EXPLAINED: What is new ATP 500 rule & who will it affect?

Sinner and Djokovic are in danger of losing several points on the ATP rankings.

The Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP) serves as the governing body for the men’s professional tennis tours. They impose several rules to ensure equal participation of primarily top-ranked players in each event category, including Grand Slams, ATP 1000 Masters, ATP 500, and ATP 250 events.

The body has been criticised several times for its tight scheduling, often forcing players to either miss key tournaments or put their bodies on the line, risking injuries. A prime example of this is the back-to-back tournaments held in April and May near Roland Garros.

North American tournaments, primarily the Canadian and Cincinnati Opens, rarely have holidays, meaning Canadian Open finalists could play their first round in Cincinnati the very next day. Both are Masters 1000 events, but the poor scheduling makes it difficult for players to mark their appearance, which led to mass withdrawals from Toronto this year.

ATP rules the minimum requirement

Over 52 weeks, every player must compete in at least 18 tournaments, which include a mix of compulsory and optional events. The best of the eighteen results is taken into account while devising ranking points at the end of the year.

• Points shall be allocated based on tournament category (Grand Slam, Nitto ATP Finals, ATP Tour Masters 1000, United Cup, ATP Tour 500, ATP Tour 250, ATP Challenger Tour, and ITF Men’s WTT events).
• All 4 Grand Slams are mandatory (Australian Open, Roland Garros, Wimbledon, US Open)
• Eight ATP-1000 Masters are compulsory. Monte Carlo is optional.
• The ATP Finals, held at the end of the year, are optional and counted as a bonus, one of the 18 events.
• At least 4 ATP-500 events, with a minimum of one to be played upon the conclusion of the US Open. This is done to guarantee participation in Asian countries, such as China and Japan.
• The rest of the results from the United Cup, ATP-250, and Challengers will be considered.

Penalties if the above requirements are not met

• A zero-pointer is added next to the player’s score at the end of the year if they do not meet the above requirements.

Relaxations for veterans

For players like Novak Djokovic, who meet the following criteria:

• Aged 32 and above
• More than 600 matches played on the ATP tour
• 12+ years as a pro on tour

The ATP provides relief to such players who satisfy all three criteria, ensuring they can take care of their body at the fag end of their career, and prioritise the major events. Their requirements are:

• A total of 18 tournaments still need to be played during the season.
• All 4 Grand Slams are mandatory (Australian Open, French Open, Wimbledon, US Open).
• No requirement to play a fixed number of ATP-1000 or ATP-500 events.

Who will be affected?

Jannik Sinner missed three months of action due to his doping ban and will have to play three more ATP-500 events to meet the criteria. Having featured in only five tournaments so far in 2025, it is nearly impossible for the Italian to play all eighteen competitions. The current World No. 1 has played all three Grand Slams this year.

With his latest withdrawal from the Toronto Open, the only remaining Masters 1000 events include Cincinnati, Shanghai, and Paris. Although he will most likely qualify for the Nitto Finals at the end of the year, Sinner will still miss out on the eight ATP-1000 events scheduled and will therefore lose several points at the end of the season.

Novak Djokovic is exempt due to his age but would still need to play eight more tournaments this year, which is unlikely since the Serbian aims to prioritise major events such as the US Open. Hence, Djokovic could be in danger of falling outside the top 10 at the end of this year.

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