The Rankings That Changed Tennis

From print outs on gigantic paper sheets and late-night telephone calls chasing outcomes to at this time’s real-time system, straight off a Chair Umpire’s digital scorecard, the Pepperstone ATP Rankings have been an indispensable barometer connecting each stage {of professional} tennis since its debut on 23 August 1973.

Simply as tennis skilled a wide-spread expertise revolution, in how racquets and balls are manufactured, and courtroom surfaces are ready, 50 years in the past at this time, the Pepperstone ATP Rankings offered an mental revolution that rapidly earned legitimacy and credibility amongst gamers, tournaments and followers. Extremely, to-date, solely 28 legendary performers have reached the common purpose of any tennis participant; what children dream of, and execs battle tooth and nail for: to turn out to be the No. 1 on the earth. And fewer nonetheless, simply 18, have completed the season as year-end No. 1.

With out the foresight of ATP founding fathers, the rankings panorama might look completely completely different. From the daybreak of Open Period tennis in April 1968, rankings have been largely a subjective calculation, generated by nationwide tennis associations, circuits and a lot of eminent tennis journalists who compiled their very own lists.

“Tingay’s was actually the one one which counted,” remembers former ATP European Director and acclaimed tennis author Richard Evans, referring to the rankings produced by The Every day Telegraph’s Lance Tingay. “Nationwide Associations produced their very own rankings, which meant that event committees tried to safe the No. 1 participant from every nation,” remembers John Barrett, a former participant and ATP Board member. “The foremost championships permitted associations to appoint 4 gamers from their nation.”

^{Jack Kramer (left) and Cliff Drysdale. Photograph Credit score: PA Photographs through Getty Photographs}

But right away, event entries decided by discretion have been consigned to historical past. Earlier than the appearance of the Pepperstone ATP Rankings, it was all low tech and with no actual goal, as tournaments invited gamers on the premise of their status as Stan Smith, the World No. 1 in 1971-72, highlights. “The historical past main as much as the rating system included a ‘star system’ so far as entries into the tournaments. Some gamers could be on a listing as gamers that might assist promote tickets for the occasion and they might have precedence over others in acceptance into tournaments. This precipitated nice concern for people who didn’t have a giant title and have been borderline entering into occasions. There have been undoubtedly some battles with tournaments over this ‘star system’.

“I bear in mind taking part in in Philadelphia and [Pancho] Gonzales was bringing extra individuals into the occasion, so he was the highest seed. The gamers that introduced extra spectators to the event have been seeded, so the event had essentially the most well-known gamers and never essentially the very best gamers.” Bob Kramer provides, “Event attracts usually featured eight gamers primarily based on home nationwide rankings, eight gamers primarily based on a world rating and a handful of different gamers worthy of acceptance.”

By August 1972, it turned clear that the newly created Affiliation of Tennis Professionals wanted to determine a rating system free of non-public opinion and prejudice. “Jack Kramer, the primary Government Director of the ATP, wished prize cash solely tournaments and never occasions that supplied ensures to gamers – as had occurred within the ‘shamateur’ period of the previous decade, whenever you have been invited on status,” provides Barrett. Smith remembers, “The rating system was a sizzling level for the gamers and it continued to be crucial. The ATP felt that it wished to regulate the rating program and never let the ITF or anybody else management it.”

^{Arthur Ashe (left) and Donald Dell. Photograph Credit score: Herbert Capwell/The Boston Globe through Getty Photographs}

Chris Lewis remembers, “I’d write letters to Event Administrators informing them of my outcomes to-date and people Event Administrators could be weighing up and measuring these outcomes in opposition to different gamers who’d written in. On the finish of the day, Event Administrators would make an arbitrary determination over which gamers have been in and those that have been out. When the ATP Rankings have been launched, they have been universally accepted because the ‘best factor ever’. Now that the subjectivity was moved and as a substitute was complete objectivity. The rankings system was goal and in sport you’ll be able to’t argue with outcomes: somebody wins, and somebody loses.”

Working with the primary ATP President, Cliff Drysdale, Jack Kramer sought assist from the ATP Board together with Arthur Ashe, Jim McManus and Charlie Pasarell, and obtained particular enter from Owen Davidson, Mike Estep, Fred McNair, Sherwood Stewart and others to plan a sensible pc rating that offered a good evaluation of a participant’s efficiency in addition to an goal means to find out entries into event. “We didn’t need the pc for use as a method to incentivise a participant to enter any specific event,” says Drysdale. “In different phrases, to purely be a method to rank gamers in keeping with means. Nothing extra. In these early days we additionally gave factors weighted in keeping with the rating of gamers he beat. So for those who beat a seed, you bought extra factors.”

Twelve months after the ATP was based, Ilie Nastase turned the primary No. 1. He was amongst 186 gamers to be listed within the first ‘ATP Worldwide Participant Rankings’ of Monday, 23 August 1973, produced and printed out on gigantic pc paper by TRW Inc., a serious aerospace firm, in El Segundo on Santa Monica Bay. Bob Kramer would take drawsheets from all over the world, create a listing of the gamers and meticulously calculate their factors earned from his West Pico Boulevard workplace in Los Angeles. Dennis Spencer, who changed Bob Kramer on Pepperstone ATP Rankings obligation in December 1975, says, “Bob made an settlement with a man from TRW to course of the rankings. Most journalists thought that made sense as a result of of their minds the ATP Rankings may as properly have been from outer area!”

^{Ilie Nastase was the primary World No. 1 within the Pepperstone ATP Rankings. Photograph Credit score: AFP/AFP through Getty Photographs}

Bob Kramer remembers, “I struck a cope with Simon Ramo of TRW to supply a useful resource primarily based on a factors system to determine the rankings, which was one of many key rules behind the founding of the ATP in 1972. Ramo was a famend physicist, engineer, and LA enterprise chief/founder and the ‘R’ in aerospace manufacturing legend, TRW. As tennis fanatic, neighbour and a pal of Jack Kramer’s, he ‘loaned’ us the pc time and initially one in every of his pc engineers, Bob Kurle, to assist ATP run the rankings information every month and ultimately, weekly.

“Administered by a panel of individuals, tournaments have been initially divided into classes – A, B, C, and so on. – which enabled occasion organisers to pick the gamers in keeping with their ATP Rating and decide seedings. I offered the event outcomes and associated data to Bob Kurle.” Kurle then imputed the information right into a server the scale of the primary ground of the ATP Americas workplace in Ponte Vedra Seaside [2,020 square metres]. “Inside three days, Simon and Bob returned the rankings on big perforated sheets. I bear in mind placing ATP Rankings sheets from ground to ceiling, week after week on the partitions of our LA workplace. I’d double examine outcomes, circle inaccuracies and, if required, returned the sheets to TRW for a re-run. As a result of the ATP produced the rankings as soon as a month within the first few years, we had the time for the guide course of, not like at this time.”

Spencer confirms Bob Kramer’s recollections, however insists that, “There have been many weeks when for no matter motive the ‘pc’ didn’t work so I did the rankings by hand. I’d print the earlier rankings out on the massive pc paper, lay it out on my front room ground, get on my fingers and knees to mark out the week(s) that have been dropping off, add the brand new outcomes and calculate the brand new rankings.”

^{Stan Smith. Photograph Credit score: Roger Jackson/Central Press/Hulton Archive/Getty Photographs}

In 1973 and till the launch of the Worldwide Tennis Weekly, with the version of 9-15 January 1976 – after ATP headquarters had moved to Dallas following the departure of Government Director Jack Kramer – the newest rankings have been distributed internally and posted on press and locker room partitions – after the ATP obtained permission from the tournaments!

Ending because the year-end No. 1 within the Pepperstone ATP Rankings had status and there was immediate recognition amongst gamers, who used to attend hours, generally days to see their rating. “Previous to the Weekly, from time to time, for those who have been at house, gamers would place a phone name to an ATP workplace, or we’d obtain a slip of paper within the submit informing us of our rating,” remembers Smith. If Jim McManus or one other member of the ATP Board arrived with an Worldwide Tennis Weekly, he would get besieged by different gamers. “Any participant studying an ITW would get mobbed, as on the time it was usually the one method to discover out your rating and different pertinent event data,” says Dennis Spencer, an ATP Tour Supervisor and Publicity Director from 1975-79.

In future years, after 11 points in 1973, the Pepperstone ATP Rankings began to be printed with better frequency – 1974 (11), 1975 (13), 1976 (23), 1977 (34), 1978 (40) – till 1979, once they have been produced on a weekly foundation, 43 instances that season. Then, simply as now for two,053 gamers, there was actual satisfaction in being on the 52-week rolling skilled tennis ladder. The ATP ranked doubles gamers for the primary time on 1 March 1976.

With the creation of the Pepperstone ATP Dwell Rankings — launched in Might 2022 — a dynamic characteristic enabling followers, gamers and media to trace the real-time rankings and affect of match outcomes day-to-day, the system continues to function a real measure of excellence. It was essentially the most vital addition to the ATP’s Rankings properties for the reason that 2000 introduction of the calendar-year Race, serving to observe gamers’ journeys to qualify for the season-ending Nitto ATP Finals.

^{Pete Sampras first turned World No. 1 in 1993. Photograph Credit score: Doug Collier/AFP through Getty Photographs}

For years, the ATP Supervisor’s pc was up to date via dwell scoring and on the finish of every week, the ATP Supervisor offers the ATP Rankings Coordinator with information from their respective tournaments. The knowledge continues to be verified Sunday night time (ET) in a database, from which every part from the Pepperstone ATP Rankings, Lexus ATP Head2Head information and match statistics are generated and made obtainable through ATPTour.com on Sunday night time or within the early hours of Monday, relying on when the final event of the week finishes.

It’s a far cry from the times when early Pepperstone ATP Rankings crunchers, Bob Kramer and Spencer, used to spend their Sundays pouring over the enormous print outs equipped by rocket folks at TRW, and calling round tournaments desperately searching for outcomes and even attracts. “Initially, we’d obtain outcomes and draw sheets by postal mail,” says Bob Kramer. “Generally we must phone to confirm {that a} event had even taken place!” Spencer remembers, “Usually, I’d name and name till somebody at a event picked up the telephone to inform me who received. Generally the rankings weren’t finalised till after Monday night time tennis in the US. “Then we despatched the ITW off to the printers,” provides Spencer. “We had a Western Union telex within the Dallas workplace, so a number of instances every week I’d kind out a telex tape with the rankings, attracts, outcomes, and so on and transmit it all over the world.” Every Friday, the ITW could be distributed at tournaments.

Weller Evans, former Tour Supervisor and ATP Government Director, Participant Relations, stated: “Each participant who earned a prize cash cheque up to now 50 years ought to recognize the importance and have fun the creation of the ATP World Rankings with gratitude. Starting in 1973, now not was his employment standing for the week primarily based upon the discretion of event administrators. As an alternative, a totally goal system of benefit decided whether or not he performed or not, with out regard for another components besides his efficiency on the courts. The place in different sports activities, a coach determines your taking part in time – and in the end your livelihood – due to the ATP World Rankings, tennis is usually cruelly however all the time coldly goal.”

The ATP Worldwide Participant Rankings [now named Pepperstone ATP Rankings] of 23 August 1973 have been initially a median system, with the factors amassed over a 52-week interval divided by the variety of tournaments performed (minimal divisor of 12, the variety of tournaments participant management at the moment felt certified a participant as a ‘full-time’ skilled). Tournaments have been awarded factors primarily based on prize cash (minimal of $25,000), draw dimension and energy of discipline. The merit-based system was backed by the gamers, and the typical system underwent additional tweaks in 1986.

Bonus factors, an concept devised by former ATP European Director Richard Evans, Fred McNair, Sherwood Stewart, Owen Davidson and Raymond Moore in a St. Petersburg, Florida, resort room, have been awarded for beating seeded gamers. This was amended in 1983, when the bonus factors have been primarily based on the rating of the participant defeated – first the High 75, then expanded to High 150. “Gamers bought factors for beating prime ranked gamers, it doesn’t matter what the spherical,” remembers Richard Evans. The bonus factors system ran from 1973 till the top of the 1999 ATP Tour season.

The Worldwide Tennis Federation had carried out discussions a couple of rankings system of its personal early within the Open Period. “The ITF did realise the ability of ATP factors and there was discuss of a competing rating,” says Cliff Drysdale, the primary ATP President. “However I do not suppose it lasted lengthy and the ATP Rankings have been fairly rapidly accepted by the sport and the gamers. There was loads of dialogue concerning the particulars of the system, however not the final want for it.”

Spencer, the ATP’s first full-time paid worker on 1 June 1975, admits, “Some tournaments have been delighted to have a legit method to decide their acceptances whereas others beloved the previous the place they might determine unilaterally what gamers have been taking part in of their tournaments. Most gamers accepted the ATP Rankings, however there was controversy initially about what they have been for. Have been they to recognise the very best participant of the 12 months? Or was it for the very best participant of the week, fortnight or three hundred and sixty five days a 12 months?”

^{Novak Djokovic has been year-end World No. 1 a report seven instances. Credit score: Clive Brunskill}

Stan Smith, a number one participant all through the Seventies, offers a participant’s perspective. “The principle concern of people who helped to form the rating system was that it’s a good reflection of the outcomes. There was an excessive amount of dialog and tweaking through the youth as to the burden of the varied tournaments and even the burden of the rounds within the tournaments. The prize cash per spherical was additionally debated along side the rating factors. However all of the gamers have been on the identical web page as to the significance of it for the sport. It was maybe a very powerful asset of the ATP as we established our union and helped a wholesome progress of the sport.”

The ATP recognised that the ‘common system’ had two flaws. First, a participant might keep at house and never play; let his poor outcomes from the earlier 12 months drop off and watch his rating rise with out hitting a ball. A prime participant might additionally play a small occasion (maybe as a result of he wanted the extra match play or it was good preparation for upcoming bigger occasions), win the event and really see his rating go down if he had a excessive sufficient common. On the whole, it definitely didn’t encourage taking part in on something apart from your favorite floor.

To handle these issues, the brand new ATP Tour in 1990 launched the ‘Better of 14’ rating system, the place a participant’s greatest 14 outcomes from the earlier 52 weeks counted in direction of his rating. The emphasis was subsequently positioned squarely on successful and the adverse impact of an early loss in a event was much less fast and impactful. Weller Evans says, “I consider the genesis of this method might have come from the Swiss participant Heinz Gunthardt and his familiarity with downhill snowboarding, the place solely a sure variety of greatest runs ‘counted’.” As well as, now factors have been awarded to classes of tournaments: Grand Slams, Championship Sequence [now ATP Masters 1000 and ATP 500s], World Sequence [now ATP 250s] and Challengers, with prize cash ranges inside every.

In 2000, to additional encourage participation on the Grand Slams and the ATP’s premier sequence of 9 tournaments [now known as ATP Masters 1000s], the rating system started to rely 18 occasions for many gamers. All 13 outcomes on the majors and ATP Masters 1000s would rely, as would a participant’s greatest 5 performances on the 5 Worldwide Sequence occasions [now ATP 250s and 500s].

This method, for essentially the most half in impact at this time, discovered a center floor the place year-long participation is inspired whereas sustaining the integrity of the competitors at tennis’ best occasions. As Charlie Pasarell, who so {many professional} tennis gamers must thank, insists, “The ATP Rankings modified every part.

“In August 1973, essentially the most deserving, certified gamers that entered occasions no matter their nationality have been assured participation. This was the most important affect of the ATP Rankings to the worldwide tour. Now, the general public have been watching the very best gamers that wished to play in tournaments; a necessary ingredient to the credibility of the game’s competitions. Likewise, for seeding gamers, which would offer truthful attracts primarily based on efficiency. Lastly, it gave the game a system to pick our No. 1 participant, our No. 2 participant and so forth. The entire above have been the motivations and explanation why the ATP created the rating system. The entire gamers within the early Seventies contributed to the method and consequently backed it 100 per cent.”

In the present day because the ATP celebrates the fiftieth anniversary of the Pepperstone ATP Rankings, media and followers can’t solely watch and observe their favorite gamers’ outcomes and their fluctuations in kind, but additionally their world rating in real-time. Says Pasarell, “A great way to analyse the numerous affect of the ATP Rankings, is to examine how tournaments decided their entries into their attracts 50 years in the past and evaluate that to now.” In establishing an goal merit-based rating system on 23 August 1973, the ATP’s founding fathers, and their grand imaginative and prescient helped lay the foundations for the game’s progress that we all know at this time.

_{^{Carlos Alcaraz with the ATP Yr-Finish No. 1 introduced by Pepperstone trophy in 2022. Photograph Credit score: Corinne Dubreuil/ATP Tour}}

from Tennis – ATP World Tour https://ift.tt/b1sWOZF