Seeding in tennis is a method applied by the Association of Tennis Professionals to rank players. The rankings are therefore used in making decisions on which pool the player should play in a tournament. The primary purpose of this seeding and ranking is to prevent top players in a tournament from meeting in the early stages of the competition. Their chances of meeting in the final are increased, making the contest an interesting one.
Overview
There are specific methods used in ranking the players. The ranking points are awarded according to merit. The stage a player reaches in the four Grand Slam events is important in determining the points they get. The higher you get, the more points you get. Other tennis tournaments are included in making the rankings, but the high-status Grand Slams are considered most. The ranking points are updated every week on Monday.
Players have to put in a continuous effort since the points do not last forever. Points are dropped after fifty-two weeks from the day they were acquired.
Tournaments Used in Ranking
A total of nineteen tournaments are used in awarding the points. For some players, 18 tournaments are used in case the player did not qualify for the finals of the Association of Tennis Professionals. The tournaments include four Grand Slam tournaments namely the US Open, Australian Open, Wimbledon and the French Open. In the ATP Tour Masters 1000 Tournaments, eight of them are considered. Other contributing tournaments are the Future Series, ATP Challenge Tour, Davis Cup, ATP Tour 250 and the ATP Tour 500.
Points System
A win in any Grand Slam gives 2000 points, and runners-up of the same get 1200 points. Winning the ATP Finals awards a maximum of 1500 points and 1000 points for the other finalist. The 500 series and the 250 series earn 500 and 250 points respectively.