Enormous ranking rises for Maya Joint and Ajla Tomljanovic were among the many improvements for our stars in a banner year for Australian tennis in 2024.
5 December 2024 | Jackson Mansell
Women’s singles
Olivia Gadecki became the new Australian No.1 woman in September, following her finals run in Guadalajara. This included her first win over a top-20 opponent, when she defeated AO 2022 finalist Danielle Collins in straight sets.
It also saw the 22-year-old debut in the top 100, and compared to her year-end ranking in 2023 Gadecki improved 36 spots by the end of the 2024 season.
The biggest riser in that same 12-month span, however, was Maya Joint.
The 18-year-old climbed a staggering 655 spots to end 2024 at world No.118, helped by progressing to the quarterfinal stage at 17 tournaments. Her best results were three ITF finals (she won two) and a WTA 125 final.
Ajla Tomljanovic re-entered the top 100 this season after missing most of 2023 due to injury. Her Hong Kong WTA 125 title in September helped the 31-year-old end the year as world No.108 – an annual improvement of 441 places.
Talia Gibson and Maddison Inglis both had significant climbs up the WTA rankings after strong results on the Australian Pro Tour.
Gibson neared a top-100 debut after winning 17 straight matches across September and October, a run taking in three trophies across Perth and Cairns.
Four Pro Tour finals plus victory at the ITF 100 event in Tokyo helped propel Inglis to the fringe of the top 150, her highest ranking in 15 months. She ended the season at world No.151, an increase of 126 spots in the past 12 months.
| AUSSIE TOP 10 | ||
| Player | Year-end rank | Move |
| Olivia Gadecki | No.96 | +36 |
| Daria Saville | No.106 | +100 |
| Ajla Tomljanovic | No.108 | +441 |
| Kimberly Birrell | No.114 | +1 |
| Maya Joint | No.118 | +655 |
| Talia Gibson | No.140 | +161 |
| Maddison Inglis | No.151 | +126 |
| Arina Rodionova | No.164 | -16 |
| Priscilla Hon | No.167 | +43 |
| Taylah Preston | No.169 | +75 |
Men’s singles
The Australian men’s contingent starred in 2024, achieving a 42-year first. Not since 1982 had there been 10 Australians inside the ATP top 100.
Alex de Minaur was the leader of that pack, ending the season inside the top 10 for the first time. He cracked that bracket in the opening week of the 2024 season when at the United Cup he became the third Aussie to defeat Novak Djokovic.
After reaching his first Wimbledon quarterfinal, De Minaur achieved a career-high ranking of world No.6….
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