WTA GRAND SLAM RANKINGS

Welcome to our first ever WTA Grand Slam Rankings. While the official WTA rankings take into consideration a player's performance across all WTA events over the preceding 12 months, these rankings are specific to player results at the eight Grand Slam events that have taken place over the the past two full seasons. This is a thought experiment: how have the players performed at the sport's most prestigious tournaments, and what can we glean from this data?

No surprise Serena Williams tops these rankings (photo by Jonathan Newman)

HOW THE RANKINGS WORK

A player earns one point for each progressive round reached at a Grand Slam. For example, a fourth round result nets four points while a first round loss yields one. Bonus points are awarded once a player reaches the quarterfinal stage of a Slam. Simona Halep earned five points for making this year's U.S. Open quarters as well as one bonus point. Serena Williams scored six regular and two bonus points for making the semis (eight), while Angelique Kerber bagged the maximum 12 for winning the title (eight plus four bonus points).

1R - 1 pt
2R - 2 pts
3R - 3 pts
4R - 4 pts
QF - 5 pts (+ 1 bonus) = 6 pts
SF - 6 pts (+ 2 bonus) = 8 pts
F - 7 pts (+3 bonus) = 10 pts
W - 8pts (+4 bonus) = 12 pts

These rankings are intended as a bit of fun and to be taken with a grain of salt. While not official, they offer insight into the overall landscape of women's tennis. For example, who has earned the lion's share of her points from a single major tournament? Who has been more consistent at majors than expected? Have the top-ranked women performed to their ability at the Slams?

WHAT CAN WE DEDUCE FROM THE RANKINGS?

• No surprise that Serena Williams reigns supreme in Grand Slam tennis over the last 24 months. Of the past eight Slams, Williams has failed to make the final only twice, losing in the semifinals of the last two U.S. Opens. 
• Angelique Kerber is the official world #1 on the WTA Tour, a position that she has richly earned due to her two Slam wins in 2016 and overall exemplary play in other events. Given that these rankings span the last two seasons, Kerber only just grabs the #2 spot from Muguruza after winning the U.S. Open. The closeness between Kerber and Muguruza is owed to Kerber's five Slam losses before the fourth round during that time. 
• One of the big takeaways from these rankings is just how few players have consistently made the second week of Slams over the last two years; only 10 players have made at least four fourth round appearances: Serena, Muguruza, Keys, Radwanska, Venus, Halep, Makarova, Azarenka, Suarez Navarro, and Sharapova.
• Venus Williams, who made the fourth round at a Slam only once between 2011 and 2014, has made six of the last eight to land her at #6 in these rankings. At 36, the elder Williams is (incredibly) one of the most consistent Slam performers on the WTA. 
• Madison Keys is one of the big stories -- perhaps surprises -- of these rankings. She has been a picture of consistency, losing only once before the fourth round over the past eight Slams (2015 French Open third round).
• Ekaterina Makarova is the name that sticks out most in these Grand Slam rankings top 10. She has consistently outperformed her regular tour ranking in Grand Slams over the past two years. 
• What a difference one tournament makes: Caroline Wozniacki might not have made this list at all had it not been for her 2016 U.S. Open semifinal run.
• Roberta Vinci earned 16  of her 27 total points from the last two U.S. Opens. 
• Although this list only looks at active players, retired 2015 US Open champion Flavia Pennetta would have tied for #33 with 18 points, and that's without playing a single match in 2016.
• Where does Maria Sharapova fit into all of this? She is disqualified from these rankings while serving her suspension. However, she would have rounded out the top 20 with 22 points, in spite of earning  zero points from the last four Slams. 
• Of the players listed in these rankings, Serena, Kvitova, Muguruza, Keys, and Svitolina are the only women not to have lost in the first round of a Slam over the last two years. 
• Prior to this year's U.S. Open, Karolina Pliskova had never advanced past the third round of a Grand Slam. Like Wozniacki, her run at the final Slam made a world of difference to her place in these rankings.
• Biggest discrepancies between Grand Slam ranking and WTA ranking: Cibulkova (18->5), Pliskova (16->6), Kuznetsova (33->9), Ivanovic (21->63), Venus Williams (6->17), Makarova (9->30), Safarova (13->62).