RANKING RULES BETWEEN 2014 AND 2020

In July 2013, WTA players expressed their concern that a player who held multiple Grand Slam titles still was not number 1. As a response, the WTA system was changed in 2014 to award less points for players finishing a tournament without winning, while still preserving the points for the winner.

• 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 [Tournaments have different point weights according to the type of tournament a player has entered. The higher category, the more points scored]

• 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 16 [Only the best 16 tournaments results can be counted.]

• MINIMUM COUNT: 3 OR 10 POINTS [Players are ranked only after getting points at 3 tournaments or 10 points at a single tournament.]

BASE RULES

• The 2014 system allows players to count their best 16 results and form a point total. Players are ordered according to this total. In addition, players are allowed to count the WTA Finals as a 17th result, until the Monday of the start of the next year's edition of the tournament.

• In order to be ranked on the WTA rankings, any player must gain points at 3 tournaments or gain 10 points at a single tournament.

• All tournaments are counted immediately after they are finished (on the upcoming Monday). Exceptions to this rule are ITF Lower Level tournaments which are counted one week later. 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 for more than one week: Grand Slams, Indian Wells and Miami tournaments.

• A commitment player is defined as a player who has finished in the Top 10 at the year end rankings of the previous season.

• All players must count all WTA Finals, 4 Grand Slams and 4 Premier Mandatory tournaments for which they are a direct acceptance on the original acceptance list as well as their other 8 best results from all other tournaments.

• If a player has both WTA Finals and WTA Elite Trophy in her rankings, she will count only the tournament that provides her with the best net gain of points, but she may only count one of them.

• 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 8 events, she is allowed to count extra non-Mandatory events to a total of 16.

• Once a player becomes part of the main draw of any of the 8 Mandatory events, either as a qualifier, lucky loser, direct acceptance, special exempt or wild card, that tournament counts for her rankings.

• Top 10 players must count their best 2 Premier 5 results besides the Mandatory events. Top 20 players have the same requirement if any Premier 5 tournaments have been played.

COMMITMENT PLAYER RULES

• All Top 10 Commitment players must play in at least 4 Premier 5 and 2 Premier 700 tournaments during the year. Missing any of their commitment tournaments will result in a 0 point penalty.

• All Top 10 Commitment players can play 2 WTA International level tournaments (1 for each half of the year), provided they have fulfilled their mandatory commitment. Additionally, if a player has fulfilled her commitment the previous year, she can play an additional 3rd WTA International tournament the next year.

TOP 20 PLAYER RULES

• New Top 20 Players will have their ranking gradually adjusted to accept 2 Premier 5 events. At her first Premier 5 entered event, she will have to count 1 Premier 5 event in her ranking, no matter if it is among the best 16 results. At her second entered Premier 5 event, she will have to count a second Premier 5 event in her ranking.

• Existing Top 20 Players maintain their required mandatory 2 Premier 5 results. When one result drops out after 52 weeks, another Premier 5 result is counted in its place, provided it exists.

• Dropping Top 20 Players keep their best 2 Premier 5 results until any Premier 5 result drops out of her ranking, after which she must count only 1 Premier 5 tournament. Once a second Premier 5 tournament drops out, she will not be forced to count any Premier 5 results which are not among her 16 best results.

AGE REQUIREMENT RULES

• Players under the age of 14 may not count any tournaments and cannot obtain a WTA Ranking.

• Players between 14 and 15 years of age, may only count 8 ITF Level tournaments, only 3 of which may be at tournaments paying over $60000. Any higher level tournament Wild Card reduces the count.

• Players between 15 and 16 years of age, may only count 10 Professional level tournaments, plus the WTA Finals or WTA Elite Trophy if she qualifies. She may also receive 3 Wild Cards into higher level tournaments.

• Players between 16 and 17 years of age, may only count 12 Professional level tournaments, plus the WTA Finals or WTA Elite Trophy if she qualifies. She may also receive 4 Wild Cards into any tournaments.

• Players between 17 and 18 years of age, may only count 16 Professional level tournaments, plus the WTA Finals or WTA Elite Trophy if she qualifies. She may receive the tour maximum of Wild Cards.

• Players over 18 years of age, may count an unlimited number of Professional level tournaments.

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, Premier Mandatory, Premier 5 tournaments and WTA Finals, and if still tied, then,

2. Total points from all WTA Level tournaments (included 125K level) and Grand Slams, and if still tied, then,

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

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

COVID-19 TEMPORARY 22-MONTH SYSTEM

• Due to COVID-19 pandemic, tour was suspended between March and August 2020. Upon resumption, the WTA used a temporary 22-month rankings system:

SYSTEM TEMPORARY RULES:

• Mandatory tournaments will no longer force player points.

• All 2019 points present in the system at March 16, 2020, will have a 52-week increase to the period kept in the system, but will drop when another iteration of the same Tour level event is played.

• All 2020 point events will drop after 52 weeks or when the 2021 edition of the event is played, whichever comes first.

• If a player has 2 iterations (2019/2020) of the same event, the maximum points of the two is counted to the rankings, until the event is played again in 2021.

ITF WORLD TOUR LEVEL

• Starting with 2019, ITF World Tour level 15s tournaments (former 15K) do not offer WTA points, but instead only offer ITF Ranking points. Starting with 2020, 25K (ITF World Tour 25s+ level tournaments) will offer no WTA points either, only ITF Ranking points.

• ITF Rankings system allows players to count their best 14 results and form a point total. Players are ordered according to this total.

• Tournaments are counted one week later after they are finished.

• The rankings are published every Monday of the year. Exception to this rule are the mid-Mondays of tournaments lasting for more than one week: Grand Slams, Indian Wells and Miami tournaments.

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

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

2. 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 drawing a Walkover before she has won a match shall receive points from the previous round.

• Players who enter a tournament by means of a Wild Card shall receive as many points as any other player accepted into the draw.

• 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.