 With the 2024 season fast approaching, it's time to go through some predictions for next year. I'm gonna start with the ranking predictions because they are probably the hardest predictions to make, especially 12 months out. We're gonna predict the top 10 for next year, starting with the WTA side and see how many we get right in 12 months time. So let's start with the number 10 in the world this time next year. I reckon it's gonna be Zhang. I reckon she's gonna get in the top 10 for the first time. During the 2024 season, I reckon that she will finish the year at number 10. She has a lot of points to gain in places like Wuhan and Indian Wells where she didn't play. Of course, Wuhan is coming back next year as a 1000 event. Doha has been upgraded to a 1000 event. She has no points there. Also, Beijing and Wimbledon, she has no points there to defend. So a big opportunity there, especially in China, to get some points at the end of the season and some big tournaments at the start of the year as well. Points to lose though. She has got a lot of points to lose in Jiangzhou where she actually won the tournament this year. In Zuhai, where she made the final. The US Open, she made the quarter finals. Has some points there. And also Palermo and Rome has a few points there as well. So she has a lot of points to defend at some tournaments at the end of the year, but also a lot to make up at those tournaments I mentioned before. Coming in at number nine in the rankings for this time next year, I reckon it's gonna be Kujikova. She's currently number 10 in the world. I reckon she will stay in the top 10. She also has no points to defend at places like Wuhan, which is, again, coming back this year as a 1000 event. Doha, an event that she lost in the first round this year, which is gonna be worth a 1000 points next year. Also, Cincinnati, the French Open and the US Open has no points to defend there. Didn't do well at the slams this year, Kujikova. So a lot of points to make up and get into the top 10 and stay in the top 10 for the rest of the season. She does have points to lose though in Dubai with 900 points there, where she won the title, of course, beating the top three in the world to do that. San Diego also won that event, so has to defend those points. Jiangzu, the Australian Open and Birmingham also worth a few points that she has to defend. But overall, like I said, some of those big tournaments, especially at the slams at the French Open and the US Open, where she's done well before. Of course, she won the French Open a couple of years ago. Big chance there to gain some much needed points and to stay in the top 10 for this time next year. All right, so the number eight player in the world this time next year, according to my predictions, I'm gonna go with Naomi Osaka. She's been saying a lot of positive things about her comeback in the 2024 season and I didn't know where to put her in the top 10. I think if she does well at the slams, she's gonna get in the top 10. So I'll put her at number eight. Of course, has no points to defend and is on zero points coming in. She's actually unranked coming into the next season. But the places that she can gain points, the places that she's won before, Australian Open, US Open, Indian Wells, Miami, Beijing, all tournaments that she can do well at next year. And of course, no points to lose because she's starting at zero. So I reckon Naomi Osaka, she's gonna get in the top 10. I reckon she was finished at number eight in the world. And that is one of my boldest predictions out of this top 10. Coming in at number seven, I've gone with Maria Sakari, who's been very consistent over the last few seasons and I reckon she's gonna stay in the top 10. She started to get into some form at the end of last season. So I reckon she might be able to maintain that. She's got no points to defend in Wuhan or Dubai, which are worth 1,000 points next year. And just like Krajikova has a lot of points at the slams that she can make up. French Open, Wimbledon, US Open, lost in the first round of all those events. So even if she makes it to the third, fourth round or even the quarterfinals of two of those events, that's a lot of points that she can gain to keep her ranking in the top 10 for another season. Points to lose, Guadalajara, of course, she won that event with 900 points that she'll have to defend next year. Indian Wells, Madrid, she made the semifinals. Of course, she did make the WTF finals. So she has those points to defend, and also Washington, where she made the final. But I think because of the slams, she has nothing to defend really at those grand slams. That's where she'll make up the points. And that's why I think she'll stay in the top 10 at number seven next year. Coming in at number six now, and I've gone with Coco Goff, which might surprise a few. I reckon she might have a bit of a slide. And I know I did say that this time last year where she finished number three, and I thought she'd finished number seven or eight, and she did finish number three again. But I think next year it's gonna be really tough. But points to gain, she does have points to gain at places like Wuhan, Wimbledon, Rome, Miami, and Madrid, where it's not making up much of her points. But it's when we get to that US Open series where she did so well, so many of her points are based on that series. In fact, over 50% of the points are actually from that US Open series with the US Open Cincinnati, Washington, where she won all those titles. Of course, she made the semifinals of the WTF finals as well. She'll have to defend that. And also made the quarterfinal of the French Open. So I reckon Goff might struggle to defend those points during that US Open series, and that's where her ranking will drop, and she'll drop down the rankings a little bit. Still stay on the top 10, but at number six this time next year. Coming in at number five next year, according to my predictions, is Jessica Bogula. Super consistent. She's currently number five. I reckon she'll maintain her ranking. She might even make it to a semifinal or a final of a slam next year, but that's where I'm gonna put her. She has points to gain in Wuhan, Rome, Cincinnati, Indian Wells, and the French Open. You can see there, she does have a lot of points to defend, but her points are evenly spread. So if she does lose an event at one place, she might be able to make it up in another. So that's where I put her right in the middle of the top 10 because she is so consistent. Her most points to lose, of course, the WDF finals where she made the final last year, Canada, the Australian Open, Wimbledon, and Miami, of course being the Canadian champion, but her points are so evenly spread. If she does have a really good run at a slam, or if she does have a good run at a 1,000 event, she doesn't necessarily have to defend so many more points. She just has to make sure that she can offset that. So I think she's going to stay at number five and maintain her ranking. She'll probably go up and down in the rankings throughout the season, maybe even into the top three again and then drop down, but I reckon she'll stay at number five this time next year. Coming in at number four now, and I've got Irina Sabalenka, a little bit of a drop from her number one slash two position because of course she was number one till the end of the season and then lost that number one spot. She has points to gain in Wuhan, Doha, of course. Doha has been upgraded to a permanent 1,000 now. So she's got no points to defend there, could really do really well there. Also Rome, Canada, and Dubai. There's a lot of points to make up in those 1,000 events, but the Australian Open, the US Open, Wimbledon, French Open, and Madrid, so many points to save in those grand slams. So if she does have a shock loss early in a slam, it's going to cost her a lot of points and the 1,000 events are nice, but they're not worth as many points as a slam. So especially the Australian Open coming in as the defending champion, I reckon she might drop down the rankings and lose those points early. She might make a good comeback at the end of the year, but I reckon it's going to be really hard early to defend those points, especially at the Australian Open where she is defending a grand slam for the first time. Coming in at number three now, and I've gone with Honchebeur. Now, she did drop down the rankings this year, was a little bit injured. She was number two, I think, at the end of 2022. So 12 months ago, she couldn't predict the injuries, of course, but has a lot of points to gain at some key events, including Wuhan, Madrid, where she won the title two years ago, Dubai, Doha, the Middle Eastern Swing, which she was really disappointed to miss this year and could do really well next year, and also in Canada, but of course the big points that she has to lose Wimbledon final, she's going to have to do well at Wimbledon again to kind of keep that ranking and also get those points. WTA Finals, Charleston, French Open, and also Ningbo, where she won the title, but I just think she's got so much upside in those 1,000 events, especially to start the year next year. So the Wimbledon points, if she can do well at Wimbledon, maybe she can save those points, but there's so many other points around that she can make up if she doesn't do so well at Wimbledon next year. And I reckon she's going to go to number three. She's got a massive upside. Coming in at number two in the rankings for this time next year, I reckon it's going to be Rebecca now. If she can stay healthy. So maybe a little asterisk. If she can stay healthy, I think she can go to number two in the world and maintain that because she's been so good and she's been able to beat everybody in that top 10. That's the big key. Has no points in Doha or Wuhan next year, so that she's playing for free there. Also Madrid lost in the first round and the US Open and the French Open didn't particularly play too well, cause pulled out of the French Open as well after winning Rome the two weeks earlier. So really has a good chance, especially at the US Open at the end of the year and the French Open to make up some points. She does have a lot of points to defend though on some of the key events, including the Australian Open at the start of the year, made the final there. Indian Wells, Miami has a lot of points to defend there, Rome as well. And also the WTAF final, she has a few points there. But I reckon if Rabakina does well at the Slams next year, and if she can stay healthy, she could have a year like what Sabalenka had this year, making it to the semifinals of this every single slam or better. She could really do that. She is that kind of player. So I've got Rabakina at number two for this time next year. And coming in at number one, I've got to go wish Fiontech again. She played so well at the end of the year and she started getting some real good form post-US Open. When she lost that number one ranking, it really lit a fire under her. And of course the WTAF final, she didn't lose a set or too many games even. She also did win Beijing, but she has so many upside as well with Wuhan and Miami, of course didn't play Miami, and she was the defending champion last season. So big upside there. Also Rome where she's won that title a few times. And she also lost midway through the tournament to the US Open and Australian Open. So those two tournaments, she obviously won the US Open. She's made the semifinals of Australia. If she can make it to the semifinals of those events alone, that should be able to help her maintain her ranking. Of course has the French Open, WTAF finals, Beijing, Madrid and Dubai points there to defend. But I reckon the key is going to be that US Open and that Australian Open. Because we all know what she can do on the clay courts, but those two events, I reckon she'll be able to make a better run at it next year. And that's why I think she's going to be number one in the season this time next year. But let me know down in the comments below. What are your top 10 predictions for next year? You noticed there that I did drop out a couple of players. I think Von Druseva isn't going to be in the top 10 next year. I think she might drop out this time next year. Because Wimbledon is the only tournament she won in 2023. And I reckon she's going to lose those points. Also Mukova, I would have kept her in there, but I'm just a little worried that her body might break down as it has over the last couple of months of the season. So I took her out of that as well and put in a couple of different players. But let me know down in the comments below. What are your predictions for the 2024 WTAF top 10? This time next year we'll find out and see how many we get right and wrong.