Events / Barry Millns / 12 September 2008 /

Barry Millns explains the difference between the ATP rankings and the ATP Race and tells us that whereas the likes of Andy Murray and Rafael Nadal have already booked their air tickets to the Tennis Masters Cup in Shanghai, we don't yet know the full eight who will be there.

At the start of the season Andy Murray's main aim was to qualify for the season-ending Tennis Masters Cup in Shanghai. Following his hugely impressive run to the final of the US Open, he has done exactly that, not only rising to a career-high ATP Ranking of No.4 in the world but also moving up to fourth place in the ATP Race, with sufficient points to ensure he will be part of the elite eight-man event in November.

But what, you may ask, is the difference between the Rankings and the Race? Let me try and explain.

Ever since August 1973 professional men's tennis has ranked players according to their results over the past calendar year (i.e. 52 weeks), such that players' points earned at a tournament the previous season drop off the total when that same week comes round again the following year. In its current format this system, calculated on a weekly basis, is used to determine entry lists and seedings at ATP events plus the grand slams, with Wimbledon also factoring in players' results on grass over the past two years to determine their seedings.

The bigger the tournament the more ranking points are awarded per round so that, at present, winning a Grand Slam is worth 1000 points, while a Masters Series title is worth 500 points etc. A player's total rankings points are the sum of 18 tournaments i.e. the four grand slams or majors, the nine Masters Series and his next best five tournaments (although each man who qualifies for the Tennis Masters Cup will get additional points for how well they do in that!).

As to the ATP Race, that was launched in 2000 along with the Tennis Masters Cup. It was done to promote the build-up to the TMC and calculates who is playing best since the start of each season i.e. every player has zero points on January 1st.

The amount of Race points awarded again depends on the size of the same 18 events - at present you get 200 for winning a Grand Slam and 100 for winning a Masters Series etc. The deeper the season goes the closer the Race matches the Rankings.

As of the start of this week the top four in both are Rafael Nadal, Roger Federer, Novak Djokovic and Andy Murray, but below them things vary such that the remainder of the Top 10 in the Rankings is: David Ferrer, Nikolay Davydenko, David Nalbandian, Andy Roddick, Fernando Gonzalez and Stansilas Warwinka, while the remainder of the Top 10 in the Race is: Davydenko, currently trading at [1.01] to qualify for the TMC, Ferrer [1.09], Roddick [1.01], James Blake [1.17], Wawrinka [1.11] and Juan Martin Del Potro.

But plenty of other players, lower down the Race are still in with a shout of making Shanghai because Blake, currently in the 8th and last qualifying spot currently has only 107 more points in the Race than Ivo Karlovic who is in 20th place.

Two years ago Blake, the last man to qualify, ended up reaching the final and last year Federer retained the title by beating Ferrer. A look at how the Race stands now would suggest that anybody with a big serve who tends to play well indoors on hard court or carpet will be in with a better shout of making Shanghai than someone who does not, so look out for the likes of Karlovic ([3.05]), Marin Cilic or Jo-Wilfried Tsonga ([5.0]) to make a late surge.

But if you think you have got the hang of all that, a word of warning - things will be different next season! Among key changes, the TMC will be renamed the ATP World Tour Finals and held in London; Shanghai will instead stage one of the Masters Series events which will be known as 'Masters 1000' (and offering that number of points to the winner) while a grand slam champion will reportedly receive 2000 points per title.

As to the Race points for 2009, details have yet to be confirmed.

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