Women’s WTA Singles &
Doubles Rankings

Are you curious about how the latest women’s tennis rankings are calculated? If so, you’ve come to the right place.

If you’re unfamiliar with the WTA rankings system, it can seem a bit complex, especially in comparison to other women’s sports, but the good news is that it’s pretty straightforward once you grasp the basics.

At TennisCompanion, we believe all tennis players and fans should understand how the women’s tennis rankings are calculated. As a result, we put together this handy section to help you learn.

Rankings System

As you may know, women’s tennis rankings are calculated using a simple point system. The more points a player accumulates, the higher their ranking. All players can accumulate points by participating in tournaments meeting the WTA eligibility criteria. The further a player advances through a tournament, the more points they can earn.

Pretty straightforward, right?

However, as you may have guessed, the distribution of points varies depending on the tournament level. For example, winning Wimbledon will help you earn more points than winning one of the smaller Premier tournament events.

Recognizing this, let’s look at the types of tournaments that make up the WTA World Tour.

Tier 1: WTA World Tour

Easily the most well-known group of tournaments, the World Tour is the highest level of women’s tennis competition. Tournaments include the Grand Slams, Tour Championships, Premier, and international tournaments.

Grand Slams

As every tennis player knows, the Grand Slams are the most prestigious tournaments, often called the majors. As a result, they attract the most competitive field of players and provide players with the biggest opportunity for earning points. These tournaments include the Australian Open, French Open, Wimbledon, and US Open.

WTA Tour Championships

Right behind the Grand Slams, the women’s Tour Championships is the equivalent of the ATP World Tour Finals on the men’s circuit. Played at the end of each season, this tournament is unique because it only involves the top 8 singles players and uses a round-robin format.

Fun fact: It was also the only women’s tournament to run best of five matches from 1984-1998.

WTA Premier Tournaments

The WTA Premier Tournaments are a collection of three categories of tournaments, including Premier Mandatory, Premier 5, and Premier events. Each year, four Premier Mandatory, five Premier 5, and 12 Premier tournaments are held worldwide, including events in Indian Wells, Miami, Dubai, and Tokyo.

WTA International Tournaments

A level below the Premier Tournaments, the International series of tournaments comprises a broad set of 30 tournaments. This includes 29 standard International tournaments and the Tournament of Champions held at the end of each season.

Tier 2: 125k Series

At the second highest tier of women’s professional tennis, the 125k Series (also called the 125s) is where many women earn enough ranking points to qualify for World Tour tournaments. Each year, 5 125k Series tournaments are held, and as you may have guessed, the prize money for each tournament is $125,000.

Tier 3: ITF Tournaments

Lastly, the ITF Tournaments are women’s professional tennis’s third and final tier. These tournaments are run by the International Tennis Federation (ITF), a separate entity from the WTA, and allow aspiring women’s tennis players to earn enough points to move into WTA tournaments.

Bringing It All Together

Now that you understand the types of women’s tennis tournaments, you’ve probably guessed that the number of available points depends on the tournament level. In other words, the higher the level, the more points a player can accumulate. If so, you’re right on track!

For the top women’s players, tennis rankings are calculated on a rolling basis over the past 52 weeks by totaling a player’s points from the following tournaments:

• Four Grand Slams
• Premier Mandatory Tournaments
• Premier WTA Championships
• Best 2 Premier 5 Tournaments

In order to get a more complete understanding of how points are awarded, we find it helpful to view a table that breaks down the point distribution across all women’s professional tennis tournaments.

Point Distribution

In the table below, you’ll find a breakdown of the current women’s WTA point distribution. On the left-hand side, the type of tournament is listed, and across the top, there are abbreviations for the tournament round – each of these will line up with the number of rewarded points.

*H – denotes hospitality or that the tournament covers food and lodging for players

How can I learn more?

We’re glad you asked! To keep things simple, we left out many more specific details. However, some great resources are available if you’d like to learn more.

• WTA World Tour Rulebook
• WTA Wikipedia

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