Editing Tennis (section)

== Tournaments ==
{{See also|List of tennis tournaments}}
Tournaments are often organized by gender and number of players. Common tournament configurations include men's singles, women's singles, and doubles, where two players play on each side of the net. Tournaments may be organized for specific age groups, with upper age limits for youth and lower age limits for senior players. Example of this include the [[Dunlop Orange Bowl|Orange Bowl]] and [[Les Petits As]] junior tournaments. There are also tournaments for players with disabilities, such as [[wheelchair tennis]] and deaf tennis.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.lta.org.uk/PlayAndCompete/DisabilityTennis/DisabilityTennisHearing.htm|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080205021146/http://www.lta.org.uk/PlayAndCompete/DisabilityTennis/DisabilityTennisHearing.htm|archive-date=5 February 2008|title=Lawn Tennis Association Deaf tennis|access-date=16 March 2008|url-status=dead}}</ref> In the four [[Grand Slam (tennis)|Grand Slam]] tournaments, the singles draws are limited to 128 players for each gender.

Most large tournaments [[Seed (sports)|seed]] players, but players may also be matched by their skill level. According to how well a person does in sanctioned play, a player is given a rating that is adjusted periodically to maintain competitive matches. For example, the [[United States Tennis Association]] administers the National Tennis Rating Program ([[United States Tennis Association#NTRP Ratings|NTRP]]), which rates players between 1.0 and 7.0 in 1/2 point increments. Average club players under this system would rate 3.0–4.5 while world class players would be 7.0 on this scale.

=== Grand Slam tournaments ===
[[File:Centre Court.jpg|thumb|250px|A tennis match at [[Centre Court]] of [[The Championships, Wimbledon|Wimbledon]] in [[2007 Wimbledon Championship|2007]].]]
The four [[Grand Slam (tennis)|Grand Slam]] tournaments are considered to be the most prestigious tennis events in the world. They are held annually and comprise, in chronological order, the [[Australian Open]], the [[French Open]], [[The Championships, Wimbledon|Wimbledon]], and the [[US Open (tennis)|US Open]]. Apart from the [[Olympic Games]], [[Davis Cup]], [[Fed Cup]], and [[Hopman Cup]], they are the only tournaments regulated by the [[International Tennis Federation]] (ITF).<ref name=Slams>{{cite web|url=http://www.itftennis.com/about/grand-slams/overview.aspx|publisher=ITF|title=Grand Slams Overview|access-date=2 May 2012|archive-date=9 July 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130709132953/http://www.itftennis.com/about/grand-slams/overview.aspx|url-status=dead}}</ref> The ITF's national associations, [[Tennis Australia]] (Australian Open), the [[Fédération Française de Tennis]] (French Open), the [[Lawn Tennis Association]] (Wimbledon) and the [[United States Tennis Association]] (US Open) are delegated the responsibility to organize these events.<ref name=Slams/>

Aside from the historical significance of these events, they also carry larger prize funds than any other tour event and are worth double the number of ranking points to the champion than in the next echelon of tournaments, the [[ATP Masters 1000]] (men) and [[WTA Premier tournaments|Premier events]] (women).<ref name=Rankings>{{cite web|title=ATP Rankings FAQ|url=http://www.atpworldtour.com/Rankings/Rankings-FAQ.aspx|publisher=ATP|access-date=2 May 2012}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.sonyericssonwtatour.com/3/global/includes/TrackIt.asp?file=http://www.sonyericssonwtatour.com/3/global/Pdfs/rankings/howitworks.pdf|title=WTA Tour Rankings|access-date=16 March 2008|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080119124913/http://www.sonyericssonwtatour.com/3/global/includes/TrackIt.asp?file=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.sonyericssonwtatour.com%2F3%2Fglobal%2FPdfs%2Frankings%2Fhowitworks.pdf|archive-date=19 January 2008|url-status=dead}}</ref> Another distinguishing feature is the number of players in the singles draw. There are 128, more than any other professional tennis tournament. This draw is composed of 32 seeded players, other players ranked in the world's top 100, qualifiers, and players who receive invitations through [[Wild card (sports)|wild cards]]. Grand Slam men's tournaments have best-of-five set matches while the women play best-of-three. Grand Slam tournaments are among the small number of events that last two weeks, the others being the [[Indian Wells Masters]] and the [[Sony Ericsson Open|Miami Masters]].

Currently, the Grand Slam tournaments are the only tour events that have [[mixed doubles (tennis)|mixed doubles]] contests. Grand Slam tournaments are held in conjunction with wheelchair tennis tournaments and [[junior tennis]] competitions. These tournaments also contain their own idiosyncrasies. For example, players at Wimbledon are required to wear predominantly white. [[Andre Agassi]] chose to skip Wimbledon from 1988 through 1990 citing the event's traditionalism, particularly its "predominantly white" dress code.<ref>{{cite news | url = http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/tennis/4088298.stm | title = What not to wear at Wimbledon | work = [[BBC Sport]] |author = Sarah Holt | date = 15 June 2005 | access-date=16 March 2008}}</ref> Wimbledon has its own particular methods for disseminating tickets, often leading tennis fans to follow complex procedures to obtain tickets.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.wimbledondebentureholders.com/articles/ten_ways_to_grab_a_seat_at_wimbledon |title=10 Ways to Grab a Seat at Wimbledon 2010 |publisher=Wimbledondebentureholders.com |access-date=24 May 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100615193839/http://www.wimbledondebentureholders.com/articles/ten_ways_to_grab_a_seat_at_wimbledon |archive-date=15 June 2010 |url-status=dead }}</ref>

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
|+Overview of Grand Slam tournaments
!scope="col"|Grand Slam
!scope="col"|First held
!scope="col"|Held
!scope="col"|Location
!scope="col"|Surface
!scope="col"|Date
!scope="col"|Prize money
|-
|scope="row" style="background:#ffc;" |[[Australian Open]]
| 1905 || 111 times || [[Melbourne]] || [[Hardcourt|Hard]] 
| January–February || [[A$]]76,500,000 [[2023 Australian Open#Prize money|(2023)]] 
|-
|scope="row" style="background:#ebc2af;" |[[French Open]]
| 1891<sup>*</sup> || 93 times || Paris || [[Clay court|Clay]] 
| May–June || [[euro|€]]49,600,000 [[2023 French Open#Prize money|(2023)]] 
|-
|scope="row" style="background:#cfc;" |[[The Championships, Wimbledon|Wimbledon]]
| 1877 || 136 times || London || [[Grass court|Grass]] 
| June–July || [[£]]44,700,000 [[2023 Wimbledon Championships#Prize money|(2023)]] 
|-
|scope="row" style="background:#ccf;" |[[US Open (tennis)|US Open]]
| 1881 || 143 times || New York City || [[Hardcourt|Hard]] 
| August–September || US$65,000,000 [[2023 US Open (tennis)#Prize money|(2023)]] 
|}
*The French Open became an '''international''' tournament in 1925.

=== Men's tournament structure ===
==== ATP 1000 ====
The [[ATP Masters 1000]] is a group of nine tournaments that form the second-highest echelon in men's tennis. Each event is held annually, and a win at one of these events is worth 1000 ranking points. When the [[Association of Tennis Professionals|ATP]], led by [[Hamilton Jordan]], began running the men's tour in 1990, the directors designated the top nine tournaments, outside of the [[Grand Slam (tennis)|Grand Slam]] events, as "Super 9" events.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.itftennis.com/abouttheitf/worldwide/history.asp|title=History of Tennis|access-date=16 March 2008|archive-date=22 March 2010|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100322195507/http://www.itftennis.com/abouttheitf/worldwide/history.asp|url-status=dead}}</ref> In 2000 this became the Tennis Masters Series and in 2004 the ATP Masters Series. In November at the end of the tennis year, the world's top eight players compete in the [[ATP Finals]], a tournament with a rotating locale. It is currently held in Turin.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2019/apr/24/atp-finals-turin-london-2021-tennis|title=ATP Finals move to Turin from 2021 signals the end of an era|work=[[The Guardian]]|access-date=1 January 2024}}</ref>

In August 2007 the ATP announced major changes to the tour that were introduced in 2009. The Masters Series was renamed to the "ATP Masters 1000", the addition of the number 1000 referring to the number of ranking points earned by the winner of each tournament. Contrary to earlier plans, the number of tournaments was not reduced from nine to eight and the [[Monte-Carlo Masters]] remains part of the series although, unlike the other events, it does not have a mandatory player commitment. The [[Hamburg Masters]] has been downgraded to a 500-point event. The [[Madrid Open (tennis)|Madrid Masters]] moved to May and onto clay courts, and a new tournament in [[Shanghai]] took over Madrid's former indoor October slot. As of 2011 six of the nine "1000" level tournaments are combined ATP and [[Women's Tennis Association|WTA]] events.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.coretennis.net/majic/pageServer/0p0100006b/en/ATP-Tour-2009.html |title=ATP Tour 2009 |publisher=Coretennis.net |access-date=24 May 2010}}</ref>

==== 500 and 250 series ====
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The third and fourth tier of men's tennis tournaments are formed by the [[ATP Tour 500|ATP 500 series]], consisting of 11 tournaments, and the [[ATP Tour 250|ATP 250 series]] with 40 tournaments.<ref name="season">{{cite web|title=ATP World Tour Season|url=http://www.atpworldtour.com/Tournaments/Tournament-Landing.aspx|publisher=ATP|access-date=2 May 2012}}</ref> Like the [[ATP Masters 1000]], these events offer various amounts of prize money and the numbers refer to the number of ranking points earned by the winner of a tournament.<ref name="Rankings" /> The [[Dubai Tennis Championships]] offer the largest financial incentive to players, with total prize money of US$2,313,975 (2012).<ref>{{cite web|title=Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships|url=http://www.atpworldtour.com/Tennis/Tournaments/Dubai.aspx|publisher=ATP|access-date=6 May 2012}}</ref> These series have various draws of 28, 32, 48 and 56 for singles and 16 and 24 for doubles. It is mandatory for leading players to enter at least four 500 events, including at least one after the US Open.

==== Challenger Tour and Futures tournaments ====
The [[ATP Challenger Tour|Challenger Tour]] for men is the lowest level of tournament administered by the [[Association of Tennis Professionals|ATP]]. It is composed of about 150 events and, as a result, features a more diverse range of countries hosting events.<ref>{{cite news | url = http://www.atpworldtour.com/Tournaments/Challenger/ABOUT.aspx | title = About the Challenger Circuit | publisher = [[Association of Tennis Professionals]] | access-date = 2 May 2012 | url-status = dead | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20100227095535/http://www.atpworldtour.com/Tournaments/Challenger/ABOUT.aspx | archive-date = 27 February 2010 | df = dmy-all }}</ref> The majority of players use the Challenger Series at the beginning of their career to work their way up the rankings. [[Andre Agassi]], between winning Grand Slam tournaments, plummeted to World No. 141 and used Challenger Series events for match experience and to progress back up the rankings.<ref>{{cite news | url = https://www.espn.com/sports/tennis/wimbledon06/news/story?id=2506393 | title = An appreciation of Andre Agassi | publisher = [[ESPN]], Matt Wilansky | date = 1 July 2006 | access-date=18 March 2008}}</ref> The Challenger Series offers prize funds of between US$25,000 and US$150,000.

Below the Challenger Tour are the Futures tournaments, events on the [[ITF Men's Circuit]]. These tournaments also contribute towards a player's [[ATP rankings]] points. Futures Tournaments offer prize funds of between US$10,000 and US$15,000.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.itftennis.com/mens/circuitinfo/index.asp|title=About the ITF Men's Circuit|publisher=[[International Tennis Federation]]|access-date=18 March 2008|archive-date=4 June 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110604194726/http://www.itftennis.com/mens/circuitinfo/index.asp|url-status=dead}}</ref> Approximately 530 Futures Tournaments are played each year.

=== Women's tournament structure ===
In 2021, the WTA rebranded, resembling the men's tournament series, and also providing extra simplicity for fans and consumers. The numbers do not indicate ranking points, or prize money, but is a system to help define different levels of women's tennis.

==== WTA 1000 ====
The [[WTA 1000 tournaments|WTA 1000 Tournaments]] (formerly the [[WTA Premier tournaments|Premier]] Mandatory and Premier 5 Tournaments), are a series of seven tournaments that are part of the second-highest tier in women's tennis.<ref name=":1">{{cite web|title=WTA unveils comprehensive rebrand|url=https://www.wtatennis.com/news/1922290/wta-unveils-comprehensive-rebrand|access-date=24 November 2021|website=Women's Tennis Association}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=WTA 1000 roundtable: Most impressive winners, top matches and best quotes|url=https://www.wtatennis.com/news/2298986/wta-1000-roundtable-most-impressive-winners-top-matches-and-best-quotes|access-date=24 November 2021|website=Women's Tennis Association}}</ref>

==== 500 and 250 Series ====
The third and fourth tier of women's tennis tournaments are formed from the [[WTA 500 tournaments|WTA 500 Series]] (formerly Premier 700), with fifteen tournaments, and the [[WTA 250 tournaments|WTA 250 Series]] (formerly International), consisting of thirty tournaments.<ref name=":1" /><ref name=":2">{{cite web|title=Tournaments {{!}} WTA Official|url=https://www.wtatennis.com/tournaments|access-date=24 November 2021|website=Women's Tennis Association}}</ref>

==== WTA 125 ====
The [[WTA 125 tournaments|WTA 125 Series]] (formerly 125K Series), is the lowest tier of women's tennis, with fourteen tournaments.<ref name=":2" />