Numbers game: why rankings matter in tennis – and why they can distract

For Tsitsipas they are a motivation, for Keys a joyless diversion, but in an age of live updates they loom large for all playersAs Stefanos Tsitsipas debriefed on his second-round loss at the Madrid Open last month, his regret was plain to see. Tsitsipas explained that his goal had been to earn as close to 6,000 ATP ranking points as possible during the clay court season, which he had calculated as the maximum amount he could gain during this period in a perfect world. Now he was behind.“N