ATP Announces Ranking Changes Due to COVID-19 Pandemic
(July 6, 2020) PONTE VEDRA BEACH, FLORIDA: The ATP tour has announced how the revised ATP Rankings will be calculated once the Tour resumes. The Rankings, which reflect a player’s standing among the world’s best players and are used for tournament entry and seedings, are the lifeblood of professional tennis.
In anticipation of a return to competition in August, the Rankings, which traditionally operate on a “Best 18” results basis over 52 weeks, will now cover a period of 22 months (March 2019 – December 2020). The Rankings have been frozen since 16 March 2020, just days after the ATP Tour was suspended due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
The revised Rankings system aims to deliver the following key objectives:
- Provide flexibility & fairness to players across all levels in parallel with the condensed number of points available as part of the revised provisional 2020 calendar.
- Provide stability for players who cannot or prefer not to compete in 2020 due to health & safety.
- Provide a system that can adapt to further changes in the calendar if necessary.
- Reward players who perform well following the resumption of the Tour in 2020.
- Retain the principle of defending tournament points week by week in 2021, maintaining player mobility in the Rankings.
BEST OF 2019 & 2020 RESULTS
Among the key elements of the revised 22-month Ranking system are the following:
- A player’s ranking will be comprised of his “Best 18” results between March 2019 and December 2020.
- A player cannot count the same Tour-level tournament twice in his “Best 18” breakdown. For example, a player who played the Mutua Madrid Open in 2019 and plays Madrid again in 2020, will count the better of those two results.
- Tour-level tournament points added in 2020 that count in a player’s Ranking Breakdown will remain on a player’s ranking for 52 weeks, or until the event in question is played again in 2021, whichever comes first.
The temporary changes to the Rankings system have been made in consultation with the four Grand Slam tournaments and the ITF. Should the 2021 season be impacted by Covid-19, further adjustments to Rankings will be considered.
NITTO ATP FINALS QUALIFICATIONS:
The revised FedEx ATP Rankings will determine the singles qualifiers to the 2020 Nitto ATP Finals. As per normal, points earned at the season finale (as an additional 19th event) in 2019 will not count towards a player’s qualification for the 2020 event, ensuring a level playing field for 2020 qualification.
In doubles, the 2020 FedEx ATP Doubles Team Rankings will continue to be used to determine the eight teams that make it to London.
A full FAQ on the revised FedEx ATP Rankings, including details related to the ATP Challenger Tour, is available here.
