العربية
中国
Français
Deutsch
Ελληνική
हिन्दी
Italiano
日本語
Português
Русский
EspañolWOMEN'S TENNIS ASSOCIATION
The 'Women's Tennis Association', formed in 1973, is the principal organizing body of women's professional tennis. It organizes the 'WTA Tour', the worldwide professional tennis tour for women, which has (for sponsorship reasons) been known since 2005 as 'The Sony Ericsson WTA Tour'. Its counterpart organization in the men's professional game is the ATP.
The Women's Tennis Association can trace its origins back to Houston, Texas when the inaugural ''Virginia Slims'' event was won on 23 September, 1970. Billie Jean King was a major figure in the early days of the WTA.
Tournament categories
The WTA divides the main women's tournaments into several tiers:
#Grand Slam Events (4)
#Season-ending championships (Sony Ericsson Championships): with Three Million Dollars ($3,000,000) prize money.
#Tier tournaments:
## Tier I (minimum prize money of $1,340,000): There are ten (10) Tier I Tournaments.
## Tier II (minimum prize money of $600,000): There are sixteen (16) Tier II Tournaments.
## Tier III (minimum prize money of $175,000): There are seventeen (17) Tournaments in this Tier.
## Tier IV (minimum prize money of $145,000): There are twelve (12) Tournaments in this Tier.
Ranking points are also available at certain International Tennis Federation (ITF) events below Tier IV (see next section).
Ranking
The organization releases a weekly ranking of the players's performance in the tour. Players' ranking points are counted how they fare on individual rounds of a tournament (round points). The following table gives the distribution of "round points" (note that these values were changed for the 2007 season):
| Description | W | F | SF | QF | R16 | R32 | R64 | R128 | QLFR | Q3 | Q2 | Q1 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Grand Slam (Singles) | 1000 | 700 | 450 | 250 | 140 | 90 | 60 | 2 | 31 | 25 | 15 | 2 |
| Grand Slam (Doubles) | 1000 | 700 | 450 | 250 | 140 | 90 | 2 | - | 24 | - | - | - |
| SE Champs (Singles) | 750 | 525 | 335 | 185 | 105 | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| SE Champs (Doubles) | 750 | 525 | 335 | 185 | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| Tier I $3,000,000 (Singles) | 500 | 350 | 225 | 125 | 70 | 45 | 30 | 1 | 20 | - | 10 | 1 |
| Tier I $3,000,000 (Doubles) | 500 | 350 | 225 | 125 | 70 | 1 | - | - | 15 | - | 10 | 1 |
| Tier I $2,000,000 (Singles) | 465 | 325 | 210 | 115 | 65 | 40 | 25 | 1 | 15 | - | 10 | 1 |
| Tier I $2,000,000 (Doubles) | 465 | 325 | 210 | 115 | 65 | 1 | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| Tier I $1,340,000 (56S) | 430 | 300 | 195 | 110 | 60 | 35 | 1 | - | 15 | - | 10 | 1 |
| Tier I $1,340,000 (28S/32D) | 430 | 300 | 195 | 110 | 60 | 1 | - | - | 20 | 15 | 10 | 1 |
| Tier I $1,340,000 (16D) | 430 | 300 | 195 | 110 | 1 | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| Tier II $650,000 (28S) | 300 | 215 | 140 | 75 | 40 | 1 | - | - | 15 | 10 | 5 | 1 |
| Tier II $650,000 (16D) | 300 | 215 | 140 | 75 | 1 | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| Tier II $600,000 (56S) | 275 | 190 | 125 | 70 | 35 | 20 | 1 | - | 10 | - | 5 | 1 |
| Tier II $600,000 (28S) | 275 | 190 | 125 | 70 | 35 | 1 | - | - | 15 | 10 | 5 | 1 |
| Tier II $600,000 (16D) | 275 | 190 | 125 | 70 | 1 | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| Tier III $225,000 (32S) | 165 | 115 | 75 | 40 | 20 | 1 | - | - | 5 | - | 3 | 1 |
| Tier III $225,000 (16D) | 165 | 115 | 75 | 40 | 1 | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| Tier III $175,000 (56S) | 140 | 100 | 65 | 35 | 20 | 10 | 1 | - | 4 | - | 3 | 1 |
| Tier III $175,000 (30/32S, 32Q) | 140 | 100 | 65 | 35 | 20 | 1 | - | - | 8 | 4 | 3 | 1 |
| Tier III $175,000 (30/32S, 16Q) | 140 | 100 | 65 | 35 | 20 | 1 | - | - | 4 | - | 3 | 1 |
| Tier III $175,000 (16D) | 140 | 100 | 65 | 35 | 1 | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| Tier IV $145,000 (32S, 32Q) | 115 | 80 | 50 | 30 | 15 | 1 | - | - | 7 | 3 | 2 | 1 |
| Tier IV $145,000 (32S, 16Q) | 115 | 80 | 50 | 30 | 15 | 1 | - | - | 3 | - | 2 | 1 |
| Tier IV $145,000 (16S, 16D) | 115 | 80 | 50 | 30 | 1 | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| ITF $100,000 + H ★ (32) | 75 | 55 | 40 | 20 | 10 | 1 | - | - | 3 | 2 | 1 | - |
| ITF $100,000 + H ★ (16) | 75 | 55 | 40 | 20 | 1 | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| ITF $100,000 (32) | 70 | 50 | 35 | 18 | 9 | 1 | - | - | 3 | 2 | 1 | - |
| ITF $100,000 (16) | 70 | 50 | 35 | 18 | 1 | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| ITF $75,000 (32) + H ★ | 65 | 45 | 29 | 16 | 8 | 1 | - | - | 3 | 2 | 1 | - |
| ITF $75,000 (16) + H ★ | 65 | 45 | 29 | 16 | 1 | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| ITF $75,000 (32) | 55 | 39 | 25 | 15 | 7 | 1 | - | - | 3 | 2 | 1 | - |
| ITF $75,000 (16) | 55 | 39 | 25 | 15 | 1 | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| ITF $50,000 + H ★ (32) | 45 | 32 | 20 | 12 | 6 | 1 | - | - | 3 | 2 | 1 | - |
| ITF $50,000 + H ★ (16) | 45 | 32 | 20 | 12 | 1 | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| ITF $50,000 (32) | 35 | 25 | 16 | 9 | 5 | 1 | - | - | 3 | 2 | 1 | - |
| ITF $50,000 (16) | 35 | 25 | 16 | 9 | 1 | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| ITF $25,000 (32) | 25 | 17 | 12 | 7 | 4 | 1 | - | - | 1 | - | - | - |
| ITF $25,000 (16) | 25 | 17 | 12 | 7 | 1 | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| ITF $10,000 (32) | 6 | 4 | 3 | 2 | 1 | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| ITF $10,000 (16) | 6 | 4 | 3 | 1 | 1 | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
(
★ ) “+H” indicates that Hospitality is provided
A player's point total is calculated on a weekly basis, counting only tournaments played within the last year. The top 17 tournaments of the past year count toward a player's point total, with the lowest of the player's scores being dropped from the total. The exceptions are the four grand slam tournaments the mandatory Tier I tournament, which always count toward the player's point total, even if their score in the slam is lower than another score achieved in a non-slam tournament. All players who qualify by ranking for acceptance into the main draw of a Grand Slam or the mandatory Tier I tournament will be entered automatically. Any player who is accepted into one of these tournaments and subsequently withdraws will automatically receive zero points for the tournament and will have it count as one of their best 17 tournament results.
In 1996, the WTA started awarding players "quality points", which were calculated based on the rankings of players they defeated in tournaments. This would give more points to a player who beat a top ranked player than one who beat a lower ranked player. Quality points were discontinued after the 2005 season and are no longer used.
WTA Rankings
'As of 27 August, 2007'
| 'No' | 'Player' | 'Nation' | 'Points' | '+/−' |
| 1 | Justine Henin | 4692 | = | |
| 2 | Maria Sharapova | 3845 | = | |
| 3 | Jelena Janković | 3429 | = | |
| 4 | Svetlana Kuznetsova | 3176 | = | |
| 5 | Ana Ivanović | 2847 | = | |
| 6 | Anna Chakvetadze | 2586 | = | |
| 7 | Amélie Mauresmo | 2376 | = | |
| 8 | Nadia Petrova | 2238 | = | |
| 9 | Serena Williams | 2237 | = | |
| 10 | Marion Bartoli | 1989 | +1 | |
| 11 | Daniela Hantuchová | 1968 | -1 | |
| 12 | Patty Schnyder | 1774 | = | |
| 13 | Elena Dementieva | 1770 | +2 | |
| 14 | Venus Williams | 1765 | -1 | |
| 15 | Nicole Vaidišová | 1708 | -1 | |
| 16 | Dinara Safina | 1708 | = | |
| 17 | Martina Hingis | 1621 | = | |
| 18 | Tatiana Golovin | 1586 | = | |
| 19 | Shahar Pe'er | 1524 | = | |
| 20 | Sybille Bammer | 1196 | = | |
| 21 | Alona Bondarenko | 1114 | +2 | |
| 22 | Li Na | 1112 | -1 | |
| 23 | Lucie Šafářová | 1076 | -1 | |
| 24 | Katarina Srebotnik | 1051 | = | |
| 25 | Francesca Schiavone | 1019 | +1 | |
| 26 | Tathiana Garbin | 977.5 | -1 | |
| 27 | Sania Mirza | 926 | +1 | |
| 28 | Vera Zvonareva | 903 | +1 | |
| 29 | Mara Santangelo | 889 | -2 | |
| 30 | Ai Sugiyama | 881 | = |
Records
Most titles won during the open era
1. Martina Navratilova: 167
2. Chris Evert: 154
3. Steffi Graf: 107
4. Margaret Smith Court: 92
5. Evonne Goolagong Cawley: 68
6. Billie Jean King: 67
7. Virginia Wade: 55
8. Monica Seles: 53
9. Lindsay Davenport: 51
10. Martina Hingis: 43
11. Justine Henin: 36
12. Venus Williams: 35
13. Kim Clijsters: 34
14. Conchita Martinez: 33
15. Tracy Austin: 30
Most titles won in a year during the open era
''Before 1990 (15 +):
1. 21 - Margaret Smith Court (1970)
2. 18 - Margaret Smith Court (1969, 1973)
3. 17 - Billie Jean King (1971)
4. 16 - Chris Evert (1974, 1975)
4. 16 - Martina Navratilova (1983)
6. 15 - Evonne Goolagong Cawley (1970)
6. 15 - Martina Navratilova (1982)
''Since 1990 (8 +):
1. 12 - Martina Hingis (1997)
2. 10 - Monica Seles (1991, 1992)
2. 10 - Steffi Graf (1990, 1993)
4. 9 - Monica Seles (1990)
4. 9 - Arantxa Sanchez Vicario (1994)
4. 9 - Steffi Graf (1995)
4. 9 - Martina Hingis (2000)
4. 9 - Kim Clijsters (2003, 2005)
9. 8 - Serena Williams (2002)
9. 8 - Steffi Graf (1992)
9. 8 - Justine Henin (2003)
Oldest winners of a title during the open era
# Billie Jean King: 39 yrs, 7 mos, 23 days (1983 Birmingham)
# Martina Navratilova: 37 yrs, 4 mos, 2 days (1994 Paris Indoors)
# Margaret Smith Court: 34 yrs, 4 mos, 26 days (1976 Melbourne)
Youngest winners of a title during the open era
# Tracy Austin: 14 yrs, 0 mos, 28 days (1977 Portland)
# Kathy Rinaldi: 14 yrs, 6 mos, 24 days (1981 Kyoto)
# Andrea Jaeger: 14 yrs, 7 mos, 14 days (1980 Las Vegas)
Most matches won during the open era
| Pos | Player | Wins |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Martina Navratilova | '1442' |
| 2 | Chris Evert | '1304' |
| 3 | Steffi Graf | 900 |
| 4 | Virginia Wade | 839 |
| 5 | Arantxa Sanchez-Vicario | 759 |
| 6 | Lindsay Davenport | 716 |
| 7 | Conchita Martínez | 711 |
| 8 | Evonne Goolagong Cawley | 704 |
| 9 | Billie Jean King | 695 |
| 10 | Gabriela Sabatini | 632 |
| 11 | Pam Shriver | 625 |
| 12 | Helena Sukova | 614 |
| 13 | Nathalie Tauziat | 606 |
Grand Slam title leaders
| Player | Australia | France | Wimbledon | United States | Overall | Total | ||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| S | D | MD | S | D | MD | S | D | MD | S | D | MD | S | D | MD | ||||
| Margaret Smith Court | 11 | 8 | 2 | 5 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 2 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 8 | 24 | 19 | 19 | '62' | ||
| Martina Navratilova | 3 | 8 | 1 | 2 | 7 | 2 | 9 | 7 | 4 | 4 | 9 | 3 | 18 | 31 | 10 | '59' | ||
| Billie Jean King | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 6 | 10 | 4 | 4 | 5 | 4 | 12 | 16 | 11 | '39' | ||
| Margaret Osborne duPont | A | A | A | 2 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 5 | 1 | 3 | 13 | 9 | 6 | 21 | 10 | '37' | ||
| Louise Brough Clapp | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 4 | 5 | 4 | 1 | 12 | 4 | 6 | 21 | 8 | '35' | ||
| Doris Hart | 1 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 5 | 3 | 1 | 4 | 5 | 2 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 14 | 15 | '35' | ||
[S=Singles; D=Doubles; MD= Mixed Doubles; A = never played in the event]
Miscellaneous
★ Career money leaders (as of Aug 6, 2007)
| Rank | Player | Prize Money (US$) |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | Steffi Graf | 21,895,277 |
| 2. | Lindsay Davenport ★ | 21,763,653 |
| 3. | Martina Navratilova | 21,626,089 |
| 4. | Martina Hingis ★ | 20,063,873 |
| 5. | Serena Williams ★ | 17,805,626 |
| 6. | Venus Williams ★ | 17,801,117 |
| 7. | Arantxa Sanchez Vicario | 16,942,640 |
| 8. | Justine Henin ★ | 16,107,749 |
| 9. |  SFR Yugoslavia | 14,891,762 |
| 10. | Kim Clijsters | 14,764,296 |
| ★ = active player | ||
★ Singles Win-Loss Career
| Rank | Player | Win | Loss | Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | Chris Evert | 1,304 | 144 | .901 |
| 2. | Steffi Graf | 900 | 115 | .887 |
| 3. | Martina Navratilova | 1,442 | 219 | .868 |
| 4. | SFR Yugoslavia | 595 | 122 | .830 |
| 5. | Serena Williams ★ | 346 | 72 | .828 |
| 6. | Justine Henin ★ | 452 | 103 | .814 |
| 7. | Venus Williams ★ | 458 | 107 | .811 |
| 8. | Martina Hingis ★ | 545 | 130 | .807 |
| 9. | Maria Sharapova ★ | 264 | 63 | .807 |
| 10. | Kim Clijsters | 427 | 104 | .804 |
| ★ = active player | ||||
Minimum of 25 tournaments played. The source for this table is the Women's Tennis Association (WTA) as of July 9, 2007. For reasons that the WTA does not explain, the list omits players such as Billie Jean King (.818 win ratio in 850 matches), Evonne Goolagong Cawley (.810 win ratio in 869 matches), and Margaret Smith Court.
Other trivia
★ As of November 20, 2006
★
★ 174 players have earned at least U.S. $1 million since 1970.
★
★ 33 players have earned at least U.S. $5 million since 1970.
★
★ 14 players have earned at least U.S. $10 million since 1970.
★
★ 8 players have earned at least U.S. $15 million dollars since 1970.
★
★ 4 players have earned at least U.S. $20 million dollars since 1970.
★ Venus Williams of the United States hit the fastest serve ever (in a main draw) in the first round of the 2007 U.S. Open, 129 mph.
See also
★ Tennis statistics
★ Grand Slam (tennis)
★ WTA Tour Championships
★ List of WTA number 1 ranked players
★ List of female tennis players
★ Association of Tennis Professionals
★ WTA Awards
★ 2004 WTA Tour
★ 2005 WTA Tour
★ 2006 WTA Tour
★ 2007 WTA Tour
★ 2008 WTA Tour
External links
★ The official Sony Ericsson WTA Tour web site
★ Unofficial WTA Tour Message Board (Forum)
★ WTA and ATP tournews and players
★ WTA and ATP 2007 tour schedule
This article provided by Wikipedia. To edit the contents of this article, click here for original source.
psst.. try this: add to faves
