RANKING RULES BETWEEN 2000 AND 2008

In 2000, the ATP decided to return to a purer category based ranking system for the first time since 1979. The simpler categories presented less discrepancies between prize money sub-classes than the 1990 hybrid system, with the Masters Series and Grand Slams being in only one category.

• SYSTEM SPAN: 52-WEEK ROLLING SYSTEM [Tournaments counted for each player drop out of their breakdown 52 weeks after they enter the system]

• SYSTEM TYPE: CATEGORY BASED WITH PRIZE MONEY SUB-CLASSES [Tournaments have different point weights according to the type of tournament a player has entered. The higher category, the more points scored. Some categories allowed different point structures according to tournament prize money payout.]

• POINTS: ADDITIVE [Players receive points according to the round they are eliminated in. These points are added and players are ordered according to their total points]

• TOURNAMENTS: BEST 18 [Only the best 18 tournaments results can be counted.]

• MINIMUM PRIZE MONEY: $25000

• TRANSITION: 80% REDUCTION [All tournament points gained in the 1999 system have been reduced to 80% of their value once entered into the 2000 system. Best 14 system transitioned directly into Best 18.]

BASE RULES

• The 2000 system allows players to count their best 18 results and form a point total. Players are ordered according to this total. In addition, players are allowed to count the Tennis Masters Cup as a 19th result, until the Monday after the final regular calendar tournament of the year.

• All tournaments are counted immediately after they are finished (on the upcoming Monday). Exceptions to this rule are Futures tournaments which are counted one week later (Futures played during the final week of the year are live). Once into the system, tournaments remain counted for 52 weeks.

• The rankings are published every Monday of the year. Exception to this rule are the mid-Mondays of tournaments lasting two weeks into the calendar.

• All players must count all 4 Grand Slams and 9 Masters Series (ATP or Tennis) for which they are a direct acceptance on the original acceptance list as well as their other 5 best results from all other tournaments.

• If the player is not part of the original main draw acceptance list of a mandatory event and decides to not participate before the draw is released, they may count an extra non-Mandatory event.

• In weeks in which a player does not have the mandatory 13 events, he is allowed to count extra non-Mandatory events to a total of 18.

• Once a player becomes part of the main draw of any of the 13 Mandatory events, either as a qualifier, lucky loser, direct acceptance, special exempt or wild card, that tournament counts for his rankings, so any late withdrawal will be a 0-point penalty.

TIES

• When two or more players have the same number of points, ties shall be broken with the following rules:

1. Total points from all Grand Slams, ATP/Tennis Masters Series tournaments and Tennis Masters Cup main draws, and if still tied, then,

2. The fewest events played (all penalties count as a played tournament), and if still tied, then

3. The total number of points from the players' best tournament, then, if needed, the second best, and so on.

POINTS

• Players are given points according to the round they lose in and the tournament's category.

• Players reaching the second or any round of a tournament by drawing a Bye shall receive first round points if they lose in the first round they play in.

• Players withdrawing before playing their first round shall be considered to be a Bye in that Main Draw and will not receive points for it.

• Tournaments where players score 0 points will not be counted in the player's total tournament count.

• The table below shows the point distribution for tournament category, tournament main draw and qualifying draw sizes and round. The colors in this table are the same used inside the Ranking tables from this site on ranking weeks where this system applies.

SATELLITE CIRCUITS

• Ending in 2006, players were able to participate in series of tournaments called Satellite Circuits. The series consisted of 4 consecutive tournaments, with the last one called a Masters. Satellites, much like Challengers and Futures were broken into categories based on total prize money payout. Categories for a payout including hospitality was the equivalent of the category with the next higher payout without hospitality.

• In relation to the round they finished in each tournament of the series, players were awarded Circuit Points. The table below describes the Circuit Point breakdown for each round players finished in:

• The top 2 players of each circuit (sorted by Circuit Points), were awarded ATP Points as bonus. The values were:

• On top of the points above, in relation to the amount of Circuit Points they totaled at the end of the Circuit, players were awarded ATP Points. The conversion table is below:

TEMPORARY TOURNAMENTS AND RULES

• Starting with 2007, players receiving a Wild Card will not be getting points for a first round loss in main tour tournament.

• Only in 2007, a special Round Robin format was used in some tournaments (ATP INTERNATIONAL and ATP INTERNATIONAL GOLD). In this format, an elimination round was played right after qualifying between the 16 players with the lowest ranking on the main draw of the tournament. The 8 winners would be placed along with the other 16 players (including the 8 seeds) into 8 groups of 3 players, with each seed leading a group. After the Round Robin, the winners of each group would proceed to the QF round and then it would proceed in the regular ATP tournament format. The table with points for this format is located below.