The ITF finally released the first tournaments of 2024. It's unusual for them to be released this late, but it seems it's because they are renaming the levels.
W25 becomes W35 W40 becomes W50 W60 becomes W75
But the prize money seems the same: W35 Sunderland has 25k prize money W50 Edgbaston has 40k prize money.
The ITF finally released the first tournaments of 2024. It's unusual for them to be released this late, but it seems it's because they are renaming the levels.
W25 becomes W35 W40 becomes W50 W60 becomes W75
But the prize money seems the same: W35 Sunderland has 25k prize money W50 Edgbaston has 40k prize money.
We'll need to see whether the WTA are adjusting points for their events, but this with the WTA calendar and entry rule changes it does seem like it will be much harder to break into the group at the top of the rankings.
So a W35 in name is a W25 by category with $25k total prize-money. What on earth is the point of changing the name ? They could at least up the prize money to $35k to match the name.
Can't comment on the points as the link won't load for me.
The link just confirms winners points match the new name of the levels. WTA125 - 125 pts W100 (100k) - 100pts W75 (60k) - 75 pts W50 (40k) - 50pts W35 (25k) - 35 pts W15 (15k) - 15pts
The link just confirms winners points match the new name of the levels. WTA125 - 125 pts W100 (100k) - 100pts W75 (60k) - 75 pts W50 (40k) - 50pts W35 (25k) - 35 pts W15 (15k) - 15pts
80k removed.
Load of old B*llocks. - just seems to be a re-brand - which is cheap.
-- Edited by Strongbow on Thursday 2nd of November 2023 01:21:44 AM
The link just confirms winners points match the new name of the levels. WTA125 - 125 pts W100 (100k) - 100pts W75 (60k) - 75 pts W50 (40k) - 50pts W35 (25k) - 35 pts W15 (15k) - 15pts
80k removed.
Load of old B*llocks. - just seems to be a re-brand - which is cheap.
-- Edited by Strongbow on Thursday 2nd of November 2023 01:21:44 AM
I think its worse than that. Reducing the points allocated at lower level tournaments will make it harder than ever to climb the rankings and consequently harder for those players to make a living out of tennis. Seems like a retrograde step to me.
With what the WTA are doing in their focus on the WTA 500 and 1000 events and stopping top players playing 250's , is this all part of a strategy ie to create an elite level of names with less movement up and down and less "chaos" across the ranking systems etc? A bit like golf which keeps a club of 120 or so players on a tour which is hard to break into. It may not be so overt as all that but it makes you wonder - this may be ITF events mentioned above but the points system is the WTA's
With what the WTA are doing in their focus on the WTA 500 and 1000 events and stopping top players playing 250's , is this all part of a strategy ie to create an elite level of names with less movement up and down and less "chaos" across the ranking systems etc? A bit like golf which keeps a club of 120 or so players on a tour which is hard to break into. It may not be so overt as all that but it makes you wonder - this may be ITF events mentioned above but the points system is the WTA's
I think that's the aim. On the document players have received the Jamie Loeb posted, it says These changes are part of broader changes approved by the WTA at WTA level.... These changes take into account the new WTA calendar as well as an increase in the amount of WTA125 and ITF tournaments.
With what the WTA are doing in their focus on the WTA 500 and 1000 events and stopping top players playing 250's , is this all part of a strategy ie to create an elite level of names with less movement up and down and less "chaos" across the ranking systems etc? A bit like golf which keeps a club of 120 or so players on a tour which is hard to break into. It may not be so overt as all that but it makes you wonder - this may be ITF events mentioned above but the points system is the WTA's
I think that's the aim. On the document players have received the Jamie Loeb posted, it says These changes are part of broader changes approved by the WTA at WTA level.... These changes take into account the new WTA calendar as well as an increase in the amount of WTA125 and ITF tournaments.
Could it work to a player's advantage as they move through the rankings? I think that pre-Grand Slams the WTA 250s can be stacked with the top 50 players making it difficult for lower ranked players to even grab a place in qualifying. Might it help progression? I am not sure I will bow to the experts on here but maybe having more ITF100s and more opportunities for lower-ranked players to enter WTA 250s might help - it certainly helped Katie B consolidate her current ranking.
With what the WTA are doing in their focus on the WTA 500 and 1000 events and stopping top players playing 250's , is this all part of a strategy ie to create an elite level of names with less movement up and down and less "chaos" across the ranking systems etc? A bit like golf which keeps a club of 120 or so players on a tour which is hard to break into. It may not be so overt as all that but it makes you wonder - this may be ITF events mentioned above but the points system is the WTA's
I think that's the aim. On the document players have received the Jamie Loeb posted, it says These changes are part of broader changes approved by the WTA at WTA level.... These changes take into account the new WTA calendar as well as an increase in the amount of WTA125 and ITF tournaments.
Could it work to a player's advantage as they move through the rankings? I think that pre-Grand Slams the WTA 250s can be stacked with the top 50 players making it difficult for lower ranked players to even grab a place in qualifying. Might it help progression? I am not sure I will bow to the experts on here but maybe having more ITF100s and more opportunities for lower-ranked players to enter WTA 250s might help - it certainly helped Katie B consolidate her current ranking.
I guess for a player like Katie, the issue will be how to break into those 500 and 1000 events? If the top 50 women are stacking those events out each time they take place, the top 50 (or whatever the level is) becomes hard to break into for those in the 51-100 range. I guess those at Katies level need to keep on winning at those 250 level or 125 level events, rack up the points and get in to that top 50 or so.
It is sort of making the top 50 an elite, with the 51 below level almost like a super challenger (to borrow the ATP designation) level, and so on down the ranks. Giving more of the money to that elite at the top, at least whilst they can stay there. In turn, the public become more accustomed to the names of those players in the top 50 who are in the 500/1000 events, and more accustomed to the rivalries that they hope will start to develop.
I sort of get what they are trying to do, CVC all over this it would seem. Whether I agree, not sure yet.
Good news on the points restructure. The gap between 15 and 25 was ludicrous and made even less sense when they tried to squeeze 40 category points in. Now that phasing up 15-35-50 is quite logical as a stepping stone.
And reducing the 125 winners points I think is understandable now there are more of those events and it makes the WTA tier progression more sensible.
The issue is the prize money. Changing to 35 for points only but retaining 25k prize money is a joke.
-- Edited by PaulM on Thursday 2nd of November 2023 09:16:12 PM
Quite surprised that the WTA has reduced the ranking points awarded at ITF events in 2024. Could make it tougher to break into the highest levels of the game. However they have increased the points at W15 level.
The naming of the levels has been changed to reflect the number of points awarded to the winner.