Tennis has an unusually large number of traditions that are not immediately obvious from reading the rulebook. You can learn how to serve, understand the scoring system and know whether a ball landed in or out, yet still step onto a court without knowing how players are expected to behave.Continue Reading
Men’s and women’s professional tennis spend most of the year on separate tours. The United Cup brings them together. Staged in Australia at the beginning of the season, the tournament features national teams containing both ATP and WTA players. Men and women compete in singles for the same team beforeContinue Reading
Before the packed stadiums, Grand Slam main draws and million-dollar prize cheques, professional tennis often looks very different. A few spectators might stand beside an outside court. There may be no television cameras. Players can be responsible for their own travel, accommodation and coaching expenses while competing for relatively modestContinue Reading
Not every WTA tournament features dozens of Top 20 players or offers 1,000 ranking points to the champion. Much of the week-to-week life of professional women’s tennis happens at a different level: WTA 250. These tournaments are staged around the world and throughout the season, giving established professionals, emerging playersContinue Reading
Between the elite WTA 1000 tournaments and the more numerous WTA 250 events sits an important middle tier of women’s professional tennis: WTA 500. These tournaments appear throughout the season and across all three major surfaces. They regularly attract leading players, offer substantial ranking points and can play an importantContinue Reading
Below the four Grand Slams, one tournament category sits at the top of the regular women’s professional tour: WTA 1000. These are some of the biggest events in women’s tennis. They take players from the hard courts of Doha and Dubai to the vast combined events at Indian Wells andContinue Reading
Behind almost every player competing at Wimbledon, the US Open or an ATP Masters 1000 lies another side of professional tennis. Smaller venues. Smaller crowds. Less prize money. But enormous consequences for the players involved. Welcome to the ATP Challenger Tour. The Challenger Tour sits immediately below the main ATPContinue Reading
The ATP Tour stretches far beyond the Grand Slams and Masters 1000 tournaments. At its foundation is the ATP 250 category. These tournaments are staged throughout the season and around the world, giving players opportunities to win titles, collect ranking points and compete at the highest level of the regularContinue Reading
Not every major week in men’s professional tennis takes place at a Grand Slam or Masters 1000. One level further down the ATP hierarchy sits the ATP 500 category — a collection of important tournaments played throughout the season on hard courts, clay and grass. They regularly attract some ofContinue Reading
Immediately below the Grand Slams sits the most prestigious regular tournament category on the ATP Tour: the ATP Masters 1000. There are nine Masters 1000 tournaments on the 2026 calendar, staged across North America, Europe and Asia. They bring together most of the leading men’s players and offer some ofContinue Reading
