How Tennis Rankings Work: ATP, WTA, and ITF Explained

As you’re no doubt aware, tennis is one of the world’s most popular sports. Enjoyed all across the globe, it pits athletes from different backgrounds and cultures against one another in the ultimate showdown to determine who can rightfully claim to be the best in the world.

When we think of tennis “GOATs” we think of names such as Djokovic, Federer, Nadal, McEnroe, Borg, Williams, Graff, Laver, and so many more on top. These are prime examples of players that not only won multiple Grand Slams and other prestigious tournaments, but also managed to perform consistently well and accrue impressive points over the course of the tennis calendar year.

Though things have changed slightly over the years, ultimately tennis rankings serve (pardon the pun) as indicators of just how well players have performed for the year. As well as that, though, rankings also play a key role in player seedings, along with tournament qualifications. Put simply, tennis rankings are extremely important.

But how do tennis rankings work? Let’s find out.

What are Tennis Rankings and How Do They Work?

Tennis rankings basically indicate how well a tennis player has performed over the course of 12 months, based upon how many points they have accrued. The player who has picked up the most points and has the highest ranking will be ranked number 1 and the best in the world until a player surpasses them.

As far as elite level tennis goes, it is the ATP (Association of Tennis Professionals) and WTA (Women’s Tennis Association) who determine singles and doubles player’s rankings. As of this writing, there are no formalized rankings in place for mixed doubles.

So, how do tennis rankings work? Well, basically, each and every single Monday, with some exceptions, both the ATP and WTA will update and publish the world rankings for their pro tennis players.

Both these organizations will take each player’s best results from the previous 52 weeks. In singles action, the WTA will tally up a player’s total points from 16 of their best results over the course of a year. For the ATP, things are slightly different, as they will count a player’s total points collected from 19 of their best results in a year.

Once 52 weeks have gone by since a player’s points were acquired, these points are then removed, and any new points that a player picks up are added onto their tally instead. This method of ranking means that players will rise and fall in the global rankings, based upon their most recent performances. Should they match their previous performances in terms of points in comparison to the previous year, their ranking will remain the same.

Points vary between the ATP and WTA, and from tournament to tournament. Typically, total points awarded for winners of a tournament correspond to the name of the tournament. In the ATP 500 for example, the winner will receive 500 points. In the WTA 250, the winner picks up 250 points, and so on. For winning a Grand Slam, both male and female players will be awarded 2000 points.

The ITF Tennis Rankings

As far as rankings go, typically the ATP and WTA are very similar to one another, though there are a few differences. The ITF, however, is a little different.

The ITF, or International Tennis Federation is the starting point for all tennis players. This is where many budding, up and coming tennis players will begin their journey to turning pro and chasing their dreams of appearing in Grand Slams. It provides entry-level and mid-level international tennis tournaments in the form of the ITF World Tennis Tour.

ITF tennis rankings are based upon points collected by both male and female players in ITF sanctioned tennis tournaments as part of the ITF World Tennis Tour.

These ranking points are awarded based upon a player’s final round reached. A player’s 14 best tournaments awarded within 52 weeks will determine their overall ITF World Tennis Tour ranking. Each Monday updated rankings are released, with newer results proving more influential than older ones. How high players place in ITF-sanctioned tournaments will determine how many points they pick up, and vice versa. Place well, and you’ll pick up more points and rank higher. Perform badly, and you’ll placer lower, pick up fewer points, and rank lower.

Rankings are also produced via the ITF for national teams in the Fed Cup for female players and the Davis Cup for male players. Following each round of the World Cup the rankings are updated and are used for placing groups in ITF tournaments.

The ATP Rankings

So, how are ATP rankings determined? How was it, that players such as Roger Federer were able to be ranked as number 1 in the world for 310 weeks, including a record-setting 237 consecutive weeks? Well, it all depends upon how well they perform in tournaments.

Points which count toward a player’s ranking are picked up from their tournaments results in the form of the four Grand Slams (Australian Open, French Open, Wimbledon, and US Open) along with 8 mandatory ATP Masters 1000 tournaments.

Their final seven results are points earned by playing in either the men’s events (ATP Cup, ATP Masters 1000 Monte Carlo, ATP 500, ATP 250, Challenger, ITF).

At the end of the year, the final tennis tournament of the year is the ATP Finals. This tournament hosts the 8 highest ranked men’s players and is an invitational. Technically it is considered a “bonus” 20th tournament, although points collected here still count towards a player’s overall ranking. While not as prestigious as, say, Wimbledon, the ATP Finals should still be taken very seriously.

The WTA Rankings

When it comes to female tennis player rankings, these are calculated by the WTA rankings.

Here, players will earn points by playing in six WTA 1000 tournaments (Indian Wells, Miami, Madrid, Beijing etc.) as well as all four Grand Slams. There are some serious points up for grabs here, so players really need to up their game if they want to solidify themselves as number 1 in the world.

After participating in these tournaments, a further seven “Best Other” results are taken based upon a number of other WTA and ITF tournaments, including the WTA 500, WTA 250, and WTA 125.

Just like with the ATP, the final tournament of the year is the WTA Finals, and it too is invitational for the top 8 ranked female tennis players. Points picked up here also count towards a player’s overall rankings.