ATP and WTA Tours in China Cancelled Over the Coronavirus

A lot of sporting events were cancelled due to the pandemic, and the ATP and WTA is no exception. China announced that it would not be staging most international sports events for the rest of 2020, which would mean that all international tennis tournaments to be held in China this year such as the WTA Finals and the Shanghai Masters will not take place. This is to keep the pandemic in check.

Steven Simon, head of the WTA expressed his disappointment but also stated, “We do however respect the decision that has been made (by Chinese authorities) and are eager to return to China as soon as possible next season.”

The Association of Tennis Professionals or ATP and the Women’s Tennis Associations or WTA are the two separate associations and governing bodies for men’s and women’s tennis. These two have been dealing with organising championships and tournaments. They also work on the rules and the different rankings and revenue distributions.

Roger Federer Expresses Desire For Merger of ATP and WTA

The Swiss professional tennis player has stated via his Twitter account that now might be the time for ATP and WTA to merge. 

“Just wondering…..am I the only one thinking that now is the time for men’s and women’s tennis to be united and come together as one?”

Federer has always been outspoken about his views on tennis and how women and men tennis players should be treated equally. In his Twitter thread, he emphasised how merging the two associations would make it easier for everyone. He said that the different ranking systems, logos, websites, and tournament categories might be confusing to many fans. That is why having a unified organisation would provide a lot more benefits not to mention that with everything that is happening to the sports world, now is the time to have a stronger and integrated foundation than ever. 

Understanding the ATP and WTA

What are ATP tournaments?

The ATP is the association for male tennis players. It has five tournaments, which are the ATP World Tour Finals, ATP World Tour 250 Series, ATP World Tour 500, ATP World Tour Masters 1000 and the Challenger tournament. 

ATP Rating and Scores

The ATP rating is the system wherein the results of tennis players are taken into consideration. It depends on the number of scores that they have and only 18 best results in season will be taken into account. The rating is also computed based on a result of 52 weeks.

The different tournaments will also have various amounts of scores: 

• ATP World Tour Finals – The participants will get 200 scores for a group stage play. If they are in the semifinal, they get 400, and for the final, 500. The maximum score that can be achieved is 1500.
• ATP World Tour 250 Series – Each player gets 12 scores for qualification and 20 if you compete with 16 players. And then you can get half of the number of scores like in ATP World Tour 500.  
•  ATP World Tour 500 Series – Each player can receive 20 for qualification. If you compete with 16 players, 45 if you win. And for the quarterfinal, you’ll get 90. For the semifinal, 300 and for the final, 500 if you win.
• ATP World Tour Masters 1000 – Each player gets 25 scores for qualification (12 if 52 participants). If you come to 128 players, you’ll get 10 points. In the next stage, you’ll get 25 if you compete with 64 players. After that, you’ll get 45 when you play with 32 players. If you compete with 16 players, you’ll receive 90 scores, then 180 for the quarterfinals and 360 for the semifinals. Lastly, you’ll get 600 for the finals if you win.

What are WTA tournaments?

The WTA is the association for female tennis players. There are tournaments wherein both men and women can play. 

WTA Rating and Scores

Unlike the ATP rating, WTA has two ratings: single and pair. In the single rating, 16 best results are taken into account while for the pair rating, only 11 are considered. 

• Championship Final – For the single tournament, for every won match, you get 230 scores. But, if you lose one in a group, you get 70. For the finals, you get 360 scores, and if you win, you get the title and 450 scores. On the other hand, for the pair, you get 460 scores for quarterfinal, 690 for semifinal, 1050 for final and 1500 scores for the title.
• Championship Final B – For the single tournament, for every won match, you get 120 scores. If you lose, you get 40. For the final, 200 and for the title, 260. For the pair tournament, there are no scores given.

The ATP and WTA have remained separate entities for a long time. Maybe as Federer stated, this should be the time to show a united front and consider the best interest of the sport. 

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