A combination of factors
Every week the ATP Tour issues a list of
how the players are ranked: this is the ATP Tour Rankings. But how exactly does this
system work?
The calculation is not a simple one.
The points accumulated by a player have three aspects to them.
- Firstly, a player earns points from the
tournaments he has entered, that is the tournament points.
- Secondly, a player earns bonus points for
each player he defeats.
- Thirdly, only the best 14 results from the
past 52 weeks count towards the player's ATP Tour Ranking.
Tournament Points
The amount of points a player will earn at a tournament depends on firstly the
classification of the tournament and secondly on the total financial commitment of a
tournament, and of course how far a player progresses in a tournament.
Tournaments are classified as follows in order of importance in terms of points:
Challengers (100)
World Series Tournaments (240)
Championship Series Tournaments (300)
Mercedes Super 9 Tournaments (380)
Grand Slams (770)
The figures in brackets are the maximum number of points a player can earn for winning the
highest category of that particular type of tournament. A Mercedes Super 9 winner will
earn either 380 or 370 points, depending on the prize money. In comparison the winner of
the lowest classified Challenger will earn a mere 60 points. For all tournaments a player
will earn one point for a first round defeat. Thereafter, with each round that the player
progresses to, he will earn a designated number of points.
Bonus Points
Almost as important are the bonus points. A player earns these depending on the ATP Tour
Ranking of the player he defeats. The player who defeats the world's No. 1, currently Pete
Sampras, receives 50 bonus points.
The points earned are as follows:
Defeating No.1 gets 50 bonus points.
No. 2 to 5 gets 45 bonus points.
No. 6 to 10 gets 36 bonus points.
No. 11 to 20 gets 24 bonus points.
No. 21 to 30 gets 18 bonus points.
No. 31 to 50 gets 12 bonus points.
No. 51 to 75 gets 6 bonus points.
No. 76 to 100 gets 3 bonus points.
No. 101 to 150 gets 2 bonus points.
No. 151 to 200 gets 1 bonus point.
A player who wins by a walkover will not collect the bonus points and at a Mercedes Super
9 final which is played over five sets the winning player receives double points. However,
if a player retires after the first ball of the match has been served, then his opponent
will still earn the bonus points. Bonus points are also doubled for all Grand Slam
matches.
For those players who do not usually reach the latter rounds of a tournament, the bonus
points they receive if they defeat a Top Ten player can be of crucial importance. This
explains why many players are particularly motivated when playing against top players. It
is not just a question of prestige, but also one of points.
Best 14 Results
At the end of a tournament the player's bonus points are added to the tournament points he
has earned. The best 14 of these totals during the past 52 weeks are then added together
to give the player his total points for his ATP Tour Ranking. The more points a player has
the more chance he has of being accepted into the main draw of a tournament without having
to enter the qualifying rounds. The ATP Tour Ranking a player has, will in turn determine
his acceptance into a tournament. |
