[GoDominiqu]

We hear so much about the 'flaws' of the WTA ranking, but what about the Champions Race ? For me, it fails in every discipline:

- weeks-at-no.1-listings are no longer possible<br />- seedings and rankings can completely differ (so that's easy for the 'average' fan?)<br />- achievements like Lleyton Hewitt's Sydney-victory are forgotten after in January (after 2 months) while the Australian Open are included for 11 months<br />- rankings aren't interesting until September/October (who cares who is no. 1 in March/April?)<br />- players don't care for the Race, they just look at the Entry list

I have nothing against 2 rankings, one for 52 weeks and one for the ongoing year, we have that in the WTA, too. But for me the 52-week-ranking is much more important (and I think as well for most players).<br />So I think it's totally ridiculous to 'hide' that ranking, like the ATP does with the Entry List, and only publish that silly race.

I'm sure I am not the only one with that opinion, so why do we only hear about the WTA and not about the Race ???

[ December 07, 2001: Message edited by: GoDominique ]</p>

 

[Sam L]

I have never really understood why there is a need for a "Champions race". I think they just want to put far more emphasis/attention on who ends the year ranked #1 rather than be bothered with who's actually ranked #1 throughout the year.

IMO the 52 week system is enough, you can still have a race for the year-end #1 ranking.

"seedings and rankings can completely differ (so that's easy for the 'average' fan?)" ---> That's the biggest flaw in my opinion, it's just too confusing!

 

[Volcana]

I like the champions race concept. It makes the season have a bit more drama. Look at the WTA last year as a race. Venus has early trouble, falls behind, Jenn is an unexpected early performer, Martina still can't get it in gear....

And the finish was certainly dramatic, up til Lindsay got hurt. I've always felt the 52 week rank was over-emphasized. All it really does is determine seeding. A champions race concept also begins to bring back the idea od a season. And an OFF-season, which the WTA needs to make longer.

It's not a finished concept, but the champs race was a step in the right direction.

 

[mn73]

I don't bother looking at the Champions Race to be honest, I always look at the entry system, and I am disgusted that when a player hits #1 in the entry system nobody notices or cares anymore.

I keep my own list of weeks at number one in the entry system!

Plus as a Jennifer Capriati fan I only found myself looking at the Race to the Championships occasionally in the last couple of months to see how far ahead of the others she was for the year, so i hardly gave that much thought either!

The 52-week rank is a much better system, and I for one much prefer to see a new player climbing the rankings slowly to reach their end-of-year position, then say in the ATP Race for them to win Sydney and do well at the Aussie Open then they immediately go Top 10 and stay there.

 

[Sam L]

"And an OFF-season, which the WTA needs to make longer."

You mean you want to see LESS women's tennis? <img src="eek.gif" border="0"> <img src="eek.gif" border="0"> <img src="eek.gif" border="0">

 

[TheBoiledEgg]

I've always used the Entry System.

A low ranked player cannot gain a Champions race position as he cannot play in ATP Tour events therefore he doesn't qualify,

Looking at the ranking differences ..... some players in the both rankings the changes were quite amazing .....<br /> <br /> an extract from Bob Larson's column. <br />The following eleven players were in the Top 100 in the Entry Rankings but not the Race: Acasuso, Chela, Davydenko, R. Delgado, Llodra, Luzzi, Nieminen, Sa, Savolt, Simoni, Voinea.

The following eleven players were in the Top 100 in the Race but not the Entry Rankings: Bruguera, Calatrava, Kucera, Larsson, Mamiit, Philippoussis, Prinosil, O. Rochus, Rosset, Siemerink, Woodruff.

Among the players who are in the Top 100 in both lists, the biggest numerical difference is for Jan Vacek, 32 spots: he's #65 in the Entry System, #97 in the Race. All told, six players (Balcells, Calleri, Chang, Nalbandian, Sanchez, Vacek) have Race and Entry rankings differing by 20 or more places.

The most extreme ratios between Race and Entry were posted by Vacek and Nalbandian: For each man, his entry ranking was a third better than his Race ranking.

 

[Kart]

It's only really interesting at the end of year when you see the really top players fighting it out for the end of year no.1 spot.

At the beginning of the year I think it's hilarious to see some of the leaders it produces before the Oz open.

 

[Brian Stewart]

I guess, technically, my answer to the topic question would be no, because I've always considered it to be a joke.

I saw the article Egg refers to. I believe it pointed out that the ATP's claims, that the Race and Entry rankings would match at the end of the season (after multiplying by 5), are false. The majority of the positions in the top 100 do not match. I believe it said something about every position from around #46 (? do you have the exact number, Egg?) on down doesn't match. Even some of those that do don't have the correct points.

The whole problem has been the pretense by the ATP that the Race is the rankings. "Officially", Marat Safin was never #1. "Officially", Agassi and Sampras weren't #1 last year, and didn't add to their totals for weeks at the top. If they want to promote it as a tool to show the season to date, fine. But to give it the import of official rankings is silly, especially when you look at the seedings at tournaments vs the Race list.

 

[Volcana]

Not fewer tournaments. But more time off. All these players pulling out with injuries might be partially a result of no down time.

 

[TheBoiledEgg]

Brian ..... the points do match now as they hadn't removed Stockholm/Brighton from the totals after the Masters.

They didn't do it like the WTA did who removed all the points from tourns that were played later on in 2000 than they were this yr.

Now Yevgeny has the same total x5 on his entry list.

Challengers don't receive any Champs Race points at all hence the discrepancy.

 

[mn73]

Ah yes - all hail Fabrice Santoro - the first ATP Champions Race #1 !!! <img src="graemlins/bounce.gif" border="0" alt="[Bounce]" />

 

[Ted of Teds Tennis]

Not fewer tournaments. But more time off. All these players pulling out with injuries might be partially a result of no down time.<hr></blockquote>

Or put more of the season on clay (if they could somehow convert IW and Key Biscayne to green clay, that would be great), since hardcourts are the hardest on the body. Hardcourts are already worth too much of the rankings!

 

[disposablehero]

What do you mean "now"? <img src="wink.gif" border="0">