WPH Elite 8 Fun Facts Deep Dive

Comparing the Race 4 Eight Elite 8 with the Top 8 ATP (Tennis) & Top 8 OWGR (Golf)

WPH Press, 2/28/24

Handball is unique to most sports, as players compete against just one opponent, unlike football, basketball, baseball, soccer and other team sports. Perhaps the two sports most closely resembling handball are tennis, in which players play against just one opponent, and golf, in which players play against just the course. The personalities of the three sports are similar, as players are on an island with no one to substitute and no teammate to share the burden.

While the dispositions and mindsets of the individual sport athletes from the three sports are likely to be somewhat similar, let’s compare the heights, ages and personal data of the top eight players from the three sports.

Race 4 Eight Elite 8 Age & Height

1. Lucho Cordova: (33), 6’0”
2. Danos Cordova: (31), 5’10”
3. Martin Mulkerrins: (31), 5’11”
4. David Fink: (46), 5’11 ½“
5. Leo Canales: (28), 5’8”
6. Sean Lenning: (38), 6’2”
7. Killian Carroll: (30), 5’7”
8. Sam Esser: (27), 5’10”

Race 4 Eight Elite 8 Fun Facts

• Youngest player in the Race 4 Eight Elite 8: Esser (27)
• Oldest player in the Race 4 Eight Elite 8: Fink (46)
• Average age of the Race 4 Eight Elite 8: 33
• Average height of the Race 4 Eight Elite 8: 5’10 ¾”
• Tallest player in the Race 4 Eight Elite 8: Lenning (6’2”)
• 4 of the 8 players in the Race 4 Eight Elite 8 are married
• 2 of the 8 players in the Race 4 Eight Elite 8 have kids
• 5 of the 8 players in the Race 4 Eight Elite 8 have college degrees
• 3 of the 8 players in the Race 4 Eight Elite 8 have master’s degrees
• 2 of the 8 players in the Race 4 Eight Elite 8 wears liners under his gloves
• 1 of the 8 players in the Race 4 Eight Elite 8 wears padded gloves
• 8 of the 8 players in the Race 4 Eight Elite 8 wears open-lensed eye guards
• 6 of the 8 players in the Race 4 Eight Elite 8 have won at least one Race 4 Eight title
• 7 of the 8 players in the Race 4 Eight Elite 8 have advanced to a Race 4 Eight final

ATP (Tennis) Top 8 Age & Height

1. Novak Djokovic: 36, 6’2”
2. Carlos: Alcaraz 20, 6’0”
3. Jannik Sinner: 22, 6’2”
4. Daniil Medvedev: 28, 6’6”
5. Andrey Rublev: 26, 6’2”
6. Alexander Zverev: 26, 6’6”
7. Holger Rune: 20, 6’2”
8. Hubert Hurkacz: 27, 6’5”

ATP (Tennis) Top 8 Fun Facts

• Average age of the ATP Top 8: 25.6
• Average height of the ATP Top 8: 6’3”
• Oldest player in the ATP Top 8: Djokovic (36)
• Youngest player in the ATP Top 8: (Alcaraz, Rune)
• Tallest player in the ATP Top 8: (Medvedev, Zverev)
• 2 of the 8 players in the ATP Top 8 are married
• 3 of the 8 players in the ATP Top 8 have kids
• 0 of the 8 players in the ATP Top 8 have college degrees
• 4 of the 8 players in the ATP Top 8 have won a slam
• 5 of the 8 players in the ATP Top 8 have advanced to a slam final
• 0 of the top 8 tennis players are from the U.S.

OWGR (Golf) Top 8 Age & Height

1. Scottie Scheffler: (27), 6’3”
2. Rory McILroy: (34), 5’9”
3. Jon Rahm: (29), 6’2”
4. Viktor Hovland: (26), 5’10”
5. Xander Schauffele: (30), 5’10”
6. Patrick Cantlay: (31), 5’10”
7. Wyndham Clark: (30), 6’0”
8. Max Homa: (33), 6’1”

OWGR Top 8 Fun Facts

• Average age of the Top 8 golfers: 30
• Average height of the Top 8 golfers: 5’11 ½”
• Tallest player in the OWGR Top 8: Scheffler
• 6 of the 8 Top 8 golfers are married
• 4 of the 8 Top 8 golfers have won a major
• 5 of the top 8 golfers are from the U.S.

Apr 2, 2023; Miami, Florida, US; Daniil Medvedev serves against Jannik Sinner (ITA) (not pictured) in the menÕs singles final of the Miami Open at Hard Rock Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mike Frey-USA TODAY Sports

Race 4 Eight/ATP/OWGR Side-by Side Comparisons of the Elite 24 from the Race/ATP/OWGR

• Oldest player amongst the 24: Fink (46)
• Youngest player amongst the 24: Alcaraz, Rune (20)
• Tallest player amongst the 24: Medvedev, Zverev (6’6”)
• Tallest average height amongst the three sports: ATP (6’3”)
• Youngest average age amongst the three sports: ATP (25.6)
• Most educated amongst the three sports: Handball (5 college degrees, 3 master’s degrees)
• Most married amongst the three sports: OWGR (6)
• Most players to have won a major title (Race/Slam) amongst the three sports: Handball (6)
• Most different countries represented amongst the top 8: ATP (7)

David Fink

WPH Senior Writer