Women's Tennis Association
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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.
[edit] 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).
[edit] 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 and 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.
[edit] WTA Rankings
| WTA Rankings (7 July 2008) | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rk | Name | Nation | Points | +/- |
| 1 | Ana Ivanović |  SRB | 3,828 | = |
| 2 | Jelena Janković | SRB | 3,685 | +1 |
| 3 | Maria Sharapova |  RUS | 3,626 | −1 |
| 4 | Svetlana Kuznetsova | RUS | 3,455 | = |
| 5 | Serena Williams |  USA | 3,126 | +1 |
| 6 | Elena Dementieva | RUS | 3,105 | −1 |
| 7 | Venus Williams | USA | 2,606 | = |
| 8 | Anna Chakvetadze | RUS | 2,486 | = |
| 9 | Dinara Safina | RUS | 2,287 | = |
| 10 | Agnieszka Radwańska |  POL | 2,171 | +1 |
| 11 | Vera Zvonareva | RUS | 1,972 | +3 |
| 12 | Daniela Hantuchová |  SVK | 1,927 | = |
| 13 | Patty Schnyder |  SUI | 1,802 | = |
| 14 | Ágnes Szávay |  HUN | 1,694 | +1 |
| 15 | Marion Bartoli |  FRA | 1,420 | −5 |
| 16 | Victoria Azarenka |  BLR | 1,386 | = |
| 17 | Nadia Petrova | RUS | 1,321 | +1 |
| 18 | Maria Kirilenko | RUS | 1,208 | +1 |
| 19 | Francesca Schiavone |  ITA | 1,201 | +1 |
| 20 | Alizé Cornet | FRA | 1,190 | −3 |
| 21 | Flavia Pennetta | ITA | 1,180 | +2 |
| 22 | Nicole Vaidišová |  CZE | 1,153 | = |
| 23 | Lindsay Davenport | USA | 1,115 | +2 |
| 24 | Tatiana Golovin | FRA | 1,100 | −3 |
| 25 | Shahar Pe'er |  ISR | 1,077 | +1 |
| 26 | Katarina Srebotnik |  SLO | 1,022 | −2 |
| 27 | Virginie Razzano | FRA | 1,015 | +1 |
| 28 | Alona Bondarenko |  UKR | 988 | −1 |
| 29 | Sybille Bammer |  AUT | 977 | = |
| 30 | Caroline Wozniacki |  DEN | 962 | = |
[edit] Records
[edit] Most titles won during the open era
| Pos | Player | Titles |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | / Martina Navratilova | 167 |
| 2 | Chris Evert | 154 |
| 3 |  Steffi Graf | 107 |
| 4 |  Margaret Court | 92 |
| 5 | Evonne Goolagong Cawley | 68 |
| 6 | Billie Jean King | 67 |
| 7 | Lindsay Davenport* | 55 |
| 7 |  Virginia Wade | 55 |
| 9 | / Monica Seles | 53 |
| 10 | Martina Hingis | 43 |
| 11 |  Justine Henin | 41 |
| 12 | Venus Williams* | 37 |
| 13 | Kim Clijsters | 34 |
| 14 |  Conchita Martinez | 33 |
| 15 | Serena Williams* | 31 |
| * = active player | ||
[edit] Most titles won in a year during the open era
Before 1990 (15 +):
1. 21 - Margaret Court (1970)
2. 18 - Margaret 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 - Steffi Graf (1990, 1993)
2. 10 - Monica Seles (1991, 1992)
2. 10 - Justine Henin (2007)
5. 09 - Monica Seles (1990)
5. 09 - Steffi Graf (1995)
5. 09 - Martina Hingis (2000)
5. 09 - Kim Clijsters (2003, 2005)
9. 08 - Steffi Graf (1992)
9. 08 - Aranxta Sanchez-Vicario (1994)
9. 08 - Serena Williams (2002)
9. 08 - Justine Henin (2003)
[edit] 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 Court: 34 yrs, 4 mos, 26 days (1976 Melbourne)
[edit] 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)
[edit] Most matches won during the open era
| Pos | Player | Wins |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | / Martina Navratilova | 1,442 |
| 2 | Chris Evert | 1,304 |
| 3 | Steffi Graf | 902 |
| 4 | Virginia Wade | 839 |
| 5 | Arantxa Sanchez Vicario | 759 |
| 6 | Lindsay Davenport* | 751 |
| 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 |
| * = active player | ||
[edit] Singles career win-loss ratio during the open era
| Rank | Player | Wins | Losses | Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | Chris Evert | 1,304 | 144 | .901 |
| 2. | Steffi Graf | 902 | 115 | .887 |
| 3. | / Martina Navratilova | 1,442 | 219 | .868 |
| 4. | / Monica Seles | 595 | 122 | .830 |
| 5. | Serena Williams* | 386 | 81 | .827 |
| 6. | Justine Henin | 493 | 107 | .821 |
| 7. | Maria Sharapova* | 304 | 70 | .813 |
| 8. | Venus Williams* | 496 | 117 | .809 |
| 9. | Martina Hingis | 548 | 133 | .805 |
| 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, 2008. 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 Court.
[edit] 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 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]
[edit] Earnings
| Rank | Player | Prize Money (US$) |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | Lindsay Davenport* | 22,084,868 |
| 2. | Steffi Graf | 21,895,277 |
| 3. | / Martina Navratilova | 21,626,089 |
| 4. | Venus Williams* | 20,288,478 |
| 5. | Serena Williams* | 20,247,546 |
| 6. | Martina Hingis | 20,130,657 |
| 7. | Justine Henin | 19,461,375 |
| 8. | Arantxa Sanchez Vicario | 16,942,640 |
| 9. | / Monica Seles | 14,891,762 |
| 10. | Kim Clijsters | 14,764,296 |
| * = active player | ||
- As of July 7, 2008
- 188 players have earned at least U.S. $1 million since 1970.
- 34 players have earned at least U.S. $5 million since 1970.
- 15 players have earned at least U.S. $10 million since 1970.
- 8 players have earned at least U.S. $15 million dollars since 1970.
- 6 players have earned at least U.S. $20 million dollars since 1970.
[edit] 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
wikipedia.com
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