Serena Williams, the 13-time grand slam winner, has plummeted to 175th on the WTA list, her lowest spot since 1997.
The former No 1 was ranked 25th entering Wimbledon after missing nearly a full year because of a series of health scares and her failure to defend her title at the All England Club meant she lost significant rankings points.
Her lost to Marion Bartoli in the fourth round effectively led to the 150-place slide yesterday.
Her older sister, Venus, who also lost in the fourth round last week, went from 30th to 34th, meaning that Bethanie Mattek-Sands, who stayed at 31st after a first-round Wimbledon exit, is the highest ranked US woman.
The last time someone other than one of the Williams sisters was the top American in the WTA rankings was January 2007, when Lindsay Davenport was ahead of them.
Caroline Wozniacki stayed at No 1 despite losing in the fourth round last week.
Petra Kvitova, the Wimbledon champion, rose one spot to No 7, while Maria Sharapova, the runner-up, also moved up one place, to No 5.
Novak Djokovic rose to No 1 in the ATP rankings, meaning for the first time in nearly seven years a man other than Rafael Nadal or Roger Federer tops the rankings.
"Times are changing," Djokovic said yesterday. "It's good for the sport, I think, to have some new faces."
Federer first took the top place in 2004, and he or Nadal had been No 1 every week since.
"They have made me improve," Djokovic said. "They have made me a better player. Any athlete in the world dreams of being No 1 of the world. This is something that gives us a lot of motivation. So finally, when you really do it, and when you know that you're the best, it's just an amazing achievement."
Bernard Tomic, the Australian who became the youngest man to reach the quarter-finals at the grass court event since Boris Becker won a second consecutive Wimbledon title in 1986, leapt from 158th to a career-high 71st.
* Associated Press
Tennis spotlight, s10
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Game Changer
Director: Shankar
Stars: Ram Charan, Kiara Advani, Anjali, S J Suryah, Jayaram
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Financial considerations before buying a property
Buyers should try to pay as much in cash as possible for a property, limiting the mortgage value to as little as they can afford. This means they not only pay less in interest but their monthly costs are also reduced. Ideally, the monthly mortgage payment should not exceed 20 per cent of the purchaser’s total household income, says Carol Glynn, founder of Conscious Finance Coaching.
“If it’s a rental property, plan for the property to have periods when it does not have a tenant. Ensure you have enough cash set aside to pay the mortgage and other costs during these periods, ideally at least six months,” she says.
Also, shop around for the best mortgage interest rate. Understand the terms and conditions, especially what happens after any introductory periods, Ms Glynn adds.
Using a good mortgage broker is worth the investment to obtain the best rate available for a buyer’s needs and circumstances. A good mortgage broker will help the buyer understand the terms and conditions of the mortgage and make the purchasing process efficient and easier.
Another way to earn air miles
In addition to the Emirates and Etihad programmes, there is the Air Miles Middle East card, which offers members the ability to choose any airline, has no black-out dates and no restrictions on seat availability. Air Miles is linked up to HSBC credit cards and can also be earned through retail partners such as Spinneys, Sharaf DG and The Toy Store.
An Emirates Dubai-London round-trip ticket costs 180,000 miles on the Air Miles website. But customers earn these ‘miles’ at a much faster rate than airline miles. Adidas offers two air miles per Dh1 spent. Air Miles has partnerships with websites as well, so booking.com and agoda.com offer three miles per Dh1 spent.
“If you use your HSBC credit card when shopping at our partners, you are able to earn Air Miles twice which will mean you can get that flight reward faster and for less spend,” says Paul Lacey, the managing director for Europe, Middle East and India for Aimia, which owns and operates Air Miles Middle East.
Mobile phone packages comparison
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Director: Ismael Ferroukhi
Stars: Zakaria Inan, Sabrina Ouazani
3 stars