Tennis Rankings Explained
Learn how the ATP and WTA calculate each tennis player’s ranking.
After 3.4 million viewers tuned in to watch the 2023 US Open Women’s Final, new and returning fans alike may be wondering how tennis rankings work. Given that Aryna Sabalenka is both the runner up and the newly minted world No. 1 following 19-year-old Coco Guaff’s victory in the Grand Slam final, we can see how this could be confusing. But who better to explain the nuances of this beloved game than Wilson, a leading voice in tennis and a partner with the US Open for more than 4 decades?
Who decides tennis rankings?
The Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP) analyzes and dictates the men’s singles and doubles, while the Women’s Tennis Association (WTA) does the same for the women’s singles and doubles rankings. There is no formalized ranking for mixed doubles.
How do tennis rankings work?
Every Monday (except during Grand Slam tournaments, the Miami Open, and Indian Wells), the ATP and WTA update world rankings. Both the ATP and WTA count a player's best results from the last 52 weeks. The ATP counts a player's points collected from the 19 best results during that 12-month time frame, and the WTA counts the points earned at a maximum of 16 of the best results for singles and 11 for doubles. When 52 weeks have passed since points were acquired, they are dropped, and any new points earned are added.
Players rise and fall in the rankings as they are adjusted depending on their most recent performances. When they go deeper in the tournament than they did the year prior, they gain points and can potentially move up in the rankings. Subsequently, if a player loses in an earlier round at the same tournament than in the previous year, they will receive less points and potentially drop in the rankings. If a player matches their performance from the previous year on any given week, then they have a net gain/loss of 0 points.
Unsure of how points are earned in a match? Learn how to keep score in tennis.
How does the ATP calculate rankings?
Ideally, players earn points towards their ATP rankings by participating in all four Grand Slam tournaments and eight mandatory ATP Masters 1000 tournaments. Their other seven points are considered “Best Other” and can be earned by playing in the ATP Cup, the ATP Tour 500, ATP Tour 250, ATP Challenge Tour, or the men’s events at the International Tennis Federation World Tennis Tour. The final tournament of the year, the ATP Finals, is an invitational tournament for the top 8 ranked men's players. This event is considered a bonus 20th tournament, and points earned there are counted towards rankings as well.
How does the WTA calculate rankings?
The WTA requires that players earn their points by participating in all four Grand Slams and the four mandatory WTA 1000 tournaments in Indian Wells, Miami, Madrid, and Beijing. After these eight tournaments, eight more “Best Other” results are counted from other WTA-approved events, including the WTA 500, WTA 250, WTA 125, and various ITF tournaments. Like the ATP Finals, the WTA Finals is an invitational tournament for the top 8 ranked women's players and is also a "bonus" tournament where points earned count towards rankings.
If a player misses a mandatory event due to an injury or because they didn’t qualify, both the WTA and ATP allow players to count another “Best Other” score towards their rankings so that their totals always equal 16 and 19 respectively.
How many points do players earn at each tennis tournament?
Every tournament is graded differently based on history, prestige, and the level of participation, so points earned vary across the board. Each one awards players a base number of points for qualifying, and the number increases as the player advances. Grand Slams are the highest graded tournaments, meaning players can earn the most points by participating in them, followed by the ATP and WTA Finals and the ATP Masters 1000 and WTA 1000 events.
The men’s and women’s point distributions also vary by tournament. For example, the ATP grants qualifiers 25 points at Grand Slam events while the WTA only grants players 2 points for qualifying. Generally, the number at the end of a tournament's name corresponds to the number of points the winner receives (i.e. at the ATP Masters 1000, the winner receives 1000 points, at the ATP 500, the winner receives 500 points). Both the men’s and women’s Grand Slam winners earn 2000 points towards their rankings. Learn more about the breakdown of points for each tournament.
Though the ranking system may seem complicated, it is simple at its core. When you play well throughout the season, you earn more points. When you earn more points, you move up in the rankings. And as Gauff and Sabalenka showed 3.4 million people, there’s never a dull moment during the tennis season. Learn and join in on the fun!
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