[FelikTen]

(first I've seen a story look beyond the winner's share of ranking points. Everything is NOT doubling for Slams and Masters Series, its only going to double for a title)

Radical changes to ATP rankings?
Tom Tebbutt, October 27, 2008 at 3:07 PM EDT


Some tennis fans have heard that ATP Tour officials have decided to rename the eight elite Masters Series tournaments (including the men's Rogers Cup) the "Masters 1000" events beginning in 2009.

To justify having the "1000" in the name, the number of ranking points awarded to the winner of Masters Series tournaments is being doubled from 500 to 1,000. In order to retain the ratio with Grand Slam winners points, those will also double - from 1,000 to 2,000 points. Everyone assumed this seemingly straightforward doubling of points would take place throughout the whole system, from the mega-bucks Grand Slams right down to the lowly, entry-level $10,000 Futures tournaments.

But that is not the case. While the winners of the Grand Slams and Masters Series events will receive twice as many points, after that there is a big drop-off. For example, the finalist at a Grand Slam this year received 700 points, which should be 1,400 if it was doubled. But the finalists next year will get 1,200, only an 85 per cent increase.

The percentages go down from there. A player who reaches the round of 16 will receive 200 points next year, just a 20 per cent increase over the 160 he got in 2008. Similarly, percentage gains are also lower in the ATP 500 and ATP 250 level events.

But the real scandal is in the minor leagues. Up-and-comers trying to climb the ladder in Challenger and Futures events will see big (de facto) decreases in the number of points available to them.

The winners of Challenger and Futures events will only see about a 20 per cent rise in points, while players losing in rounds before the final will, in a few cases, actually get fewer points than they received this year.

It is going to be much more difficult for players on the way up to reach the rankings needed to get into Grand Slams and Masters 1000s, especially when they have to try to dislodge players on the main tour who will be benefiting from significant "points inflation" in 2009.

It will make a big difference, especially to players ranked outside the top 100 or 150. And it is amazing that these changes have gotten so far without much comment from the general membership of the ATP. The ATP's computer rankings, introduced in 1973, are the very foundation for the men's game and determine entry to tournaments and the seedings once players are in the events.

Most players, still busy trying to finish this season on a good note, appear not to have looked closely enough at the ranking points table for next year to really understand the significance of the redistribution.

Even Roger Federer, who keeps up with the tour's politics and is the new president of the ATP Players Council, isn't that familiar with the points overhaul. Responding to a question from Match Tough (through a Swiss journalist last week in Basel) about the redistribution at the Grand Slam and Masters Series level, he commented, "To be honest, I have heard about it, but I have not studied it. I guess it won't make a big difference."


Full story: http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servl...Story/WBTennis