How the ATP Rankings work: Men's tennis singles rankings explained (2024)

While the ATP Rankings have only existed for a fraction of the time that tennis has been a global sport, they are central to how the men’s game functions.

Rankings determine entry into all tournaments on the elite circuit and also dictates the seeding for events.

The ATP Rankings are the official men’s rankings for tennis and offer another front for the sport’s best to compare and compete with one another.

While the most points are available at Grand Slams and then the Masters events, rankings points are on offer across events right down to the ITF circuit level.

Being world No 1 is now the goal of thousands of youngsters setting out on their tennis journey.

Here we look at the mechanics of the ATP Rankings.

How do the ATP Rankings work

A player’s ranking is determined by their best performances across 19 singles events. *The ATP Finals is an extra event (20th) in the ranking breakdown which effectively offers bonus rankings points to those who qualify to take part.

Top players who compete at all mandatory events will have the following breakdown according to ATPTour.com:

• One (1) Nitto ATP Finals* (additional event in the ranking breakdown)
• Four (4) Grand Slams
• Eight (8) mandatory Masters 1000s
• Seven ‘Best Other’ (ATP Cup, ATP Masters 1000 Monte Carlo, ATP 500, ATP 250, Challenger or ITF events).

The rankings operate on a rolling 52-week ranking logic, where in most cases players will see their points from a previous year’s tournament fall away in the week the next edition of the event takes place, there are exceptions when events are moved in the calendar.

This logic explains references to players ‘defending their points’ where a player would need to match or better their performance from the previous season’s event in order to maintain or improve their

ATP Rankings are updated weekly on Mondays, but the organisation also tracks so-called live rankings which will update according to a player’s progress through the week.

There are currently 2007 players ranked by the ATP but those eager to avoid qualifying tournaments on the ATP Tour generally need to keep themselves in and around the top 50 players in the world.

Novak Djokovic is the player to have spent the most weeks at the top of the ATP Rankings and looks set to set incredible records through the standings in the near future.

How are players separated when they tie ATP Rankings points?

When two or more players land on the same total number of points, ties shall be broken as follows according to the ATP:

1. The most total points combined from the Grand Slams, ATP Masters 1000 mandatory tournaments and Nitto ATP Finals main draws, and if still tied, then,
2. The fewest events played, counting all missed Grand Slams, ATP Masters 1000 tournaments and Nitto ATP Finals they could have played – as if played, and if still tied, then,
3. The highest number of points from one single tournament, then, if needed, the second highest, and so on.

What is the ATP Race to Turin

The Nitto ATP Finals are open to the top seven competitors in the ATP Race To Turin after the last week of the regular season on November 11. One current-year Grand Slam winner qualifies in eighth place if he is placed between positions eighth and twenty in the Race. If there are two Grand Slam champions from the current year who are placed between eighth and twenty in the Race, the player who is placed highest among them advances as the eighth and final qualifier, while the player who is placed lower serves as the alternate. The participant at position eight in the Race will be awarded the eighth and final spot if no current-year Grand Slam champions are positioned between positions eight and twenty.

The ATP Race to Turin will always be based on points gained in the current season and the standings will only align with the rankings themselves at the conclusion of the season.

What is the points breakdown for all tournament categories?

* ATP Finals, 1500 for undefeated Champion (200 for each round robin match win, plus 400 for a semi-final win, plus 500 for the final win)

Note: In 2023, due to all points being stripped from Wimbledon and the cancellation of the Shanghai Masters last year, players will count three Grand Slams, seven Masters 1000s and nine ‘best other’ events. At the conclusion of 2023 Wimbledon, players who chooses to compete in the Wimbledon main draw must have their points from that Grand Slam count and reduce the number of ‘best other’ events counted to eight. A player who also chooses to play the 2023 Shanghai Masters must count his 2023 Shanghai points, further reducing the number of ‘best other’ results he counts to seven.