WTA Set to Make Major Structural Changes Following ATP’s Path

Women’s Tennis Association (WTA), the principal administrative body for women’s tennis, has decided to come out with a clarification on events that have often been wrongly named.

The matter had been a subject of debate for a long time.

WTA to streamline events following ATP

Many tournaments had been erroneously categorized under Premier Mandatory, Premier 5, Premier, WTA International and 125K.

As per a report in Spanish daily MARCA, the WTA bosses will soon announce four divisions – WTA 1,000, WTA 500, WTA 250 and WTA 125 – that are not tied to a common final score or prize pool.

Under the first rank of 1000 would feature four ‘mandatory’ premier events – Indian Wells, Miami, Madrid and Beijing.

It would also include five Premier 5 events – Doha/Dubai, Rome, Canada, Cincinnati and Wuhan. These events would be in the 500 category.

The WTA International would be in the 250 category and the WTA 125 K in the 125 division. The move to streamline events is more in line with the ATP.

When Covid-19 crippled 2020 WTA season

Just like the ATP calendar, which was severely crippled by the novel coronavirus pandemic, the WTA season was adversely affected.

Many calendar events in the women’s circuit, especially those in China, which is believed to be the country where the deadly pathogen originated, were canceled.

Several players on the circuit also skipped events citing concerns around the pandemic.

Read More: “Good News for Fans”: WTA Tennis Event to Take Place Amid Unplayable Conditions

However, there is hope that the Covid situation would be normalized to a considerable extent next year and calendar events would go ahead as scheduled.

Season 2020 commenced on January 6 and ended on November 8.

Simona Halep the top title winner this season

Two-time Romanian Grand Slam champion Simona Halep ended the season with three titles, the most this calendar. Elena Rybakina from Kazakhstan also had a notable season, making five final appearances, the most this season.

However, it was American Sofia Kenin who led the points tally this season, with 3,934 points to her name. She also pocketed $4,302,970 in prize money, also the most this season.

‘Slam Queen’ Serena Williams played 20 matches this calendar year and finished with a singles ranking of 11.