From world No.4 to No.147: The 10 tennis stars whose rankings collapsed in 2026

Twelve months ago, many of these players were Grand Slam contenders, top-10 regulars or rising stars expected to challenge for the sport's biggest titles. Today, several are outside the top 100, others are struggling simply to reach main draws, and all 10 have endured dramatic ranking collapses during the 2026 season.

Both injuries and inconsistent results have defined the ranking falls of names such as Emma Raducanu, Jack Draper, Grigor Dimitrov, and Zheng Qinwen. While some have been forced to spend long periods away from the courts, others have simply lost confidence due to their results. Their declines have major consequences, from tougher draws and qualifying tournaments to the risk of missing Grand Slams altogether. Zheng and Draper have suffered the biggest falls largely because of injuries, while Tsitsipas and Kasatkina have slipped because they have simply struggled to maintain the level that once made them elite players.

From a Grand Slam finalist and Olympic gold medalist to outside the top-100. In just a few years, Zheng went from being on the verge of reaching glory at major tournaments to not even securing direct qualification for the upcoming US Open main draw. Injuries have been a major complication for the Chinese player, but they have not been the only factor, as she has also struggled to find consistency on Tour over the last year.

After spending almost two years as a fixture inside the top-10, the last few months — heavily affected by her long absence from competition in 2025 — have resulted in a constant ranking decline. She recently dropped out of the top-100 and even outside the top-150 a few weeks ago.

Without qualifying for the Canadian Open, Cincinnati, or the US Open, the 23-year-old is now forced to play qualifying rounds to return to main draws at big tournaments, rely on wildcards, or search for ranking points at lower-level events. The immediate goal is simply returning to the top 100 before the end of the Asian swing.

The young French player emerged as one of the biggest surprises of 2025 after a remarkable run to the semifinals of Roland Garros. After years of dealing with injuries that kept her away from the courts, the Frenchwoman became the local hero — even defeating rivals such as Jessica Pegula and Mirra Andreeva along the way to reach the semifinals of a major tournament with a ranking of just No. 361.

A few weeks later, she won her first WTA 250 title at the Hamburg Open, and expectations around her continued to grow. However, injuries appeared again along with inconsistent results, and the 23-year-old spent several months sidelined this season.

In the few tournaments she has played, she has also failed to produce major results, collecting only one victory in nine matches so far this season. The recent weeks have been marked by a ranking decline, but she will have another opportunity at the US Open, where she will enter with a special ranking and could have a chance to add confidence and points to give her career a new boost.

Daria Kasatkina has lost her status on the WTA Tour over the last year after establishing herself as a consistent player among the best in the world. She reached the top-10 for the first time at 20 years old and had remained a regular seeded player at Grand Slam and WTA 1000 tournaments.

After reaching the top-10 at the beginning of 2025, her results progressively declined until she dropped outside the top-30. The eight-time champion (six WTA 500 titles) has not reached a final since late 2024 and has not gone beyond the third round at any WTA 1000 or Grand Slam tournament over the last year.

In recent months, she has even been forced to play qualifying rounds due to the lack of ranking points needed for direct entry into bigger events. Although she showed positive signs at Roland Garros and Wimbledon by reaching the third round at both tournaments, her struggles against elite opponents remain clear — with only two wins in her last 14 matches against top-20 players and just 8 victories in 30 matches against top-50 opponents since the start of 2025.

Emma Raducanu’s season has been bittersweet so far, alternating injuries and early defeats with some results that generated optimism. At the start of the season, she reached her first final since the 2021 US Open, although this time she did not lift the trophy after losing in Cluj-Napoca against local player Sorana Cirstea.

A few weeks ago, she reached her second final of the year at Queen’s, although this time Vekic was the one who denied the Brit the title.

Raducanu has an 11-10 record this season, and aside from the two finals she reached, early defeats have been a constant throughout the year, several of them coming in the opening round — something that appeared to have been left behind in 2025.

The 23-year-old had recovered her place inside the top-25 at the beginning of the year, but injuries and inconsistent results have made her fall in the rankings. Starting Monday, she will drop outside the top-50, while she waits for a few more weeks away from the courts before the US Open — where her return should take place if she is physically ready. The US Open now represents her biggest chance to stop another rankings slide.

Kenin is another case on the WTA Tour of an early success that she was unable to sustain over time. Winning the Australian Open 2020 title and then reaching the Roland Garros final that same year at just 21 years old suggested a brilliant future for the American, but it took her several years to re-establish herself near the top-30 — something she achieved during a remarkable 2025 season, finishing the year at No. 28.

Just a few months later, Kenin once again lost consistency and has now dropped outside the top-100. She has a 5-17 record this season (with only two victories in her last 11 matches) and a clear lack of confidence from the American.

She will have to play qualifying at the Canadian Open and Cincinnati in search of a place in the main draw, although as a former major champion she could have the possibility of receiving a wildcard.

Regardless, the most important thing for the 27-year-old is to start building victories again, or she will continue to see her ranking fall significantly in the coming weeks.

Just 16 months after lifting the Indian Wells trophy and reaching world No.4, Jack Draper now finds himself outside the world's top 140. The Brit broke through in 2025 by winning his first Masters 1000 title at Indian Wells and spent much of the season inside the top-5, looking like one of the few players capable of challenging the dominance of Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner.

However, injuries have completely changed his trajectory. After reaching world No. 4, Draper has struggled with a persistent right arm issue that has limited his appearances and prevented him from building momentum.

He has an 8-5 record this season, and although his level remains evident whenever healthy, his lack of continuity has pushed him down the rankings. His return at Eastbourne brought some optimism with a semifinal run, but another setback followed, leaving his US Open status as one of the biggest question marks of the hard-court swing. A healthy US Open could quickly change the trajectory of his season.

Grigor Dimitrov’s ranking collapse has been mainly marked by injuries. The Bulgarian suffered a major setback at Wimbledon 2025, where an injury forced him to retire and kept him away from competition for several months, making his return to the Tour much slower than expected.

After a difficult start to 2026 while rebuilding his rhythm and confidence, Dimitrov finally showed encouraging signs at Wimbledon, where he reached the fourth round and reminded everyone that his level remains dangerous when healthy. However, the long absence and lack of ranking points have caused a dramatic fall, pushing him down to No. 140. The hard-court swing and the US Open now represent a key opportunity for the former top player to continue his comeback and recover positions.

Stefanos Tsitsipas has struggled to maintain the level that made him one of the ATP Tour’s most consistent contenders for several years. After a long period inside the top-10, the Greek has suffered a significant drop in results, with early exits and inconsistent performances pushing him down the rankings and close to his lowest position in years.

There have been some positive signs recently, especially after winning his first title in 16 months at the Gstaad Open, which helped him climb back near the top-50.

His recent coaching change after separating from his father could also represent a new start, but the upcoming hard-court swing will be crucial. With the US Open approaching, Tsitsipas needs to prove that he can turn that momentum into consistent results against higher-ranked opponents and begin his return toward the elite positions.

Hubert Hurkacz has gone from one of the ATP Tour’s most reliable top-20 players to another established name searching for a comeback. The Pole reached world No. 6 in 2024, won multiple ATP titles, and became one of the most difficult opponents on fast surfaces thanks to his elite serve and aggressive style.

However, injuries and inconsistent results have caused a significant ranking decline, pushing him outside the top-70.

After dropping outside the top-100 a few weeks ago, Hurkacz has been trying to rebuild his confidence and has shown some encouraging performances, including a run to the fourth round at Wimbledon with wins over opponents such as Casper Ruud and Tommy Paul. The question now is whether he can maintain that level during the hard-court swing and continue climbing back up the ATP rankings.

Sebastian Korda has struggled to continue the progress that once made him one of the most promising young players on the ATP Tour. The American reached a career-high world No. 15 in 2024 and appeared ready to become a regular contender at Masters 1000 tournaments and Grand Slams, but injuries and inconsistent results have slowed his momentum.

Korda had a strong start to the season, winning the title in Delray Beach, but after the Sunshine Double, an injury prevented him from continuing his momentum. He completely missed the clay-court and grass-court swings and has remained away from competition, now completing more than four months without an appearance. His return is expected at the Cincinnati Open in two weeks, where he will look to rebuild his rhythm and recover positions in the rankings.

Ranking collapses can happen quickly in modern tennis, but they can also be reversed just as fast. With the North American hard-court swing and the US Open still to come, these 10 players have one final opportunity to change the narrative before the 2027 season begins.