How Do Tennis Rankings Work?

Tennis Rankings

Tennis rankings are important for bettors and they can be a useful tool when it comes to selecting wagers. The tennis rankings will change every week and are based on participation and performance in tournaments. Rankings do not indicate the best tennis players. However, they are used to identify those who have had the best performances in tournaments throughout the year.

There are two associations in charge of determining tennis player rankings- the Association of Tennis Professionals, also known as the ATP, will analyze men who play singles and doubles. There is also the Women’s Tennis Association (WTA), which works with women’s doubles and singles. As for mixed doubles, there is no formalized ranking system in use.

For those who plan on betting on tennis tournaments, we provide more details on how the rankings are determined and the differences in ranking in the ATP and WTA.

🎾How they're determined
❓ATP Rankings
🔍WTA Rankings
💡How Many Points Total?

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Tennis Rankings: How They Are Determined

The world rankings of all professional tennis players will be updated every Monday. The only time rankings are not updated weekly is during the Miami Oen, Indian Wells, and Grand Slam events. The ATP as well as the WTA will take into consideration the best results from the past year. When it comes to determining the men’s rankings, the ATP will look at the points the player has collected from the best 19 results within the past year. The WTA only looks at the best 16 results for singles events and the 11 best results for doubles. After 52 weeks have passed, acquired points are dropped and any new points will be added to get the latest rankings.

No matter how skilled a player may be, their rankings can rise or fall at any time.

Since rankings are based on the most previous performances, there are often fast and drastic changes in ranking. If a player goes deeper into a tournament than they did in the previous year, rankings will be increased. However, if they perform poorly in a tournament that was played the past year, the rankings can drastically decrease. It all comes down to point accumulation during events.

To understand how points are earned, one will have to have a complete understanding of the ATP and WTA systems. These are the main raking systems used for professional players and they are what many bettors refer to when placing wagers.

Calculating ATP Rankings

Earning points as a men’s player is based on playing in Grand Slam events Players will earn points toward the ranking by taking part in all four Grand Slam tournaments. In addition to this requirement, players must also compete in 8 ATP Masters 1000 tournaments. Other points can be earned by participating in various events such as the ATP Tour 500, ATP Tour 250, ATP Cup, ATP Challenge Tour, and the International Tennis Federation World Tennis Tour.

There is one final tournament of the year which is the ATP Finals. This requires an invitation to play and is offered to the top 8 ranked players. Considered a bonus tournament, all points from this will also be counted.

How to Calculate WTA Tour Rankings

Similar to the ATP rankings, the rankings for women require participation in specific tournaments. Women must play in each of the four Grand Slam tourneys along with four WTA 1000 tournaments. These four tourneys are played in Madrid, Beijing, Miami, and Indian Wells. After considering points for these 8 events, rankings also use 8 more results from WTA events that have been approved. This can include ITF Tournaments, WTA 500, WTA 250, and WTA 125.

Like with the ATP rankings, there is also a WTP Finals event, which is offered to the top 8 players. If any player misses a required tournament due to not qualifying or an injury, the ATP and the WTA allow another Best Other score to be used to determine rankings. The totals will always equal 19 for men and 16 for women.

How Many Points Are Earned?

Each tournament that is played will be graded and this is based on the level of participation, prestige of the tournament, and history. The number of points that can be earned will vary per tournament and it's an important factor to consider for your tennis bets. Each event will award entered players with a base number of points just for qualifying. As the player advances in the tournament, the points will increase. The highest-graded tournaments are the Grand Slams and they are followed by the WTA and ATP Finals, WTA 1000, and ATP Masters 1000.

The distribution of points will also vary based on what tournament is being played. The ATP will offer 25 points to qualifiers at Grand Slam tournaments, but the WTA only offers 2 points for the same qualification. In most cases, the number that follows the name of the tournament indicates the number of points that can be earned.

Grand Slam Tournaments

These tournaments play a pivotal role in tennis rankings and the tournament attracts the best players in the world. There are four events, the Australian Open, Wimbledon, French Open, and US Open. The points awarded for playing in these tournaments do differ between men and women. Here is the breakdown of what the men can earn:

Winner – 2000 points
Runner-Up – 1200 points
Semi-Finals – 720 points
Quarter-Finals – 360 points
Round of 16 – 180 points
Round of 32 – 90 points
Round of 64 – 45 points
Round of 128 – 10 points
Qualifiers – 25 points

The WTA has slightly different points for the same positions. Like the ATP, all qualifiers will receive points for taking part in the tournament. Points are then awarded based on the performance of each player. For the WTA, the Grand Slam points are as follows:

Winner – 2000 points
Runner-Up – 1300 points
Semi-Finals – 780 points
Quarter Finals – 430 points
Round of 16 – 240 points
Round of 32 – 130 points
Round of 64 – 70 points
Round of 128 – 10 points
Qualifiers – 40 points
Qualifiers 3 – 30 points
Qualifiers 2 – 20 points
Qualifiers 1 – 2 points

Players do not have to win a Grand Slam tournament, or any other event, to receive points. It is possible to get a high number of points that can quickly affect rankings by being the Runner-up or placing lower on the list. As tennis rankings go up and down, they can affect entry into other tournaments as well as seeding in those tournaments.

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