Tennis is the second most popular sport in the world. Many fans often visit the most privileged championships and competitions of the Grand Slam tournament that are held in different parts of the planet. If you are a beginner who wishes to learn more about the tennis ranking system, here is the article to help you find out how and who has created it.
Who Determines Tennis Rankings?
Basically, the sportsmen’s performance on the tennis court reflects the number of points in the ranking. To understand the ranking system better, we should look back to history. For a long time there was no such system at all until some sporting papers started creating their own rankings. For example, one of the journalists, Lance Tingay, published an annual list of the 10 top best tennis players.
However, when the Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP) was formed, it started providing its own ranking of male tennis players based on some criteria. In 1972, all the rankings became digital, so you could see them on a computer screen. It was made to simplify the criteria that tennis players must have to participate in various tournaments. Therefore, in 1973, the first such men’s single ranking was published. A bit later, in 1976, the first men’s doubles ranking saw the light.
Besides the ATP, the Women’s Tennis Association (WTA) appeared in 1973. So, it adopted a similar ranking formula. So, up til the present day there are two types of rankings for men’s and women’s doubles and singles. However, there is no ranking system for mixed doubles. Moreover, in the 1990s, there were some slight changes in the ranking mechanisms since the moment of their establishment.
Average players’ results were the basis of the system from the beginning until the day they were changed to choosing “the best from the best”. So, today we know this last variation as the core of the ranking tennis system. So, further in the article, we will take a look at the modern men’s and women’s tennis rankings.
What Are the PIF ATP/WTA Rankings?
Generally the ATP and WTA rankings use a similar system. However it still has some little tweaks that you need to know about to understand how it all works. But what is PIF in tennis ranking? It is a Platinum Partner of the ATP tour and an official partner of the ATP Rankings for men singles and doubles.
The PIF ATP ranking is based on the objective merit-based method. It determines the entry and seeding in all single and double tournaments. The system, however, is not applied to modified Nitto ATP Finals. Besides, one of the important things to know about the PIF ATP rankings is that they are also called “World Rankings”. This fact means that when you see the ATP top 10 rankings you can be sure that those who take the first place are the number one in the world.
To be more specific, you can take a look at the ranking structure here. The number of events for singles and doubles is 19. The Nitto ATP Finals for singles is one extra. So, here is a list of the mandatory competitions and championships in which all top tennis players must take part:
- 4 Grand Slams
- 8 obligatory Masters 1000s
- Other “Best” events, such as the ATP Cup, ATP Masters 1000 Monte Carlo, ATP 500, ATP 250, Challenger, ITF
- Nitto ATP extra event.
And what about the PIF WTA ranking system? Since we mentioned that it only slightly differs, here we will explain all the details. First of all, it is based on the rolling 52-week cumulative system. Here are the events for the singles:
- 4 Grand Slams
- 6 combined WTA 1000s
- 1 non-combined WTA 1000
- 7 WTA 1000, WTA 500, WTA 250, WTA 125, and ITF tournaments.
The doubles are determined by the 12 best competitions that include: Grand Slams, WTA Finals, WTA 1000, WTA 500, WTA 500, WTA 250, WTA 125, and ITF. All this happens during the established 52-week period.
How Are Tennis Rankings Calculated?
Now, let’s move on to the actual ranking calculations. As we have already mentioned in the previous part, the number of points is calculated based on the events a tennis player participates in during the 52 weeks. As you can guess, the biggest number of points is earned by a player who wins the match. Lesser number of points can be achieved based on the progress a player makes during the competition.
Besides, the more prestige the tournament has, the more points a player can earn. Therefore, tennis players strive to play at all the top events that can add more points to their status.
However, there are other ranking systems that have their own evaluation methods. For instance, the United States Tennis Association (USTA) can rank tennis players on a scale of 1.0 to 7.0, where 1 is the lowest of all and indicates a player’s level of skills. Be sure to check the ranking of your favorite before you try placing wageres. And if you seek some platforms where you can place a bet or two, then try betting on tennis with 1xBet India. It is a proven and reputable platform that contains all the Grand Slam and other eminent tennis events.
How Many Points Do You Get for Each Tennis Tournament?
As we have already mentioned, the number of points depends on the competition’s prestige, the way a sportsman performs and the final result. Next, let’s observe more specifics about the number of points players can get in the most prestigious tournaments:
- Grand Slam. The winner gets 2,000 points, and the second place gets 1,200 points. Semifinalists earn 720 points, and quarterfinalists earn only 360. The fourth round run can get a tennis player 180 points, while the third round is 90 points. If a player manages to make the second round, they receive 45 points and only 10 points for being on the court.
- Masters 1000. These events use the same totals. However, they are cut in half.
- ATP 500. Here, sportsmen receive twice as many points.
- ATP 250. And here, the number of points is even smaller.
The same is true for WTA tournaments. However, many users wonder why the best world tennis player, such as Serena Williams, is ranked 26? Well, all you need to know about the rankings is that they only identify the players who recently have shown the best results.
So, how many points does a tennis player need to be ranked number one? If we take a look at a currently very famous Rafael Nadal, who was, by the way, ranked #1, his score of points was 9,310 points at that time.
What Happens If a Player Is Injured and Can’t Play?
Tennis is a dangerous sport. Even if it looks safe, it does not mean it is. Sportsmen can easily sprain ankles, hurt themselves, and get other injuries that will prevent them from continuing the tournament. So, one of the most common questions here is what happens when a sportsman cannot go on with the game and needs quality help.
In some cases, a match can be also suspended due to the injury of a tennis player. The suspension time depends on the severity of the injury. If during a short break it cannot be renewed, then it will be replayed later. However, if the injury doesn’t allow a player to continue any time soon, it may cause the retirement of the player, so his opponent will grab the victory.
Besides, the seriousness of the injury can make a sportsman refuse to participate in all future games. It surely will significantly influence the ranking of this player. Sure, injuries are not the only issue that can arise during the match, but they are one of the most crucial ones that can influence the player’s ranking.
How Do Players Qualify for the ATP Finals?
To qualify for the ATP finals, players need to meet certain criteria. If a player is a lucky one and enters the top 7 best ones according to the ATP ranking, then they will qualify automatically. Also, it will be a priority if a player has at least one Grand Slam tournament. It is also a priority if a player is in the top 20 ATP rankings. As you can see, tennis players must generally participate in at least one Grand Slam tournament and win it to qualify for the ATP finals.
ATP Finals
Finally, we can talk a little about the ATP Finals. First of all, there are round-robin criteria in the finals. There is a group stage with four players each. They will be playing against each other. The two best players in both groups that win go to the next round. Unlike other ATP events, here, a player who took second place in the B group will play against a player who took first place in the A group and vice versa.
Conclusion
When we talk about tennis rankings, we need to understand the main criteria that help to evaluate sportsmen who participate in different eminent tournaments. As you can see from the review, the most prestigious tournaments allow many tennis players to score a significant number of points at once if they win. However, they can also gain some points if they significantly progress in the tournament.
