Frequent Questions About the Psycho-World Rankings

1. How are the rankings compiled? 

Psychological performance data has been compiled on most ATP top 200 players since 1990 when I first established a system for analyzing the mental game of tennis players. Until 1998 I annually attended at least 20 ATP tour events and all Grand Slam tournaments. I have compiled the largest database on the psychological performance of professional tennis players. This database consists of match analyses protocols, videotapes, player interviews, personal encounters and inside knowledge of numerous players, interviews with coaches, agents, and journalists, press conference observations, data provided by numerous tour insiders, and official ATP match statistics and rankings.

2. Are the rankings objective? 

The psycho-rankings are based for the most part on qualitative research methods. When studying a “subject” mostly from a distance, one has to search for clues and information that fits well operationalized (defined) research criteria. Thus, the rankings are based on criteria, having both subjective and objective elements. Objective criteria consists of actual ATP ranking, tournament record, performance in statistical categories that reflect mental toughness (e.g., break points converted), and complete match analyses using a quantitative and qualitative method to assess psychological performance. In any event the criteria I have developed to establish a measure of mental toughness goes well beyond merely making statements or speculating about a player’s mental toughness.  

3. What do the players think of my rankings?  

Once Andreas Mauer, the coach of Marc-Kevin Goellner confronted me in Estoril about some general issue. During our conversation he said he was surprised that I ranked Goellner in the top ten, so he obviously noticed the rankings. Similarly when Jan Siemerink was # 10 a few years ago, his coach Tjerk Bogstra, used it to show the Dutch press that there was more to Siemerink’s mental game than met the eye. Also Michael Stich’s agent was pleased when his client ranked #1 in the 1993 Psychorankings. Jim Courier actually posed for a picture and accepted an award for being the first Psycho-#1 in 1991.  

Special Considerations in Compiling the Rankings

1. Players are measured and compared against their own potential, not against other players. Therefore, major psychological improvement in an individual is heavily weighed in the final analysis.

2. Lower-ranked players on the ATP computer can be ranked higher psychologically than higher ranked players since the Psycho-rankings factor out physical and technical skills, rewarding significantly overcoming physical and technical limitations.

Former number ones, Pete Sampras and Andre Aggasi couldn't crack the top ten in this year's rankings

3. Moreover, top players often have established a very high standard of psychological toughness against which they are constantly measured. Thus, if they do not live up to their best level of psychological performance or mental toughness they can be devalued in the Psychological World Rankings.

4. Players who have overcome physical limitations, made comebacks, learned proficiently, or accomplished goals despite technical and tactical limitations have a better chance of being rated higher than players who are assumed to be the most mentally "tough."

5. The ratio of physical/technical to psychological performance is calculated on the basis of an elaborate system of observation containing the criteria below. Data are acquired from actual matches, off the court observations, scouting reports, and interviews. The psychological proficiency of a player is derived using a complex system of point, game, set, and match analysis. 

Although it may appear that a ratio skewed in favor of the psychological side of the game would indicate that a player possesses more mental toughness this is not necessarily the case. Ideally, a player would have balance between the physical and mental sides of the game or a 50:50 ratio. Players with a ratio skewed in favor of the physical side of the game cannot attain a ranking in the top-10. The ratio afforded player is only part of the total evaluation. Consequently, a 50:50 could be ranked higher than a 90:10 player or vice versa since other qualitative factors are also considered. The ratios merely provide a ballpark rating of one aspect of mental toughness. 

Psychological Rankings Categories

1. Motor Skills: talent, speed, agility, power, quickness
2. Mental Discipline: work ethic, staying power, endurance
3. Determination: fighting spirit, ability to come back
4. Motivation: the desire to excel, energy level
5. Learning Ability: learning new tactics/technique
6. Tennis Intelligence: strategic ability, savvy
7. Self-Confidence: belief in one's ability
8. Emotions: using emotions to one's advantage
9. Concentration: focused attention, deep absorption
10. Personality Factors

The 2001 Psychological World Rankings - The Men

1. Lleyton Hewitt

Rarely has the actual number 1 in the ATP rankings occupied the top spot in the Psychological World Rankings. Past ATP number 1 ranked players usually have had the big game but were not really the mentally toughest of them all. ATP number one players tend to have a Mental/Physical-Technical Ratio skewed in favor of the latter aspect of the game, along the lines of 70:30 or 60:40. Players with a dominating physical game usually rely on their actual game to bolster up their mental game. In other words, their mental toughness is predicated on their physical game not the other way around. 

In the case of Hewitt we see the consummate mentally tough player in possession of a 70:30 or even 80:20 ratio in favor of the mental side. Here we see a player who lives and thrives because of his mental game. We have seen his mental qualities emerge over the last few years (see last years rankings below) and grow to new dimensions this past season. His ability to win against the big boys and play his best tennis under pressure was amazing this year.

Hewitt’s entire game is built on the premise and condition that he must be mentally ready or he’ll perish. Like no other player since Chang and Muster, Hewitt must be at the top of his mental game all of the time to win. If he lets down for an instance, he’s always in danger of losing. Preventing this requires optimum preparation, a constant high level of motivation, and the determination to go the distance, knowing he’ll have to play long matches until players of lesser mental stature are worn down and even normally mentally tough players have succumbed to Hewitt. Combine this with top tennis intelligence and learning ability and you have a mental champion.  

2. Sebastian Grosjean

Grosjean climbs from 8 to 2 in the rankings. Recently we are seeing the more diminutive players emerging as the mental giants. Grosjean’s run at the end of this year qualified him for the ATP finals in Sydney. During the fall stretch he had to win Paris on a medium to fast indoor surface against some of the biggest guns in tennis. He also had an incredible opening tournament at the Australian Open, an extension on a very good 2000 season, in which he also emerged as a top mental player in my eyes and according to my evaluation system. In fact, his 2000 season earned him a spot in my 2000 rankings, something a few French journalists questioned. I don’t think they are questioning anymore. 

Grosjean has always been neglected and slighted by the French Federation and media, mainly because the French used a formula to predict the success of a player and Grosjean did not fit the profile, he was thought too small for the modern game, hence no real support or financial aid was forthcoming despite a very good junior record. Watch out when you slight a little guy. Think of football’s Doug Flutie, remember basketball’s Spud Webb or Calvin Murphy, or baseball’s Freddie Patek or Mike Mussina, who many thought was too small to be a big-time pitcher. The little guy, especially in today’s tennis really does have to fight harder. The experience of being slighted along the way also leaves its impression, it motivates and drives the physically disadvantaged to fight harder, become faster, and mentally tough. Grosjean is an 80:20 mental over physical player who did some very impressive and psychologically tough things in 2001. 

3. Tommy Haas

Here we have a physical and technical specimen who has had a roller-coaster like career. Like many talented players with a complete big game, Haas has experienced fluctuating motivation and the desire to taste the sweet life. However, consistent with the ranking criteria of the Psychological World Rankings, players who make major positive turnarounds are recognized and rewarded in the rankings. 

Haas turned a potentially dismal year into a photo-finish almost making the final 8 were it not for that pesky Frenchman Grosjean. Haas’ return to his former coach after becoming known as the “coach eater” gave him new stability and familiarity with that old school that helped him get to the top of the tennis world (Bollettieri Academy). 

Once a talented player (Haas is a 60:40, 70:30 physical player usually) is focused on the task-at-hand they are dangerous and tend to feed off their success. Haas’s ability to break his free fall (yes he likes to parachute) into a potential tennis abyss earns him a top spot in this year’s rankings, a year in which he had to call on his mental ability to get back in gear (ending the year at about 65:35 mental over physical). 

4. Goran Ivanisevic

Talk about rising from the dead, Ivanesevic’s Wimbledon miracle stunned the tennis world. Not only did Goran demonstrate one of the all-time playing and ranking comebacks in history, he also demonstrated one of the greatest mental performances ever. 

Knowing Goran’s psyche fairly intimately, having analyzed him numerous times throughout his career, I was as shocked as most to see him win tennis’ grand prize. Considering he has been playing with a bum shoulder the last few years it was more remarkable that he could summon up the mental fortitude to win the tournament he cherished most, after having lost golden opportunities to do so thrice before. 

Normally a 90:10 physical over mental player, especially on grass, this year he actually used mental prowess to psyche his way to the title, and at the same time psyche out one opponent after another.

5. Andy Roddick

Younger players are often extremely confident, motivated, and seemingly oblivious to the pressure many other and especially certain older players put upon themselves. Roddick made an incredible splash on the tennis tour this year going for big shots in situations where others might have played it safe. 

At this point in Roddick’s career he is harmony, his mind and body are working together. Relative to the psychological criteria of the Psycho-rankings, Roddick places high in virtually every category. Notably, his self-confidence stands out, as well as his emotions and steep learning curve (see ranking categories). It remains to be seen if the mental qualities he is now exhibiting will hold up in years to come. It’s relatively easy for a talented newcomer to make the Psycho-rankings, many have done this before, only to fall into a mental funk, see Rios, Moya, and even Agassi on and off throughout his career.

Remember, the key to the rankings are exceeding or at least maintaining top psychological performance. Once you are in the rankings it’s hard to go up but easy to go down. With Roddick only time will tell, but I have noticed a small chip in his psycho-armor that he and his coach should pay attention to (I cannot reveal it now) lest a potential strength for now become a future liability. Nevertheless, we are in the now, and this young American 70:30 mental over physical warrior is a tough psychological opponent. 

6. Fabrice Santoro

Here we see another Pozzi like player, an absolute light weight with a game like no other (perhaps Gene Meyer of erstwhile) perplexing the big boys time and time again. An extremely psychological player, Santoro continues to use his guile and tennis intelligence to figure out how to win when you think all odds are against him. He gets better with age and still is motivated and enjoys the game. He’s almost 100% mental, although I can’t quantify a ratio without a counter variable, thus he comes in as a 90-95% to 10% in favor of the mental side. 

7. Max Mirnyi

Mirnyi personifies mental toughness, continually working himself up the professional ladder from a doubles specialist, to singles qualifier, to Super 8 finalist in about 5 years. Few, including myself who knew Max well back in the beginning, thought he would reach the heights he has. A few years ago he never beat a Evegni Mikeev (WHO!!), his ex-Davis Cup compatriot, barely winning games. Through systematic training and adhering to a plan designed to take maximum advantage of his size he set out to learn serve and volley tennis reminiscent of Stefan Edberg, in this era of the baseliners.

He is to big and oversized players what Rochus, Grosjean, and Hewitt are to small guys, an absolute role model and source of inspiration. Mirnyi has a potential 80:20 physical to mental game, but because he is so mentally tough and psychologically prepared he is actually one of the most balanced mental to physical players in the game. He comes into the rankings as a 75:25 to 60:40 in favor of the mental side of the game. 

8. Christophe Rochus

This mighty mouse is unreal. At 5’ 7” (he’s really 5”51/2) he’s two inches taller than his brother a ranked player as well. He has to fight for every point. No free shots for him. Rochus has very good motor skills and timing, utilizing an essentially classical style of strokes efficiently to counter the artillery of the big guns. He is extremely tennis intelligent and usually sticks to well thought out game plans based on percentage tennis, keeping the ball deep, and moving in when he can to put the volley away. This Belgian stylist continues to move up the rankings supported by his mental skills and toughness. He’s a real chess player, competing like the players in the era of the wood racquet, when tennis was much more a cerebral game. Rochus, like Santoro comes in with about a 90% to 10% ratio in favor of the psychological side of the game. 

9. Guestavo Kuerten

Despite fizzling at the end of the year Kuerten is still a mental force to reckoned with. His French Open performance was mentally masterful, coming back from match points against Michael Russell to repeat in Paris. Kuerten is one of the most balanced players on tour having an equally strong physical and mental game. When down mentally, he is capable of picking himself up with his arsenal of strokes and good serve, and vice versa, when his strokes are off, he still finds a way to win. However, things are getting tougher. That is, it’s getting tougher to top his stellar mental performance and toughness of the last few years. Next year will have to be near perfect to remain in the Psycho-top 10 (see criteria). This 50:50 player who shoots up to 90:10 when all the marbles are on the line will have to perform his best on other surfaces and slams besides the French in 2002 to maintain his place among the mental greats. 

10. Roger Federer

This Swiss player continues to progress mentally. He knocked Sampras off at Wimbledon and climbed to an all time high in the ATP rankings. A player with major weapons, at this point in his career, his mental qualities are in synch with the physical side of his game but as previously mentioned, like many a talented player, will have to guard against getting complacent once he achieves a major goal. This 50:50 ratio player is still learning and if he is tennis intelligent enough to apply the lessons learned to the big events consistently next year, expect him to rise in both the ATP and Psycho-rankings. 

Review of Last Year’s Psycho-World Rankings

The 2000 Psycho-world Rankings were the most unique to date. It seems that more players than ever performed well psychologically despite having major limitations. We saw a blend of older and smaller players exhibiting a degree of mental toughness well surpassing that of many of the game’s top-stars. It should be again emphasized that winning a lot of tournaments or placing high in the ATP or WTA rankings does not alone qualify one as being "mentally tough," there is much more to psychological ability. If there were a one-to-one correspondence between the actual and psychological rankings we obviously would not need rankings of mental performance.

Last year's Psycho-rankings contained the fewest number of ATP top-10 players and well known stars ever. These rankings were a testament to the incredible mental strength those players in the top-10 exhibited throughout the 2000 season. Interestingly, the rankings were released before the Australian Open and were very telling, with 8 of 16 men’s quarterfinalists and 3 of 4 semifinalists being ranked in the Psycho-top 10. That is remarkable considering who would have expected players like Grossjean, Clement to get as far as they did. Last years rankings demonstrated the predictive validity and utility of using sound psychological analyses of players. 

2000 Psycho-world Rankings - Men

1. Gianluca Pozzi
2. Lleyton Hewitt
3. Magnus Norman
4. Alex Corretja
5. Gustavo Kuerten
6. Wayne Ferreira
7. Arnaud Clement
8. Sebastian Grosjean
9. Thomas Johannsson
10. Ronald Agenor  

Dr. Roland A. Carlstedt's Psycho-World-Rankings have been published annually (over 500 appearances) since then and seen in more than 40 countries. Large and prestigious media including Tennis Week and Inside Tennis (USA), Tennis Magazin (Germany), Bild Zeitung and Sport Bild (Germany), Tennis Magazine (Japan), Tennis Italiano, Happy Tennis (Austria), Tennis Australia, Tennis Plus (Russia) and Tenis Espanol (Spain) have presented the rankings.