The ATP Rankings are the merit-based method used by the Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP) for determining the qualification for entry as well as the seeding of players in all singles and doubles tournaments.^[1] The first rankings for singles were published on 23 August 1973 while the doubles players were ranked for the first time on 1 March 1976. Ranking points are awarded according to the stage of tournament reached, and the prestige of the tournament, with the four Grand Slam tournaments awarding the most points. The rankings are updated every Monday, and points are dropped 52 weeks after being awarded (with the exception of the ATP Finals, from which points are dropped on the Monday following the last ATP Tour event of the following year). Novak Djokovic is the current world No.1.

History

The ATP began as the men's trade union in 1972, through the combined efforts of Jack Kramer, Cliff Drysdale, and Donald Dell, and rose to prominence when 81 of its members boycotted the 1973 Wimbledon Championships.^[2] Just two months later, in August, the ATP introduced its ranking system intended to objectify tournament entry criteria, which up to that point was controlled by national federations and tournament directors.^[3]

The ATP's new ranking system was quickly adopted by men's tennis.^[4] While virtually all ATP members were in favor of objectifying event participation, the system's first No. 1, Ilie N?stase, lamented that "everyone had a number hanging over them," fostering a more competitive and less collegial atmosphere among the players.^[5]

The original ATP ranking criteria, which was then regularly published weekly only from mid-1979 and persisted through the 1980s, was based on averaging each player's results, though the details were revised a number of times.^[3][4] Starting in 1990, in conjunction with the expansion of ATP purview as the new men's tour operator, the ranking criteria was replaced with a 'best of' system modeled after competitive downhill skiing.^[4] This 'best of' system originally used 14 events but expanded to 18 in 2000.^[4]

Overview

A player's ATP Ranking is based on the total points he accrued in the following 19 tournaments (18 if he did not qualify for the ATP Finals):

• The four Grand Slam tournaments
• The eight mandatory ATP Tour Masters 1000 tournaments,^[a]
• The previous ATP Finals count until the Monday following the final regular-season ATP event of the following year.^[6]
• The best six results from the non-mandatory ATP Tour 1000, all ATP Tour 500, ATP Tour 250, ATP Challenger Tour, Futures Series and Davis Cup tournaments played in the calendar year^[b]

For a better result within the same tour type to be transposed one has to wait for the expiry of the first worse result from previous year. It only expires at the drop date of that tournament and only if the player reached a worse result or has not entered the current year.

Ranking points gained in a tournament are dropped 52 weeks later, with the exception of the ATP Finals, from which points are dropped on the Monday following the last ATP Tour event of the following year.^[1]

The Monte-Carlo Masters 1000 became optional in 2009, but if a player chooses to participate in it, its result is counted and his fourth-best result in an ATP 500 event is ignored (his three best ATP 500 results remain). From 2009 until 2015, if a player did not play enough ATP 500 events and did not have an ATP 250 or Challenger appearance with a better result, the Davis Cup was counted in the 500's table.^[7] The World Team Cup was also included before its cancellation in 2012.

For the Davis Cup, from 2009 until 2015, points were distributed for the World Group countries. Instead of having an exact drop date they were gradually updated at each phase of the competition, comparing the player's results with his results from the previous year. E.g. if a player played two matches in a semifinal but plays one the next year only that one missing match will be extracted from his points).^[7]

A player who is out of competition for 30 or more days, due to a verified injury, will not receive any penalty. The ATP Finals will count as an additional 19th tournament in the ranking of its eight qualifiers at season's end.^[8]

For every Grand Slam tournament or mandatory ATP Tour Masters 1000 tournament for which a player is not in the main draw, and was not (and, in the case of a Grand Slam tournament, would not have been, had he and all other players entered) a main draw direct acceptance on the original acceptance list, and never became a main draw direct acceptance, the number of his results from all other eligible tournaments in the ranking period that count for his ranking is increased by one.^[1]

Once a player is accepted in the main draw of a Grand Slam tournament or ATP Tour Masters 1000 tournament,^[c] his result in this tournament counts for his ranking, regardless of whether he participates. A player's withdrawal from an ATP Tour 500 event, regardless of whether the withdrawal was on time, results in a zero point included as one of his best of four results. Further non-consecutive withdrawals results in a zero point allocation replacing the next best positive result for each additional withdrawal.^[1]

Players with multiple consecutive withdrawals who are out of competition for 30 days or longer because of injury are not subject to a ranking penalty as long as verified and approved medical forms are provided; or, a player will not have the ranking penalty imposed if he completes the Promotional Activities requirement as specified under "Repeal of Withdrawal Fines and/or Penalties" or if the on-site withdrawal procedures apply. Players may also appeal withdrawal penalties to a Tribunal who will determine whether the penalties are affirmed or set aside.^[1]

Between 2000 and 2012, ranking points were awarded based on results in the Summer Olympics. This was changed before the 2016 Olympics where no ranking points were awarded.^[9]

With these rules, a player playing and winning the mandatory 4 Grand Slams and 8 ATP Masters 1000 events, a further 5 ATP 500 events and the Monte-Carlo Masters 1000 can amass a total of 19,500 points before the ATP Finals and end the calendar year with a maximum of 21,000 points. Up to day, the maximum points achieved by any player is 16,950 by Novak Djokovic, on June 6, 2016.^[10]

Ranking method

Since the introduction of the ATP rankings the method used to calculate a player's ranking points has changed several times.^[11][12]

Points distribution (2009 - present)

Points are awarded as follows:^[13][14]

• (ATP 1000 series) Qualifying points changes to 12 points only if the main draw is larger than 56.
• (ATP 500 series) Qualifying points changes to 10 points only if the main draw is larger than 32
• (ATP 250 series) Qualifying points changes to 5 points only if the main draw is larger than 32
• Players who draw a bye in the first round in the ATP 1000 series and lose their first match in the second round are considered to have lost their first round and receive the points equivalent to first round loss. Similarly, loss in the second round of the ATP 500 series and the ATP 250 series after drawing bye in first round will result in 0 points being awarded.^[15]

In addition qualifiers and main draw entry players will then also receive the points in brackets for the rounds they reached.^[16]

Starting in 2016, points were no longer awarded for Davis Cup ties,^[17] nor for the tennis tournament at the Summer Olympics.^[18]

Current rankings

No. 1 ranked players

The following is a list of players who have achieved the number one position in singles since the inception of the rankings in 1973:^[21]

No.	Player	Date reached	Weeks
1	Ilie N?stase	Aug 23, 1973	40
2	John Newcombe	Jun 3, 1974	8
3	Jimmy Connors	Jul 29, 1974	268
4	Björn Borg	Aug 23, 1977	109
5	John McEnroe	Mar 3, 1980	170
6	Ivan Lendl	Feb 28, 1983	270
7	Mats Wilander	Sep 12, 1988	20
8	Stefan Edberg	Aug 13, 1990	72
9	Boris Becker	Jan 28, 1991	12
10	Jim Courier	Feb 10, 1992	58
11	Pete Sampras	Apr 12, 1993	286
12	Andre Agassi	Apr 10, 1995	101
13	Thomas Muster	Feb 12, 1996	6
14	Marcelo Ríos	Mar 30, 1998	6
15	Carlos Moyá	Mar 15, 1999	2
16	Yevgeny Kafelnikov	May 3, 1999	6
17	Patrick Rafter	Jul 26, 1999	1
18	Marat Safin	Nov 20, 2000	9
19	Gustavo Kuerten	Dec 4, 2000	43
20	Lleyton Hewitt	Nov 19, 2001	80
21	Juan Carlos Ferrero	Sep 8, 2003	8
22	Andy Roddick	Nov 3, 2003	13
23	Roger Federer	Feb 2, 2004	310
24	Rafael Nadal	Aug 18, 2008	209
25	Novak Djokovic	Jul 4, 2011	305
26	Andy Murray	Nov 7, 2016	41

* as of 25 January 2021^[update].

Year-end No. 1 ranked players

Singles

• Rankings points record in bold

Year Player Points 1973 Ilie N?stase (1) N/A 1974 Jimmy Connors (2) 1975 Jimmy Connors 1976 Jimmy Connors 1977 Jimmy Connors 1978 Jimmy Connors 1979 Björn Borg (3) 1980 Björn Borg 1981 John McEnroe (4) 1982 John McEnroe 1983 John McEnroe 1984 John McEnroe 1985 Ivan Lendl (5) 1986 Ivan Lendl 1987 Ivan Lendl 1988 Mats Wilander (6) 1989 Ivan Lendl 1990 Stefan Edberg (7) 3,889 1991 Stefan Edberg 3,515 1992 Jim Courier (8) 3,599 1993 Pete Sampras (9) 4,128 1994 Pete Sampras 5,097 1995 Pete Sampras 4,842 1996 Pete Sampras 3,760 1997 Pete Sampras 3,666 1998 Pete Sampras 3,131 1999 Andre Agassi (10) 4,059

Year Player Points 2000 Gustavo Kuerten (11) 4,195 2001 Lleyton Hewitt (12) 4,365 2002 Lleyton Hewitt 4,485 2003 Andy Roddick (13) 4,535 2004 Roger Federer (14) 6,335 2005 Roger Federer 6,725 2006 Roger Federer 8,370 2007 Roger Federer 7,180 2008 Rafael Nadal (15) 6,675 2009 Roger Federer 10,550[a] 2010 Rafael Nadal 12,450 2011 Novak Djokovic (16) 13,630 2012 Novak Djokovic 12,920 2013 Rafael Nadal 13,030 2014 Novak Djokovic 11,360 2015 Novak Djokovic 16,585 2016 Andy Murray (17) 12,685 2017 Rafael Nadal 10,645 2018 Novak Djokovic 9,045 2019 Rafael Nadal 9,985 2020 Novak Djokovic 12,030

Notes
^a In 2009, a new point system was introduced where points were roughly doubled.

Doubles

Year Player 1983 Peter Fleming (1) / John McEnroe (1) 1984 Mark Edmondson (1) / Sherwood Stewart (1) 1985 Ken Flach (1) / Robert Seguso (1) 1986 Hans Gildemeister (1) / Andrés Gómez (1) 1987 Sergio Casal (1) / Emilio Sánchez (1) 1988 Robert Leach (1) / Jim Pugh (1) 1989 Robert Leach (2) / Jim Pugh (2) 1990 Pieter Aldrich (1) / Danie Visser (1) 1991 John Fitzgerald (1) / Anders Järryd (1) 1992 Mark Woodforde (1) / Todd Woodbridge (1) 1993 Grant Connell (1) / Patrick Galbraith (1) 1994 Jacco Eltingh (1) / Paul Haarhuis (1) 1995 Mark Woodforde (2) / Todd Woodbridge (2) 1996 Mark Woodforde (3) / Todd Woodbridge (3) 1997 Mark Woodforde (4) / Todd Woodbridge (4) 1998 Jacco Eltingh (2) / Paul Haarhuis (2) 1999 Mahesh Bhupathi (1) / Leander Paes (1) 2000 Mark Woodforde (5) / Todd Woodbridge (5) 2001 Jonas Björkman (1) / Todd Woodbridge (6)

Year Player 2002 Mark Knowles (1) / Daniel Nestor (1) 2003 Bob Bryan (1) / Mike Bryan (1) 2004 Mark Knowles (2) / Daniel Nestor (2) 2005 Bob Bryan (2) / Mike Bryan (2) 2006 Bob Bryan (3) / Mike Bryan (3) 2007 Bob Bryan (4) / Mike Bryan (4) 2008 Daniel Nestor (3) / Nenad Zimonji? (1) 2009 Bob Bryan (5) / Mike Bryan (5) 2010 Bob Bryan (6) / Mike Bryan (6) 2011 Bob Bryan (7) / Mike Bryan (7) 2012 Bob Bryan (8) / Mike Bryan (8) 2013 Bob Bryan (9) / Mike Bryan (9) 2014 Bob Bryan (10) / Mike Bryan (10) 2015 Jean-Julien Rojer (1) / Horia Tecau (1) 2016 Jamie Murray (1) / Bruno Soares (1) 2017 ?ukasz Kubot (1) / Marcelo Melo (1) 2018 Oliver Marach / Mate Pavi? (1) 2019 Juan Sebastián Cabal (1) / Robert Farah (1) 2020 Mate Pavi? (2) / Bruno Soares (2)

Year-end Top 10

Year	No. 1	No. 2	No. 3	No. 4	No. 5	No. 6	No. 7	No. 8	No. 9	No. 10
1973	I. N?stase	J. Newcombe	J. Connors	T. Okker	S. Smith	K. Rosewall	M. Orantes	R. Laver	J. Kode?	A. Ashe
1974	J. Connors	J. Newcombe	B. Borg	R. Laver	G. Vilas	T. Okker	A. Ashe	K. Rosewall	S. Smith	I. N?stase
1975	J. Connors	G. Vilas	B. Borg	A. Ashe	M. Orantes	K. Rosewall	I. N?stase	J. Alexander	R. Tanner	R. Laver
1976	J. Connors	B. Borg	I. N?stase	M. Orantes	R. Ramírez	G. Vilas	A. Panatta	H. Solomon	E. Dibbs	B. Gottfried
1977	J. Connors	G. Vilas	B. Borg	V. Gerulaitis	B. Gottfried	E. Dibbs	M. Orantes	R. Ramírez	I. N?stase	D. Stockton
1978	J. Connors	B. Borg	G. Vilas	J. McEnroe	V. Gerulaitis	E. Dibbs	B. Gottfried	R. Ramírez	H. Solomon	C. Barazzutti
1979	B. Borg	J. Connors	J. McEnroe	V. Gerulaitis	R. Tanner	G. Vilas	A. Ashe	H. Solomon	J. Higueras	E. Dibbs
1980	B. Borg	J. McEnroe	J. Connors	G. Mayer	G. Vilas	I. Lendl	H. Solomon	JL. Clerc	V. Gerulaitis	E. Teltscher
1981	J. McEnroe	I. Lendl	J. Connors	B. Borg	JL. Clerc	G. Vilas	G. Mayer	E. Teltscher	V. Gerulaitis	P. McNamara
1982	J. McEnroe	J. Connors	I. Lendl	G. Vilas	V. Gerulaitis	JL. Clerc	M. Wilander	G. Mayer	Y. Noah	P. McNamara
1983	J. McEnroe	I. Lendl	J. Connors	M. Wilander	Y. Noah	J. Arias	J. Higueras	JL. Clerc	K. Curren	G. Mayer
1984	J. McEnroe	J. Connors	I. Lendl	M. Wilander	A. Gómez	A. Järryd	H. Sundström	P. Cash	E. Teltscher	Y. Noah
1985	I. Lendl	J. McEnroe	M. Wilander	J. Connors	S. Edberg	B. Becker	Y. Noah	A. Järryd	M. Me?í?	K. Curren[d]
1986	I. Lendl	B. Becker	M. Wilander	Y. Noah	S. Edberg	H. Leconte	J. Nyström	J. Connors	M. Me?í?	A. Gómez
1987	I. Lendl	S. Edberg	M. Wilander	J. Connors	B. Becker	M. Me?í?	P. Cash	Y. Noah	T. Mayotte	J. McEnroe
1988	M. Wilander	I. Lendl	A. Agassi	B. Becker	S. Edberg	K. Carlsson	J. Connors	J. Hlasek	H. Leconte	T. Mayotte
1989	I. Lendl	B. Becker	S. Edberg	J. McEnroe	M. Chang	B. Gilbert	A. Agassi	A. Krickstein	A. Mancini	J. Berger
1990	S. Edberg	B. Becker	I. Lendl	A. Agassi	P. Sampras	A. Gómez	T. Muster	E. Sánchez	G. Ivani?evi?	B. Gilbert
1991	S. Edberg	J. Courier	B. Becker	M. Stich	I. Lendl	P. Sampras	G. Forget	K. Nová?ek	P. Korda	A. Agassi
1992	J. Courier	S. Edberg	P. Sampras	G. Ivani?evi?	B. Becker	M. Chang	P. Korda	I. Lendl[e]	A. Agassi	R. Krajicek
1993	P. Sampras	M. Stich	J. Courier	S. Bruguera	S. Edberg	A. Medvedev	G. Ivani?evi?	M. Chang	T. Muster	C. Pioline
1994	P. Sampras	A. Agassi	B. Becker	S. Bruguera	G. Ivani?evi?	M. Chang	S. Edberg	A. Berasategui	M. Stich	T. Martin
1995	P. Sampras	A. Agassi	T. Muster	B. Becker	M. Chang	Y. Kafelnikov	T. Enqvist	J. Courier	W. Ferreira	G. Ivani?evi?
1996	P. Sampras	M. Chang	Y. Kafelnikov	G. Ivani?evi?	T. Muster	B. Becker	R. Krajicek	A. Agassi	T. Enqvist	W. Ferreira
1997	P. Sampras	P. Rafter	M. Chang	J. Björkman	Y. Kafelnikov	G. Rusedski	C. Moya	S. Bruguera	T. Muster	M. Ríos
1998	P. Sampras	M. Ríos	A. Corretja	P. Rafter	C. Moya	A. Agassi	T. Henman	K. Ku?era	G. Rusedski	R. Krajicek
1999	A. Agassi	Y. Kafelnikov	P. Sampras	T. Enqvist	G. Kuerten	N. Kiefer	T. Martin	N. Lapentti	M. Ríos	R. Krajicek
2000	G. Kuerten	M. Safin	P. Sampras	M. Norman	Y. Kafelnikov	A. Agassi	L. Hewitt	A. Corretja	T. Enqvist	T. Henman
2001	L. Hewitt	G. Kuerten	A. Agassi	Y. Kafelnikov	JC. Ferrero	S. Grosjean	P. Rafter	T. Haas	T. Henman	P. Sampras
2002	L. Hewitt	A. Agassi	M. Safin	JC. Ferrero	C. Moya	R. Federer	J. Novák	T. Henman	A. Costa	A. Roddick
2003	A. Roddick	R. Federer	JC. Ferrero	A. Agassi	G. Coria	R. Schüttler	C. Moyá	D. Nalbandian	M. Philippoussis	S. Grosjean
2004	R. Federer	A. Roddick	L. Hewitt	M. Safin	C. Moyá	T. Henman	G. Coria	A. Agassi	D. Nalbandian	G. Gaudio
2005	R. Federer	R. Nadal	A. Roddick	L. Hewitt	N. Davydenko	D. Nalbandian	A. Agassi	G. Coria	I. Ljubi?i?	G. Gaudio
2006	R. Federer	R. Nadal	N. Davydenko	J. Blake	I. Ljubicic	A. Roddick	T. Robredo	D. Nalbandian	M. An?i?	F. González
2007	R. Federer	R. Nadal	N. Djokovic	N. Davydenko	D. Ferrer	A. Roddick	F. González	R. Gasquet	D. Nalbandian	T. Robredo
2008	R. Nadal	R. Federer	N. Djokovic	A. Murray	N. Davydenko	JW. Tsonga	G. Simon	A. Roddick	JM. del Potro	J. Blake
2009	R. Federer	R. Nadal	N. Djokovic	A. Murray	JM. del Potro	N. Davydenko	A. Roddick	R. Söderling	F. Verdasco	JW. Tsonga
2010	R. Nadal	R. Federer	N. Djokovic	A. Murray	R. Söderling	T. Berdych	D. Ferrer	A. Roddick	F. Verdasco	M. Youzhny
2011	N. Djokovic	R. Nadal	R. Federer	A. Murray	D. Ferrer	JW. Tsonga	T. Berdych	M. Fish	J. Tipsarevi?	N. Almagro
2012	N. Djokovic	R. Federer	A. Murray	R. Nadal	D. Ferrer	T. Berdych	JM. del Potro	JW. Tsonga	J. Tipsarevi?	R. Gasquet
2013	R. Nadal	N. Djokovic	D. Ferrer	A. Murray	JM. del Potro	R. Federer	T. Berdych	S. Wawrinka	R. Gasquet	JW. Tsonga
2014	N. Djokovic	R. Federer	R. Nadal	S. Wawrinka	K. Nishikori	A. Murray	T. Berdych	M. Raonic	M. ?ili?	D. Ferrer
2015	N. Djokovic	A. Murray	R. Federer	S. Wawrinka	R. Nadal	T. Berdych	D. Ferrer	K. Nishikori	R. Gasquet	JW. Tsonga
2016	A. Murray	N. Djokovic	M. Raonic	S. Wawrinka	K. Nishikori	M. ?ili?	G. Monfils	D. Thiem	R. Nadal	T. Berdych
2017	R. Nadal	R. Federer	G. Dimitrov	A. Zverev	D. Thiem	M. ?ili?	D. Goffin	J. Sock	S. Wawrinka	P. Carreño Busta
2018	N. Djokovic	R. Nadal	R. Federer	A. Zverev	JM. del Potro	K. Anderson	M. ?ili?	D. Thiem	K. Nishikori	J. Isner
2019	R. Nadal	N. Djokovic	R. Federer	D. Thiem	D. Medvedev	S. Tsitsipas	A. Zverev	M. Berrettini	R. Bautista Agut	G. Monfils
2020	N. Djokovic	R. Nadal	D. Thiem	D. Medvedev	R. Federer	S. Tsitsipas	A. Zverev	A. Rublev	D. Schwartzman	M. Berrettini

*Not all end of year rankings listed were taken from the 31st of December. Due to the Australian Open's date in the 1970's through to the mid 1980's, the year end ranking in that era was recorded from varying dates.

Players with highest career rank 2-5

The following is a list of players who were ranked world No.5 or higher but not No.1 in the period since the 1973 introduction of the ATP computer rankings: ^[22]

• Active players in bold

See also

• World number 1 ranked male tennis players
• ATP Tour records
• ATP Awards
• ATP Tour Masters 1000
• List of ATP number 1 ranked singles players
• List of ATP number 1 ranked doubles players
• List of highest ranked tennis players per nation
• Tennis statistics
• Tennis male players statistics
• WTA Rankings

Notes

1. ^ In weeks where there are not four Grand Slam tournaments and eight Masters 1000 tournaments in the ranking period, the number of a player's best results from all eligible tournaments in the ranking period will be adjusted accordingly.
2. ^ At least one of these tournaments must follow the US Open.
3. ^ "Accepted" means a direct acceptance, a qualifier, a special exempt, or a lucky loser, or having accepted a wild card.
4. ^ Kevin Curren became a naturalized American citizen in 1985 after representing South Africa.
5. ^ Ivan Lendl became a naturalized American citizen in 1992 after representing Czechoslovakia.

References

1. ^ ^{a b c d e} "ATP World Tour - Rulebook, Chapter IX, ATP Rankings" (PDF). Retrieved .
2. ^ Tignor, Steve (19 March 2015). "1973: The men boycott Wimbledon and shift power to the players". tennis.com. Retrieved 2016.
3. ^ ^{a b} Buddell, James (23 August 2013). "The Rankings That Changed Tennis (Part I)". atpworldtour.com. Retrieved 2016.
4. ^ ^{a b c d} Buddell, James (23 August 2013). "The Rankings That Changed Tennis (Part II)". atpworldtour.com. Retrieved 2016.
5. ^ Tignor, Steve (26 March 2015). "1973: The ATP institutes computer rankings". tennis.com. Retrieved 2016.
6. ^ "Rankings FAQ". Atpworldtour.com. Retrieved .
7. ^ ^{a b} "Frequently Asked Questions". atpworldtour.com. Retrieved .
8. ^ "Rankings-FAQ". ATP World Tour.
9. ^ Rothenberg, Ben (2016-05-29). "Points and Prize Money Mean More to Olympic Tennis Holdouts". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved .
10. ^ Ultimate Tennis Statistics - Most ATP Points
11. ^ Douglas Robson (22 August 2013). "Happy 40th birthday, ATP computer rankings". USA Today.
12. ^ Simon Cambers (15 February 2013). "40 years on, how have the ATP World Rankings developed?". www.wimbledon.com. AELTC. Archived from the original on 2014-12-31.
13. ^ "Rankings FAQ". ATP World Tour. Retrieved .
14. ^ "ATP/WTA Points".
15. ^ "ATP World Tour 2017 Rulebook" (PDF). ATP World Tour.
16. ^ "Tennis - ATP World Tour - Rankings FAQ". ATP World Tour. Retrieved .
17. ^ "Rankings | FAQ | ATP Tour | Tennis". ATP World Tour. Retrieved .
18. ^ "ITF confirms no ATP points will be assigned at Olympic Games in Rio 2016". Tennis World. Retrieved .
19. ^ "Current ATP Rankings (Singles)". atptour.com. ATP Tour, Inc.
20. ^ "Current ATP Rankings (Doubles)". atptour.com. ATP Tour, Inc.
21. ^ "ATP Rankings - Former No. 1s". atpworldtour.com. Retrieved 2018.
22. ^ "Top10" (PDF). atptour.com. Retrieved .

External links

• ATP Rankings