20th Place - Up up and away or down down deeper down

I decided to research the player who finished year end 20th place. I think for me this is the spot occupied by players on the up or players on the down. I decided to base my research since 2000 and my findings are:

2000 - Nicolas Kiefer - Following YE ranking - 42
2001 - Albert Portas - Following YE ranking - 87
2002 - Sjeng Schalken - Following YE ranking - 18
2003 - Mardy Fish - Following YE ranking - 37
2004 - Vincent Spadea - Following YE ranking - 77
2005 - Tommy Robredo - Following YE ranking - 7
2006 - Lleyton Hewitt - Following YE ranking - 21
2007 - Juan Ignacio Chela - Following YE ranking - 143
2008 - Tomas Berdych - Following YE ranking - 20
2009 - Tomas Berdych - Following YE ranking - 6
2010 - Marcos Baghdatis - Current ranking - 59
2011 - Feliciano Lopez - Currently 20th

What are your thoughts from the list above? One Slam winner in that list and 3 Grand Slam finalists. It is a very intriguing list.

Would have been easier to comment if you had also included previous year ranking as you could see if they were improving year on year or on the decline at the time. Where there were big drops in ranking were these players injured for long periods of the following season ?

One interesting one though is Mardy Fish who after getting to 20 in 2003 never appeared to progress until the last two years when he has suddenly found the fitness and consistency to become a top 10 player.

Chela I think was the only major injury in between his decline in rankings.

Spadea has the ignominy of 21 consecutive losses in 2000, a record.

Berdych has done well under Thomas Krupa.

Previous YE rankings (Date/Rank)

1999 - Nicolas Kiefer - 27.12.1999 - 6
2000 - Albert Portas - 18.12.2000 - 51
2001 - Sjeng Schalken - 17.12.2001 - 26
2002 - Mardy Fish - 16.12.2002 - 84
2003 - Vincent Spadea - 15.12.2003 - 29
2004 - Tommy Robredo - 20.12.2004 - 13
2005 - Lleyton Hewitt - 26.12.2005 - 4
2006 - Juan Ignacio Chela - 18.12.2006 - 33
2007 - Tomas Berdych - 31.12.2007 - 14
2008 - Tomas Berdych - 29.12.2008 - 20
2009 - Marcos Baghdatis - 28.12.2009 - 42
2010 - Feliciano Lopez - 27.12.2010 - 32

Feli has reached his peak, no way he'll improve this position next year

But what's special about the 20th place? 95% of all spots have similar stats, no?

I wonder who will fill the 20th place ranking next year??? One of the golden oldies shuffling amongst themselves in the top thirty or a bright new hope?