US Open 2024 tennis live updates: The latest from Day 2 with Jannik Sinner, Iga Swiatek and more in action today

When the Australian Open rolls around in January, it will be three years since world No. 9 Maria Sakkari last reached the fourth round of a Grand Slam. After her first-round exit to Wang Yafan on Monday, apparently due to a shoulder injury, Sakkari has failed to reach the last 16 in 11 consecutive majors.

The Greek was eliminated in the first round of five of these tournaments. However, since the beginning of October 2021, she has always been in the top 10 except for one week.

Perhaps the more relevant question is whether the points should be weighted more in favour of the Grand Slam tournaments in order to better reward results at the highest level.

Sakkari has earned her place in the rankings based on her overall performance over the past year, but it’s understandable why casual fans might find it baffling that a player can so consistently underperform at the biggest events without slipping in the rankings.