ATP to calculate points in new way from 2024

The ATP's new points system benefits the big players, while making it difficult for others to break into the top 1,000.

The Grand Slam champion still receives 2,000 points, but the runner-up gets a bonus of 1,200 points, up from 1,300. Similarly, the winner of a Masters 1000 tournament still receives 1,000 points, while the runner-up gets 650, 50 more points than in previous years.

The ATP’s changes are aimed at optimizing points based on player effort, as many Masters tournaments have grown in size, with more players and more rounds. The slight increase in points for advanced players also brings more balance to the distribution of points on the Tour, as many Masters 1000 tournaments are two weeks long instead of one, allowing players who are eliminated early to play ATP Challenger events to earn more points.

Fritz (far left) and other top players are the ones who benefit the most from the ATP's new scoring system. Photo: ATP — Fritz (far left) and other top players are the ones who benefit the most from the ATP's new scoring system. Photo: *ATP*

The changes only apply to singles, while doubles will retain the same scoring system. The increase in ATP Challenger tournaments will result in a slight reduction in points awarded at this level. This will make it difficult for lower-level players, who are still required to qualify for ATP 1000 tournaments to have a good ranking. They will have to "plow" through more tournaments and need to consistently succeed at Challenger level to improve their ranking.

The ATP's new formula has led many to believe that the organization wants the Masters 1000 system to be like an "Elite League" with familiar faces at the top, and not welcoming new faces. This is also the ambitious model of Saudi Arabia, the country that plans to buy four Grand Slams and nine Masters 1000s to form a super tournament system, ending with the 14th event taking place at the end of the year in this country.

Taylor Fritz, the world No. 10, has publicly backed the new idea. "If you're at the top, you're playing every big event," the American said. "With the big names, it's more exciting. It's easier for fans to follow tennis, because all they care about is the big tournaments. For the players, having only 14 big events makes the year less stressful. We're going to focus on those 14 events and play the best tennis possible."

Fritz advocates for the ATP Tour to follow the model of the PGA Tour in golf, where 125 golfers have memberships for the following season. At the end of the season, some are dropped to a lower tour if they don't play well and others are promoted.

"I want only the top 100-120 players to play on the ATP Tour in a season," Fritz said. "Before, many people said I was only good at earning points in ATP 250 tournaments. With the new system, everyone plays the same number of tournaments. No one complains about how others earn points, because players will not earn points anywhere else but the 14 big events."

Vy Anh

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