The facts: Average points over a 52-week period used for first ATP rankings list
In 1973, five years after the beginning of the Open era, tennis players were gradually taking control of their own sport. The tensions between players and traditional tournament organizers reached a peak at Wimbledon when in 1973, more than 80 players withdrew in protest of the exclusion of Niki Pilic. However, another bomb was about to drop. In 1972, shortly after the establishment of the ATP (the first union of tennis professionals), the board began working on a ranking system. The goal was to rank players based on their results to create a ranking that accurately reflected each player’s level.
Up until then, there was no unified ranking system, and each tournament had its own rules for accepting players into its draw. This led to local or popular players sometimes entering draws without the necessary level of skill.
“The history leading up to the ranking system included a ‘star system’ for entries into tournaments,” recalled Stan Smith, according to atpworldtour.com. “Some players would be included on a list to help sell tickets for the event and would have priority over others for acceptance into tournaments. This was a cause of concern for players who didn’t have a big name and were on the edge of getting into events.”
The initial ATP ranking list used an average system, with points earned over a 52-week period divided by the number of tournaments played (with a minimum divisor of 12). Additionally, players received bonus points for defeating any seeded player, regardless of the round in which the victory occurred.
In the following 12 months, Bob Kramer collected results from his office in California. “Initially, results and draw sheets would be received by postal mail,” he recalled. “Sometimes we had to make telephone calls to verify if a tournament had even taken place!”)
On Monday, August 23, 1973, the first “ATP International Player Rankings” were published, featuring 186 players, with Ilie Nastase as the inaugural world No 1. Ironically, Nastase was not a major supporter of the ranking system, stating that “everyone has a number hanging over them”. Initially, the ATP rankings were posted in the locker rooms, providing players with their ranking information.
Despite some players, like Nastase, holding nostalgia for the past, the ATP rankings were deemed successful by co-founder Charlie Pasarell, who declared, “The ATP Rankings changed everything. In August 1973, the most deserving, qualified players that entered events regardless of their nationality were guaranteed participation. This was the biggest impact of the ATP Rankings on the worldwide tour.”
Stan Smith also echoed this sentiment, stating, “All the players recognized the importance of it for the game. It was perhaps the most crucial asset of the ATP as we established our union and contributed to the healthy growth of the game.”
What next? Rankings go weekly in 1979
A total of 11 editions of the ATP rankings were published by the end of 1973, all featuring Nastase as world No 1 (a position he held until June 1974). The rankings would be released more frequently each year until they transitioned to a weekly basis in 1979, which continues to be the case today.
