Does anyone want the No. 1 ranking?

Oct 8, 2008 - 5:52 PM By Chuck LaRose PA SportsTicker Tennis Editor

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Maria Sharapova has put a worn shoe up for bid. Maybe I should reword that - she's put a shoe she has worn up for bid.

She's going to autograph the shoe as well, adding to the value of discarded footwear.

The proceeds from this auction will go to support Maria's Foundation, which is great. But I have to admit that I continue to find the world of sports collectibles fascinating - which I suppose is a euphemism for absurd.

I think Maria is on to something though, and have decided that it's time for the WTA to put its No. 1 ranking up for bid.

Why not? Nobody seems to want it.

OK fine, players want it, but let's be honest - the battle for the No. 1 ranking this season has been the equivalent of a greased pig competition.

When you're able to clear your mind of the image of Serena Williams, Maria Sharapova and Ana Ivanovic chasing greased swine around, consider this.

Five different players have been No. 1 this year, the first time that has happened since the WTA introduced the rankings system in 1975.

The previous record was four, set in 2006 when Lindsay Davenport, Kim Clijsters, Amelie Mauresmo and Justine Henin all held the top spot for a period.

Henin also is part of this new record, and is actually responsible for it. While she was dominating, the Belgian was still an elite player in May when she became the first player to retire while holding down the top spot.

And instead of dying a slow death in the rankings, Henin asked to have her name removed altogether, handing the top spot to Sharapova and her shoe.

The Russian's reign lasted only weeks, as Ivanovic won her first Grand Slam title at the French Open and took over at No. 1.

After a disappointing Wimbledon and subsequent hand injury, Ivanovic lost the ranking after nine weeks to fellow Serb Jelena Jankovic.

The only No. 1 without a Grand Slam title, Jankovic lasted just a week as a points shift allowed Ivanovic to regain her foothold, for at least another few weeks.

When Williams defeated Jankovic in the U.S. Open final last month, she secured the top spot for the first time since 2003, the longest gap between stints at No. 1 ever.

Though she's a nine-time Grand Slam champion and a future Hall-of-Famer, not even Williams could end the game of musical chairs.

On Monday, after a four-week reign, Williams was overtaken by Jankovic, who has won her last two events played.

And we may not be done. Third-ranked Dinara Safina has a shot at becoming the sixth player to claim the No. 1 ranking in 2008 if she keeps barreling through draws the way she has been.

Perhaps that would be a fitting end to all of this considering it was Safina who sent Henin into retirement with a win over the seven-time Grand Slam champion at Berlin.

I know I'd be OK with that, because I tend to think the 22-year-old Russian has the fire and determination to bring some stability back to the No. 1 ranking.

But I have to be up front with you Dinara. Even if you ascend to the top of the rankings, hold the spot for a year and make this prediction look good, I'm not buying any of your shoes.

QUIZ: Who are the only two players to be co-ranked No. 1 in the WTA rankings?

A HENIN COMEBACK?: By the way, considering what Safina has done since beating Henin (four titles and seven finals), was that really such a bad loss for the Belgian?

Not to mention, Henin's three other defeats in 2008 came at the hands of Williams, Sharapova and 23rd-ranked Francesca Schiavone.

Some painted a picture of a "slumping" Henin when she retired, but if she came back today, the 26-year-old would no doubt still be on par with the best in the game.

Those of you hoping for a comeback, however, shouldn't hold your breath.

On her web site this week, Henin wrote that her focus at the moment is getting her high school diploma - which she hopes to do within the year - and an upcoming knee surgery.

"As you can see, I don't have time to be bored," she noted. "Many people ask me if I still do a lot of sports. Unfortunately, the answer is no. My knee still bothers me, and in a few days I'll have surgery done on it. I'm impatient, and can't wait to recover from the operation to do sports again.

"I'll be honest with you, I do not miss tennis. I keep a magic feeling of that period of my life. A time where I learned so much, but a new life fills me, and I am completely satisfied."

QUIZ ANSWER: Steffi Graf and Monica Seles shared the No. 1 ranking on two separate occasions between 1995 and 1996.

Question or comment? E-mail chuck.larose@pa-sportsticker.com.