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    How tennis rankings and the ATP and WTA Finals race work

    Tennis rankings add up a player's best results, with points scaled by tournament level: an ATP Grand Slam title is worth 2,000 points and a Masters 1000 title 1,000.[1][2] The year-end Finals take the season's top eight; for men, that is the top seven in the season-long Race to Turin after the Paris Masters plus one more place.[3][4]

    Editor reviewedUpdated ExplainerSports

    Tennis players are ranked by points earned at tournaments, and the best eight of each season meet at the year-end Finals. This guide explains the two systems run by the ATP (men) and the WTA (women), with examples from the 2026 season. Live results are in the Asian swing 2026 tracker.[3]

    Ranking points

    Every ranked tournament awards points by round. Bigger events give more points. In the men’s game a Grand Slam title is worth 2,000 points, a Masters 1000 title 1,000, an ATP 500 title 500 and an ATP 250 title 250.[2] Your ranking adds up a set number of your best results.[1]

    The PIF ATP Rankings count a set of best results. For players in all the automatic-entry events, that is the Nitto ATP Finals, the four Grand Slams, the eight mandatory Masters 1000s and six “best other” results.[1] The WTA counts a maximum of 18 singles tournaments. These are the four Grand Slams, the best six of seven combined WTA 1000s (Indian Wells, Miami, Madrid, Rome, Toronto/Montreal, Cincinnati and Beijing), the best one of Doha, Dubai and Wuhan, and the next best seven results. WTA Finals points count as an extra 19th event.[5] To appear in the WTA Rankings at all, a player needs points at three or more tournaments or at least 10 singles points at one.[6]

    Rankings versus the Race

    The ranking next to a player’s name is not the same table that decides the year-end Finals. That job falls to the Race, which counts points won during the current season.[4] For example, Jannik Sinner is the ATP world No. 1 but is out for the rest of 2026 with a knee injury.[7]

    For the men, the top seven in the PIF ATP Race to Turin after the Paris Masters qualify. The eighth place goes to a current-year Grand Slam champion ranked 8th to 20th, or otherwise to the eighth-placed player.[4] Players can qualify well before Paris. In 2026 Sinner qualified on 10 July, Zverev on 6 August and Alcaraz on 16 September.[8] Before the Shanghai Masters the ATP said Ben Shelton, fourth in the Race, would clinch his place by reaching the fourth round there.[9]

    The ATP Finals and WTA Finals

    The Nitto ATP Finals bring together the year’s best eight singles players and doubles teams. They play in groups first, and the best then play knockout semi-finals and a final.[3] In 2026 it is in Turin from 15 to 22 November.[10] The WTA Finals are held in Indian Wells in November. As of 9 October 2026, Elena Rybakina, Aryna Sabalenka, Mirra Andreeva and Linda Noskova had qualified.[11]

    Each ATP Finals player plays three round-robin matches, and an undefeated champion earns 1,500 ranking points.[3][2] The 2025 champion, Sinner, won undefeated and earned $5.07 million from a record $15.5 million prize fund.[12] Detail on the venue and history is on the atp-finals page.

    Worked example: the 2026 men’s race

    Before Shanghai, the ATP Live Race was led by Zverev (8,650 points) and Sinner (7,950), then Alcaraz (4,560), Shelton (4,440) and Flavio Cobolli (3,540).[13] With Sinner out for the rest of 2026, players further down the Race are competing for the remaining places. Novak Djokovic’s Beijing title lifted him to ninth.[7][14] A Masters 1000 title in Shanghai is worth 1,000 points, which can reshape the places below the leaders.[2]

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    Questions readers ask

    How are ATP rankings calculated?

    They count a player's best results from eligible tournaments, including the four Grand Slams, eight mandatory Masters 1000s and the Nitto ATP Finals, plus a set number of other results.[1]

    How many ranking points is a Grand Slam worth?

    In the ATP system a Grand Slam title is worth 2,000 points, a Masters 1000 title 1,000, an ATP 500 title 500 and an ATP 250 title 250.[2]

    What is the ATP Race to Turin?

    A season-long points race. The top seven after the Paris Masters qualify for the Nitto ATP Finals; the eighth place goes to a current-year Grand Slam champion ranked 8th to 20th, or else to the eighth-placed player.[4]

    How many tournaments count in the WTA rankings?

    A maximum of 18 for singles, with WTA Finals points counting as an extra 19th event.[5]

    How does the ATP Finals format work?

    Eight players are split into round-robin groups. Each plays three group matches for a place in the knockout semi-finals. An undefeated champion earns 1,500 points.[3][2]

    Sources

    · 14 claims from 5 publishers

    Each numbered claim is a statement we checked against the sources listed with it. Tap a number in the text to see its sources in place.

    1. [1]

      The PIF ATP Rankings count a player's best results from eligible tournaments, including the four Grand Slams, the eight mandatory Masters 1000s and the Nitto ATP Finals. confirmedas of 2026-10-11

    2. [2]

      Under the 2026 ATP points table, winners earn 2,000 points at a Grand Slam, 1,000 at a Masters 1000, 500 at an ATP 500 and 250 at an ATP 250; an undefeated ATP Finals champion earns 1,500. confirmedas of 2026-10-11

    3. [3]

      The Nitto ATP Finals features the year's best eight singles players and doubles teams in a round-robin format, with each player playing three group matches before knockout semi-finals. confirmedas of 2026-10-11

    4. [4]

      The ATP Race to Turin counts points won during the season; the top seven players in the Race after the Paris Masters qualify for the Nitto ATP Finals; the eighth place goes to a current-year Grand Slam champion ranked 8th to 20th, or otherwise to the eighth-placed player. confirmedas of 2026-10-11

    5. [5]

      A WTA singles ranking is based on results at a maximum of 18 tournaments, including the four Grand Slams, the best six of seven combined WTA 1000s and the best one of Doha, Dubai and Wuhan; WTA Finals points count as an extra 19th event. confirmedas of 2026-10-11

    6. [6]

      To appear in the WTA Rankings a player must earn points at three or more tournaments or at least 10 singles points at one tournament. confirmedas of 2026-10-11

    7. [7]

      World No. 1 Jannik Sinner withdrew from the Shanghai Masters with a knee injury that had kept him out since winning Wimbledon in July 2026, and the ATP lists him as out for the rest of 2026. confirmedas of 2026-10-08

    8. [8]

      Sinner (10 July), Zverev (6 August) and Alcaraz (16 September) were the first three players to qualify for the 2026 Nitto ATP Finals. confirmedas of 2026-09-16

    9. [9]

      Before Shanghai, the ATP said Ben Shelton, fourth in the Race, would secure his place at the Nitto ATP Finals by reaching the fourth round in Shanghai. confirmedas of 2026-10-08

    10. [10]

      The 2026 Nitto ATP Finals will be played at the Inalpi Arena in Turin from 15 to 22 November 2026. confirmedas of 2026-09-16

    11. [11]

      As of 9 October 2026, four players had qualified for the WTA Finals in Indian Wells in November - Rybakina, Sabalenka, Andreeva and Noskova. confirmedas of 2026-10-09

    12. [12]

      The 2025 Nitto ATP Finals drew a record 229,879 spectators and $15.5 million in prize money; Jannik Sinner won the title undefeated and earned $5.07 million. confirmedas of 2026-07-16

    13. [13]

      Before Shanghai, the ATP Live Race to Turin was led by Alexander Zverev (8,650 points, qualified), Jannik Sinner (7,950), Carlos Alcaraz (4,560, qualified), Ben Shelton (4,440) and Flavio Cobolli (3,540), with Tiafoe, Fils, Medvedev, Djokovic and de Minaur next. confirmedas of 2026-10-08

    14. [14]

      The Beijing title was Djokovic's 102nd tour-level title; at 39 he extended his China Open record to 34-0 and climbed to ninth in the ATP Live Race to Turin. confirmedas of 2026-10-07

    Revision history (1)
    1. Page created.

    Created Oct 11, 2026. Last reviewed by an editor on Oct 11, 2026. Next scheduled review: Jan 11, 2027.

    Cite this page

    "How tennis rankings and the ATP and WTA Finals race work." ContentLora, updated Oct 11, 2026. https://contentlora.com/explain/how-tennis-rankings-work

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