I’m feeling really sorry, just because I love Serena just as much as you guys do. And what she’s done for me, for the sport of tennis, is incredible… she is the greatest of all time.”
She also used to date Nick Kyrgios for two years, with their relationship ending in 2017.
Daria Saville
- WTA Rank: 54
Like Tomljanovic, Daria Saville switched allegiances to play for Australia in 2015, after emigrating from Russia.
Saville used to play under her maiden name Gavrilova, until her marriage to fellow Australian tennis player Luke Saville. He influenced her decision to become an Aussie, with the pair getting married in 2021.
She has one singles title and three doubles titles on the WTA tour, having previously ranked as high as No. 20 in 2017. She has beaten a number of former Grand Slam champions including Maria Sharapova and Petra Kvitova.
Saville’s best results in Grand Slams include two fourth round appearances in the Australian open in 2016 and 2017.
Injuries have kept her out of the top of the rankings in 2021 and 2022, where at the moment she is recovering from tearing her ACL.
Let’s hope she can bounce back and have a big year in 2023.
Jordan Thompson
- ATP Ranking: 85
Sporting a thick moustache and long hair, Jordan Thompson is certainly recognisable on the court.
The Sydney native has reached as high as No. 43 in the ATP ranking, after a string of decent finishes in Grand Slam tournaments.
He reached the fourth round of the US Open in 2020 and the third round of Wimbledon in 2021. During the latter, he defeated current world No. 3 Caspar Ruud and former top-5 player Kei Nishikori.
In 2017, he won his only WTA tile in doubles, partner Thanasi Kokkinakis to become the first Australian duo to win the Brisbane International.
Top-10 ranked Australians in the ATP
| Player | Rank |
| Nick Kygrios | 20 |
| Alex de Minaur | 24 |
| Jordan Thompson | 85 |
| Thanasi Kokkinakis | 91 |
| Alexei Popyrin | 98 |
| Chirstopher O’Connell | 100 |
| Jason Kubler | 101 |
| James Duckworth | 114 |
| John Millman | 142 |
| Aleksandar Vukic | 145 |
Top-10 Ranked Australians in the WTA
| Player | Rank |
| Alja Tomljavonic | 34 |
| Daria Saville | 54 |
| Priscilla Hon | 152 |
| Jamiee Fourlis | 171 |
| Maddison Inglis | 195 |
| Olivia Gaedcki | 221 |
| Arina Rodionova | 227 |
| Astra Sharma | 230 |
| Storm Sanders | 232 |
| Kimberly Birell | 240 |
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