ATP announces rules for rankings: Rafael Nadal the big winner?
In a press release, ATP announced the regulation for the world rankings until the end of 2020. The bottom line: No player will lose points that he won in a tournament after Indian Wells 2019.
by tennisnet.com
last edit: Jul 06, 2020, 07:18 pm
Not that Rafael Nadal would put a lot of emphasis on the question of whether he can really defend points earned in the previous year. In the concept submitted by ATP on Monday about the regulation regarding the ATP world ranking by the end of 2020, he does not have to. Because it should be done as follows: Points that a player won in 2019 but could not defend due to the break due to the corona pandemic this year will definitely remain in the rating. Unless the player concerned scores more points in the weeks after the game resumes in Washington in mid-August than a year ago.
Specifically, using Rafael Nadal as an example, this means that even after the French Open has closed at the beginning of October, the Spaniard will still have 2,000 points for the victory at the US Open, 360 for the semifinals in Madrid, 1,000 for the victory in Rome and 2,000 remain in the rating for success in Roland Garros. Regardless of the actual results at the tournaments mentioned. Daniil Medvedev is also getting away well: The Russian won the main prize in Cincinnati and reached the final at the US Open (as he did in Washington before). That's 2,500 points on the safe side for Medvedev.
Djokovic and Thiem with upward potential
Dominic Thiem could benefit, however: Although the Austrian has little room for improvement at the French Open, he still retains the 1,200 points for the final. At the US Open, however, the points are literally on the road - in New York, Thiem lost to Thomas Fabbiano in round one in 2019. Just like in Rome against Fernando Verdasco.
And industry leader Novak Djokovic also has a lot of leeway: Djokovic failed at the US Open 2019 in the round of 16 against Stan Wawrinka, in Roland Garros Dominic Thiem was in the semifinals. So the big question remains: who benefits from this regulation? Players like Nadal and Medvedev who play without pressure but can hardly win anything? Or rather Djokovic and Thiem, who can make up for what they missed in late summer 2020?