Types of Tennis Tournaments and How They Work

 Tennis is one of the most complex, sophisticated, and elegant sports ever created. It’s a sport requiring finesse, endurance, mobility, coordination, skill, and a lot more besides. For fans, it’s one of the most exciting sports to watch, due in part to how diverse it is.

For tennis fans, one of the most exciting aspects of tennis is the different tournaments played over the year. In years past, it was verging on becoming overwhelming as the calendar was crammed so full. After major reforms, however, largely regarding the tournaments, the game is now easier to follow than ever.

Tennis Court

Tennis tournaments are played at a variety of different levels. But what are the different types of tennis tournaments, and how do they work? Well, that’s what we’re going to be breaking down in today’s article.

Here’s a look at the main different types of tennis tournaments and how they work.

Tennis Tournament Formats

One of the best things about being a tennis spectator is the fact that there is almost certainly a tournament out there for you. Tennis tournaments come in many different formats, though the three primary ones are as follows:

Singles Tournaments

Singles tournaments pit tennis players against each other on a one-on-one basis. Many consider these tournaments the pinnacle of the tennis world. Over the years, we’ve seen some true singles classics, including Federer vs Djokovic, Selles vs Graff, Williams vs Williams, Federer vs Nadal, McEnroe vs Bjorg, and so many more besides.

Doubles Tournaments

Doubles tournaments place a team made up of two players of the same gender against another team fitting that very same criteria. The court is divided between both players, but requires a great deal of teamwork. Both players on either team very much need to be on the same page.

Mixed Doubles Tournaments

Finally, a mixed doubles tournament is virtually the same as a doubles tournament, except for the fact that each team features one male player and one female player. Mixed doubles are fantastic as they showcase different styles of play and highlight the various strengths and weaknesses of both genders.

Types of Tennis Tournaments

Now we’re going to take a look at the various types of tennis tournament played throughout the course of the year, featuring players of all abilities and rankings.

ITF World Tour

We’ll begin with the International Tennis Federation (ITF) World Tour. These types of tournaments are where most (if not all) tennis players begin their journey. It features more than 1,000 entry level tournaments played all across the world.

For the men’s tour, there are two levels of prize money ($15K, $25K), whereas for the women there are five ($15k, $25k, $40K, $60k, $100K).

The ITF World Tour used to be called the ‘Futures Circuit’ until 2019, when it underwent vast changes to the ranking system and financial system for junior players climbing the rankings.

Results of these tournaments also factor into the WTA (Women’s Tennis Association) and ATP (Association of Tennis Professionals) ranking system. This essentially provides players with a leg up to the next level of WTA/ATP Challenger 125 series.

ATP Challenger/WTA 125 Series

This next series of tournaments is designed to help to bridge the gap between the different ATP and ITF Tour levels. After the ATP tour, the Challenger is the second tier of men’s tennis, while the female equivalent is the WTA 125 Series.

For male players, there are 125, 75, 45, 25, and 10 points available, with the tournament winner picking up 125, 75, 45, etc. points.

As for the female players, tournament winners are granted 125 points. Finalists receive 81 points, semi-finalists pick up 49 points, and quarter finalists are granted 27 points.

ATP/WTA 250 Series

In this particular series, there are 23 tournaments in the WTA, and 38 in the ATP. There is a maximum of 250 ranking points available for the victor in both the singles, and doubles categories.

In the main draw, there are between 28 and 32 players. Including this number of slots is deliberate, as it helps to provide lesser-ranked tennis players a chance to build up their rankings and make some decent prize money in the process.

ATP/WTA 500

This series of tournaments features 17 WTA tournaments and 13 ATP tournaments. It is the fourth-highest level of tennis tournament categories and takes place throughout the year across four continents.

Depending upon the tournament taking place, entry lists typically feature a 32 or a 48 singles-player draw. Matches in these tournaments are played on grass, clay, and hard surfaces, so there is plenty of variety to keep tennis fans glued to their screens, or seats if they’re lucky enough to view in person.

As of 2024, winners will collect 500 ranking points for emerging victorious in a tournament.

ATP Masters 1000/WTA 1000

Now things are really beginning to heat up, as some of the tournaments taking place in this series include popular examples such as the Miami Open and Indian Wells.

In this series, there are nine ATP/WTA tournaments, with 1000 ranking points up for grabs for the lucky winners in this category.

Most tournaments in this series take place on hard and clay surfaces.

ATP/WTA Finals

This series used to be known as the WTA Tour for Championships for the female tennis players and the Masters Cup for the male players.

Outside the four Grand Slams, many tennis aficionados consider the ATP/WTA Finals to be the most prestigious tennis tournaments each calendar year.

This is a very unique tournament, in that only the eight best players of the year can qualify, where they will play in a round-robin style format. Here, two groups of four will play until the semi-finals, where knockouts then kick in.

The champion can collect a maximum of 1,500 ranking points here. This is the second-largest amount of ranking points available, so you can see why the ATP/WTA Finals are held in such high regard and considered so prestigious.

Played exclusively indoors on a hard surface, this is the final tournament in the tennis calendar year. For many, this makes the ATP/WTA Finals their most anticipated series of the year.

Grand Slams

And finally, we have the Grand Slams.

These are the pinnacle of the tennis world. To qualify and play in a Grand Slam is quite the honor. To win one puts you up there with some of the all-time greats.

The Grand Slams are held throughout the year and consist of four tournaments:

These tournaments provide the largest number of playing fields, as 128 players will enter the main draw. In a singles competition, Grand Slams provide the most points, with a whopping 2,000 ranking points up for grabs for the winner of a tournament.

The Grand Slams take place on different surfaces. The Australian Open and US Open are held on hard surfaces (though there are some subtle differences) the French Open is held on clay, and Wimbledon is played upon grass.