Tennis consistently ranks at the top of lists of sports with broad worldwide appeal. The best indicator of a player’s or a doubles team’s ability on the court and current form may be the ATP Rankings.
The ATP rankings also influence player seedings and eligibility for any official competition. The drawings for the various events are significantly influenced by them in turn.
What are WTA and ATP in tennis meaning, exactly, and how are tennis players classified differently for men and women? Here is a summary to address these questions.
ATP in Tennis Meaning – What Is The Difference Between ATP And WTA?
The ATP Stands for the Association of Tennis Professionals. And The Women’s Tennis Association is referred to as WTA. Those are separate leagues for men and women.
They occasionally have tournaments that overlap at the same time, place, and date, and occasionally they have their own separate schedule. There are mixed double matches occasionally, but they are uncommon in professional tennis because the men’s and women’s tours are run independently (by the ATP and WTA, respectively).
Read More: Association of Tennis Professionals – Wikipedia
ATP and WTA Rankings History
Although the contemporary form of organized tennis dates back to the middle of the nineteenth century, there wasn’t a formalized ranking system in existence until much later.
A number of well-known British newspapers began publishing their own rankings in the 1950s. Legendary tennis writer Lance Tingay’s annual ranking of the top 10 tennis players was considered the standard among these.
The first official computerized tennis rankings were established in 1972 with the founding of the Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP), the organization that governs men’s tennis worldwide. These rankings streamlined tournament entry requirements.
On August 23, 1973, the first-ever men’s singles rankings were released. Ilie Năstase of Romania was the inaugural ATP men’s singles world No. 1. On March 1st, 1976, about three years later, The initial rankings for men’s doubles tennis were released.
The women’s game adopted a similar structure after Billie Jean King founded the Women’s Tennis Association (WTA), the sport’s global governing body, in 1973.
The current system grades men’s singles and doubles players using the ATP Rankings, while women’s singles and doubles players use the WTA Rankings. The mixed doubles category does not have any official rankings.
The ranking system’s foundation in its early stages was an average of each player’s results. With effect from 1990, it was transformed to a “best of” system, which serves as the foundation for the ranking system we use today.
With a few small differences, the ATP and WTA both use the same format.
ATP Rankings and Tiers
The players’ points from ATP-certified men’s singles or doubles events during the previous 52 weeks are used to calculate the players’ ATP Rankings.
This does not, however, imply that a person who participates in more tournaments will have an edge. The total number of competitions that can be used to calculate rankings is capped.
14 events were initially scheduled, however, in 2000, there were 18 events. 19 tournaments will be taken into account starting in 2023 for the rankings.
Therefore, even if a player competes in 21 events over the course of 52 weeks, only their top 19 finishes throughout that time period are taken into account for ranking purposes. Consequently, the system is known as the “best of.”
A player or pair should ideally earn their ranking points from the four Grand Slams, eight required ATP Masters 1000 events, and seven ‘Best Other’ finishes from the ATP Cup, ATP Tour 500, 250, ATP Challenger Tour, or ITF WTT men’s events. This is especially true for players or pairs in the top 30 rankings.
However, the number of results from other eligible tournaments within the 52-week period that count towards rankings is increased by one for each Grand Slam or mandatory ATP Tour Masters 1000 tournament, a player is unable to compete in the main draw due to legitimate reasons (either not qualified or injured).
For instance, if a player does not compete in one of the Grand Slams or the eight ATP Masters 1000 events that are required, the seven “Best Other” outcomes that are used to determine their ranking increase to eight, for a total of 19 results.
The top eight singles players and doubles teams in the world compete in the ATP Finals, which are held toward the end of the year. The ATP Finals is regarded by eligible players as a supplementary 20th tournament, and the points they gain there contribute toward their ranking.
The player receives a base number of points upon qualifying for any competition, and those points only rise as he moves further. Each tournament, however, is assessed based on its stature, heritage, and degree of participation, and as a result, has a different point total.
Read More: The 7 Biggest and Major Tennis Tournaments (Ultimate Guide)
ATP Rankings Grand Slam Point Breakdown
Grand Slams: The four Grand Slam competitions—the Australian Open, French Open, Wimbledon, and US Open—are the ATP tennis season’s highest-rated events.
ATP Finals: A player or pair that qualified for the ATP Finals can receive up to 1500 points if they win the competition without dropping a set (200 for each of three round-robin matches, 400 for winning the semi-finals and 500 for winning the final).
According to the number of games won, the rest receive points.
Nine ATP Masters 1000 events are held each year: Indian Wells, Miami Open, Madrid Open, Italian Open, Canadian Open, Cincinnati Masters, Shanghai Masters, Paris Masters, and Monte-Carlo Masters.
All Masters 1000 events, with the exception of the Monte Carlo Masters, require participation from any player or pair that qualifies, notably those in the top 30 standings. In the event of exceptional situations, such as injuries or personal problems, exceptions are made.
Players receive 10 instead of 25 points for participating in the Round-of-64 if there are fewer competitors. The ATP Tour 500 and ATP Tour 250 competitions are found at the following level.
After this, there are several tiers of lower-ranked International Tennis Federation (ITF) events with descending numbers of points available, followed by the ATP Challenger 125, 110, 100, 90, 80, and 50 tournaments.
In addition, points can be earned from matches in the ATP Cup, a tennis competition based on nation-by-nation team play that began in 2020.
FAQs About ATP Meaning
#1. What is the ATP tennis tournaments?
The ATP Tour is a worldwide top-tier tennis tour for men organized by the Association of Tennis Professionals. The ATP Challenger Tour is the second-tier tour, and the ITF Men’s World Tennis Tour is the third-tier tour. The WTA Tour is the corresponding women’s organization.
#2. Are Grand slams included in ATP?
The ATP does not manage the four Grand Slam tournament venues (Australian Open, French Open, Wimbledon, and U.S. Open). They are managed by separate organizations, operate independently of one another, and are backed by a long history of fame and tradition.
#3. How do you join ATP tennis?
A player must have entered in order to be moved into the main draw as a direct acceptance because of the withdrawals of other players. Players possessing a ATP Rankings rank that qualifies them as a direct acceptance or alternate, shall be automatically accepted by ATP into each ATP Tour Masters 1000 tournament.
#4. What does the tennis term ATP 500 mean?
After the four Grand Slam competitions, ATP Finals, and ATP Masters 1000, the ATP 500 tournaments (formerly known as the ATP World Tour 500 tournaments, ATP International Series Gold, and ATP Championship Series) are the highest level of yearly men’s tennis competition.
#5. What does the tennis term ATP 1000 mean?
The top tennis players on the ATP Tour compete in a series of tennis competitions known as the ATP Tour Masters 1000 each year. The ATP Masters 1000 Tournaments are regarded as the next most prestigious tournaments for a male tennis professional to win after the four grand slam events and the ATP Finals.
Read More: 6 Stunning Reasons Why Wimbledon is the Most Prestigious Tournament in Tennis
Conclusion
Jack Kramer and Cliff Drysdale, two tennis players who founded and managed the ATP, took the first step by creating an official ranking system for professional tennis players. This system went into effect as soon as the ATP was established and is still in use today.
They knew exactly what their peers’ most pressing needs were because they had personally experienced them. ATP Tours until today is the most popular and prestigious competition for Tennis players around the world.
Thank you for reading our “ATP in Tennis Meaning” article. Hope you can find some interesting and useful information about this official ranking system.