ATP Tour

What is the ATP Tour?

The ATP Tour is the top-level worldwide circuit of men’s professional tennis, run by the ATP — the Association of Tennis Professionals — which also governs the ATP Challenger Tour beneath it and the ATP Champions Tour. The ATP describes its 2026 circuit as 64 tournaments in 31 countries: nine ATP Masters 1000 events (Indian Wells, Miami, Monte-Carlo, Madrid, Rome, Montreal, Cincinnati, Shanghai and Paris), 13 ATP 500s and 31 ATP 250s, with the season running from the United Cup in Perth and Sydney on 2 January to the Nitto ATP Finals in Turin from 15 November. The four Grand Slams and the Davis Cup are separate events under the ITF and the Slams themselves, but they carry ATP ranking points.^{[1] [2] [3] [5]}

How does it work?

Entry runs on the PIF ATP Rankings, which the ATP describes as an objective, merit-based method for determining entry and seeding in all tournaments. A player’s ranking is his best 18 results over the previous 52 weeks, with the ATP Finals counting as a 19th; a Grand Slam title is worth 2,000 points, a Masters 1000 title 1,000, an ATP 500 title 500 and an ATP 250 title 250, with the Finals worth up to 1,500. Main draws fill by direct acceptance at the entry deadline, then qualifying, with a small number of discretionary wild cards, and a player returning from a long injury absence may petition for a protected ranking. ATP membership has two groups: the top 250 in singles or top 50 in doubles, and any player with at least one ranking point, both paying dues.^[3] [4]

Since when does it exist?

The ATP was founded in 1972 as a players’ association at the US Open; its computer rankings began on 23 August 1973 with 186 players and Ilie Năstase at No. 1; and the ATP Tour as a partnership between players and tournaments, with equal representation on the board, began in 1990 with 76 tournaments in 28 countries. Andrea Gaudenzi has chaired it since January 2020. Novak Djokovic, Rafael Nadal, Andy Murray, Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner have been the year-end No. 1s of the last decade.^{[6] [7] [8] [9]}

Year-end world No. 1 of the last ten seasons (singles).

Why does it matter?

There is no other top-level circuit in men’s tennis, and the ATP ranking is the universal currency of the sport: it decides who plays where, including at the Grand Slams, and it is the international ranking that immigration regulations mean when they ask whether a sport has one. An ATP Tour main-draw appearance, a Masters 1000 result or a ranking position is evidence of a defined level of the profession.^[2] [4]