what is atp champions tour

ATP Champions Tour

The ATP Champions Tour is a men’s tennis tour intended for former tennis professionals who have retired from professional tennis on the ATP Tour.

The Champions Tour brings together many of the greatest tennis players in history for nostalgic, competitive and entertaining tournaments in cities worldwide.

Who Can Play on the Champions Tour?

For a player to be eligible to play on the Champions Tour, a player must be in the year of his 35th birthday or have been retired from the ATP World Tour for two years or more.

Players must have been ranked World No. 1 , a Grand Slam finalist, or a singles player in a winning Davis Cup team. Each event can also invite two players to take wild cards that don’t meet the above criteria.

Who Has Played On The Champions Tour?

The Champions Tour has featured many of the all-time greats, including:

• Marcos Baghdatis
• Mansour Bahrami
• Jeremy Bates
• Boris Becker
• Tomas Berdych
• James Blake
• Sergi Bruguera
• Omar Camporese
• Michael Chang
• José Luis Clerc
• Juan Carlos Ferrero
• Jimmy Connors
• Albert Costa
• Jim Courier
• Marcos Daniel
• Stefan Edberg
• Younes El Aynaoui
• Thomas Enqvist
• Wayne Ferreira
• David Ferrer
• Renzo Furlan
• Jan Michael Gambill
• Brad Gilbert
• Justin Gimelstob
• Andrés Gómez
• Fernando Gonzalez
• Magnus Gustafsson
• Paul Haarhuis
• Lleyton Hewitt
• Goran Ivanišević
• Anders Järryd
• Yevgeny Kafelnikov
• Ivo Karlovic
• Phillip Kohlschreiber
• Richard Krajicek
• Aaron Krickstein
• Johan Kriek
• Magnus Larsson
• Henri Leconte
• Jesse Levine
• Todd Martin
• Xavier Malisse
• John McEnroe
• Fernando Meligeni
• Carlos Moyá
• Thomas Muster
• David Nalbandian
• Yannick Noah
• Mikael Pernfors
• Mark Philippoussis
• Cédric Pioline
• Sam Querrey
• Patrick Rafter
• Guillaume Raoux
• Marcelo Ríos
• Tommy Robredo
• Andy Roddick
• Greg Rusedski
• Marat Safin
• Pete Sampras
• Fabrice Santoro
• Flávio Saretta
• Vince Spadea
• Carl-Uwe Steeb
• Radek Stepanek
• Michael Stich
• Guillermo Vilas
• Mats Wilander
• Mariano Zabaleta

ATP Champions Tour Format

Traditionally, the Champions Tour consisted of around ten tournaments worldwide, with a year-ending “Champions Tennis” event held at the Royal Albert Hall in London.

However, after the pandemic disrupted the tour for almost two years, the events have become less frequent, with only four events being played in 2022 in Delray Beach, Hurlingham, Brasil and London.

It’s also tricky for fans to follow, with little promotion, coverage or live scoring, and currently, there is no dedicated website for the Champions Tour.

Champions Tour events are typically played over four days, with eight-man fields competing against each other in a round-robin format, ensuring that all players feature in at least three matches.

Like the ATP Finals, the players are split into two groups of four. But rather than semi-finals, the top player from each group contests the final, while the two players who finish second in each group play for third and fourth places, respectively.

The Champions Tour does have prize money , but individual pay is not usually disclosed, with events displaying a headline figure, often in the 1 million dollar or 1 million euro ballpark.

2023 Champions Tour Schedule

The following Champions Tour events are scheduled for 2023:

The Season Ending Champions Tour in London

Champions Tennis at the Royal Albert Hall was the season-ending finale to the ATP Champions Tour. The Royal Albert Hall is one of the UK’s most treasured venues and first opened in 1871; interestingly, Champions Tennis was the only annual sporting event to take place at the Royal Albert Hall. 

Over the years, Champions Tennis at the Royal Albert Hall welcomed a host of the biggest names and personalities on the ATP Champions Tour to play competitively in both singles and entertaining doubles matches, with Mansour Bahrami often taking to the court with his trick shots and comic timing.

The event has also boasted legends such as John McEnroe, Pat Rafter, Goran Ivanisevic debutantes Andy Roddick and Fernando Gonzalez, and Tim Henman. Tennis was played there for the last time in 2021.

ATP Legends Cup

Alongside the Champions Tour, a separate Legends Cup was also played in 2022. This is a team competition series among tennis players that have been ranked top 20 in the world and are above the age of 33.

The Top 12 Group founded the Cup in Sweden in collaboration with the ATP and ATP Champions Tour.

In 2022, there were three events, and the plan for the future is eight competitions yearly, with the last competition each year being a grand finale.

The format is a three-day event (1 session each day); in each session, three matches are played – two singles and one doubles.

No player can play singles more than once daily, and at least three of the four players must play singles and doubles. No doubles combination is played more than once unless for the Decider on Day 3 if points are 9:9

The scoring is a pro Set to 8 games and a 10 points match tie break 8 (with a 2 points margin). 

Points won for a match win differ per day:

• Day 1: 1 point per win in each match 
• Day 2: 2 points per win in each match 
• Day 3: 3 points per win in each match 

The winning team must reach 10 points. In the event of a tie, after all, nine matches are played, a final doubles Match Tie break to 10 points will be played to decide the winner.

So you could say it’s a bit like the Laver Cup!

Past ATP Champions Tour Results

Some results may be missing; if you have them, please get in touch with us .

Champions Tennis 2021 Preview: A final farewell to the Royal Albert Hall

The ATP Champions Tour has its season finale at the Royal Albert Hall with Champions Tennis 2021, its final year at the iconic London venue.

The year-ending event for the ATP Champions Tour returns to the Royal Albert Hall this November. The fan favourite show has seen Slam champions John McEnroe, Bjorn Borg, Pat Rafter, Pete Sampras and Goran Ivanisevic.

British tennis icons Greg Rusedski and Tim Henman also consistently entertain at the London showpiece, with a newly risen national tennis star making their debut at the event this year too.

British teen sensation and US Open champion Emma Raducanu will make her Champions Tennis debut in the historic auditorium. The rising talent will play an exhibition hosted by Champions Tour veteran Mansour Bahrami at 12pm on Sunday 28th November.

What can fans expect?

The last Champions Tennis was held in 2019 after the 2020 event was cancelled due to the Covid-19 pandemic. The format that year saw three teams captained by Tim Henman, Goran Ivanisevic and Greg Rusedski.

Team Tim consisted of Henman, newly retired David Ferrer and two-time Slam finalist Mark Philippoussis. Ivanisevic was joined by 2004 Roland Garros doubles champion Xavier Malisse and former world number one and 2003 Roland Garros singles champion Juan Carlos Ferrero.

Finally, Team Rusedski boasted Rusedski, former world number two Tommy Haas and 2006 Australian Open finalist Marcos Baghdatis. After the round robin stage, in which each team faced each other in two singles and a doubles, Team Henman were eliminated as Team Rusedski and Team Goran faced off in the final.

Team Greg came out on top in that final 3-1 to win the 2019 Champions Tennis trophy.

Day 4 – The finals in 2019, congratulations to Team Greg! @GregRusedski1 @marcosbaghdatis @TommyHaas13 #myworldchampionstennis pic.twitter.com/Cz0vbk8Hnj — Champions Tennis (@ChampionsTennis) November 29, 2020

What do players say about it?

Tim Henman loves playing the season-ending Champions Tour event. “It’s such an iconic venue. I’ll never get bored of playing tennis here,” the former world number four has said.

“This is our Wimbledon, it’s an unbelievable spot,” seven-time Slam singles champion John McEnroe said of playing at Royal Albert Hall. “This is the cream of the crop,” states two-time US Open champion Pat Rafter.

“To be here and see it in person, it’s a special place,” former world number one Andy Roddick expressed.

The event runs from Thursday 25th to Sunday 28th November. Each day will have an afternoon and an evening session, for which tickets are sold separately.

As in 2019, each day will have three matches per session; two competitive singles matches and one competitive doubles match. The final will take place on Sunday night following the Raducanu-Bahrami exhibition event.

Where is the event held?

The event is held at the Royal Albert Hall in London, UK on indoor hard courts. The venue first hosted Champions Tennis back in 1997, and has done so every year since.

Since its opening by Queen Victoria in 1871, the historic London venue has hosted countless arts and entertainment events. The Hall stages more than 390 shows in the main auditorium annually, including a wide variety of concerts, ballet, opera and film screenings with live orchestral accompaniment. Sports, awards ceremonies, school and community events, and charity performances and banquets are also among the events hosted there.

Can I buy tickets for the tournament?

For information on purchasing tickets to this year’s event, click here .

How can I follow the tournament?

You can follow the tournament on the official Champions Tour website and the official ATP Champions Tour Twitter.

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ATP Finals 2021: All you need to know

The field for the season-ending ATP Finals is set. Here's all you need to know about the tournament as it enters its 51st year...

It has been a dramatic year for the men's professional tennis tour and its leader Novak Djokovic . While the Serb won a record-equalling 20th major and secured a record-breaking seventh year-end No 1 ranking , he narrowly missed out on capturing a calendar Grand Slam .

Djokovic will once again lead the field as at the season-ending ATP Finals, which will be held from November 14-21.

Here's a look at the prestigious vent that has come to be known as the 'fifth Grand Slam' : 

When was it established?

The first year-end Masters tournament was held in Tokyo in December 1970 . American great Stan Smith was the first champion.

For 13 years, from 1977 to 1989, it was held at New York's Madison Square Garden, more famous for hosting marquee heavyweight boxing events.

It was rebranded as the Tennis Masters Cup in 2000 and was held in Lisbon, Sydney, Houston and Shanghai. The event came to be known as the ATP Finals when it moved to London's O2 Arena. It celebrated the 50-year anniversary in 2020.

Where will it be played this year?

After a 12-year stint, the ATP Finals moved out of London. It will be held at Turin's Pala Alpitour stadium, Italy’s largest indoor sporting arena, for the five years, starting in 2021.

What makes the year-end championship special?

It is the creme de la creme of tour events as only the top-eight singles players and top-eight doubles teams of the year make the cut. Unlike the ATP rankings, which run as a 52-week cycle, the players who accumulate the most points in a calendar year qualify for the elite event.

Who are the players competing this time?

The eight singles players who have qualified for the 2021 ATP Finals are:

Novak Djokovic, Daniil Medvedev, Stefanos Tsitsipas, Alexander Zverev, Andrey Rublev, Matteo Berrettini, Casper Ruud and Hubert Hurkacz

The eight doubles teams who have qualified are:

Nikola Mektic-Mate Pavic, Rajeev Ram-Joe Sailsbury, Marcel Granollers-Horacio Zeballos, Pierre-Hugues Herbert-Nicolas Mahut, Ivan Dodig-Filip Polasek, Juan Sebastian Cabal-Robert Farah, Kevin Krawietz-Horia Tecau, Jamie Murray-Bruno Soares.

Who has won the most titles?

Roger Federer holds the record for most singles titles: 6.

He defeated Andre Agassi 6–3, 6–0, 6–4 in the final of the 2003 Tennis Masters Cup to win his first season-ending title. The Swiss great last won the tournament in 2011.

World No 1 Djokovic, who has won five titles, will be hoping to equal Federer's tally this year.

John McEnroe and Peter Fleming have been the most successful doubles team at the tournament with seven titles.

Does it offer rankings points?

Yes, it does. According to the revised ranking system for 2021, the champion stands to earn a maximum of 1500 points .

What is the format?

It is the only tournament on the ATP circuit that starts with a round-robin format . Eight players are divided into two groups of four. The winner of each group (best overall record) is placed in separate semi-final brackets, with the top player/team in Group A playing the runner-up in Group B, and vice versa.

All singles matches, including the final, are the best of three tie-break sets. Doubles matches, meanwhile, follow a no-ad (first team to win a point at deuce wins the game) rule and are played over two sets and a match tiebreak (if required).

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Association of Tennis Professionals – What is ATP?

Association of Tennis Professionals, also known as the ATP is a professional tennis league for men. Formed in September 1972, The Association of Tennis Professionals conducts and governs the main professional events of men’s tennis; ATP Tour, ATP Challenger Tour and the ATP Champions Tour. 

The organization is responsible for establishing and enforcing rules and regulations for players, tournaments, and ranking systems. Player development, financial and legal assistance, and medical and scientific support are some of the various services provided by ATP to its members. 

ATP History: 

The Association was formed by Donald Dell, Cliff Drysdale and Jack Kramer in September 1972 and is based in London, England. With Cliff Drysdale as the first president, the ATP aimed to protect the interests of professional tennis players, by protecting the players and the game itself from exploitation and ill treatment. The Association was established as a response to the lack of player representation in the sport of tennis. 

The former tennis governing body, the National Lawn Tennis Associations had established a political monopoly in the game, which left no room for the player’s opinions and say in how the sport was run.

This formed the cause for the formation of ATP which aimed to provide players with more facilities and improve playing conditions such as including prize money, tournament scheduling, and player rights. 

The Association of Tennis Professionals lived up to its promises. 

It has grown significantly from the time it was formed. Now, the ATP oversees and manages the men’s ranking system, regulates tournaments and plays an important role in the promotion of the game and its growth. The ATP Champions Tour is an excellent example of how the Association plays its part in promoting tennis and its players. 

ATP Rankings: 

Previously, there was no formal ranking system or criteria to rank players. Until the 1950s, the top 10 tennis rankings were devised by the legendary tennis writer Lance Tingay.  

Now, The Association of Tennis Professionals has a very intelligent way of determining a player’s position in the men’s professional tennis world, which has evolved over time with changes made to ensure that the sport remains fair and relevant.  

The first official computerized tennis rankings were established in 1972 and it wasn’t until 23 rd August, 1973 that the first men’s single rankings were released. 

The Ranking system uses a “best of” system as the foundation for ranking Men’s singles and doubles. Players and pairs are judged on the basis of their performances in multiple events over the past 52 weeks. 

Each player’s performances in the top 19 tournaments over the past 52 weeks is examined which forms the basis of his rank. 

Points are awarded for each tournament a player competes in. Some base points are given to a player for participating in an event, which then keep increasing with respect to the player’s success in the event.

Points are also deducted from a player’s total over time. In this way, the number of points a player has at any given time reflects their recent performance, form, and consistency. 

The ATP Ranking system has allocated a tournament cap of 19. This means that a person who played more events and tournaments over the last 52 weeks will have no edge over the others. This ensures fair and just rankings. 

Initially the most events cap used to be 14, which was then extended to 18 from the 2000s and is further expected to be increased to 19 from the start of 2023.  

The Current ATP Rankings are:

The ATP rankings as at 30 th January, 2023 are:

• Novak Djokovic from Serbia- 7,070 points
• Carlos Alcaraz from Spain- 6,730 points
• Stefanos Tsitsipas from Greece- 6,195 points
• Casper Ruud from Norway- 5,765 points
• Andrey Rublev from Russia- 4,200 points

(Note: The rankings are dynamic and may change after a period of time).

See the recent ATP rankings .

What Are the Major ATP Events?

ATP conducts 3 main events i.e. ATP tour, ATP Challenger Tour and ATP Champions tour. The first two events form the basis of ranking, along with cash prized and other rewards. While the ATP Champions Tour is a promotional event.

• ATP Tour: 

The ATP Tour is the premier men’s professional tennis circuit organized by ATP. The event comprises of 60 Tournaments held worldwide. The ATP Tour offers players with the opportunity to compete for top rankings and prize money. 

The event is divided into three main levels:

• ATP Tour Masters 1000

Every level offers different prize money and rankings with ATP masters 1000 being the most rewarding.

The ATP tour attracts top players from around the world to compete against each other in some of the greatest and most prestigious tennis events. It is an integral part of men’s tennis, enabling the players to improve their rankings. 

At the end of the tour, top 8 singles and pairs compete in the ATP Tour Finals. 

• ATP Challengers Tour:

At the second tier, The ATP (Association of Tennis Professionals) is the secondary professional men’s tennis event organized by ATP. It comprises of 150 tournaments held around the world. The ATP Challenger Tour is the perfect opportunity for new tennis aspirants and upcoming players looking to make a name in men’s tennis. 

• ATP Champions Tour:

The Association of Tennis Professionals make sure that no stone in left unturned in the promotion of men’s tennis. The ATP Champions Tour is a series of exhibition tennis events featuring former top ATP players over the age of 30. The events provide fans the opportunity to see their favorite legendary players back in the court once again. Although it is not a part of the main ATP tour and does not offer ranking points, the ATP Champions tour contributes greatly to fan’s entertainment and promotion of the sport.

Are the Wimbledon and U.S. Open included in the ATP Tour?

 No, ATP does not manage the Wimbledon and U.S. Open

What is the ATP 1000?

 The ATP Masters 1000 is the top tier of the ATP tour, with 9 tournaments held around the world. 

When was the ATP formed?

The ATP was formed in September 1972 in London.

What is ATP?

ATP refers to Association of Tennis Professionals.

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How the ATP Rankings work: Men’s tennis singles rankings explained

While the ATP Rankings have only existed for a fraction of the time that tennis has been a global sport, they are central to how the men’s game functions.

Rankings determine entry into all tournaments on the elite circuit and also dictates the seeding for events.

The ATP Rankings are the official men’s rankings for tennis and offer another front for the sport’s best to compare and compete with one another.

While the most points are available at Grand Slams and then the Masters events, rankings points are on offer across events right down to the ITF circuit level.

Being world No 1 is now the goal of thousands of youngsters setting out on their tennis journey.

Here we look at the mechanics of the ATP Rankings .

How do the ATP Rankings work

A player’s ranking is determined by their best performances across 19 singles events. *The ATP Finals is an extra event (20th) in the ranking breakdown which effectively offers bonus rankings points to those who qualify to take part.

Top players who compete at all mandatory events will have the following breakdown according to ATPTour.com:

• One (1) Nitto ATP Finals* (additional event in the ranking breakdown)
• Four (4) Grand Slams
• Eight (8) mandatory Masters 1000s
• Seven ‘Best Other’ (ATP Cup, ATP Masters 1000 Monte Carlo, ATP 500, ATP 250, Challenger or ITF events).

The rankings operate on a rolling 52-week ranking logic, where in most cases players will see their points from a previous year’s tournament fall away in the week the next edition of the event takes place, there are exceptions when events are moved in the calendar.

This logic explains references to players ‘defending their points’ where a player would need to match or better their performance from the previous season’s event in order to maintain or improve their

ATP Rankings are updated weekly on Mondays, but the organisation also tracks so-called live rankings which will update according to a player’s progress through the week.

There are currently 2007 players ranked by the ATP but those eager to avoid qualifying tournaments on the ATP Tour generally need to keep themselves in and around the top 50 players in the world.

Novak Djokovic is the player to have spent the most weeks at the top of the ATP Rankings and looks set to set incredible records through the standings in the near future.

How are players separated when they tie ATP Rankings points?

When two or more players land on the same total number of points, ties shall be broken as follows according to the ATP:

• The most total points combined from the Grand Slams, ATP Masters 1000 mandatory tournaments and Nitto ATP Finals main draws, and if still tied, then,
• The fewest events played, counting all missed Grand Slams, ATP Masters 1000 tournaments and Nitto ATP Finals they could have played – as if played, and if still tied, then,
• The highest number of points from one single tournament, then, if needed, the second highest, and so on.

What is the ATP Race to Turin

The Nitto ATP Finals are open to the top seven competitors in the ATP Race To Turin after the last week of the regular season on November 11. One current-year Grand Slam winner qualifies in eighth place if he is placed between positions eighth and twenty in the Race. If there are two Grand Slam champions from the current year who are placed between eighth and twenty in the Race, the player who is placed highest among them advances as the eighth and final qualifier, while the player who is placed lower serves as the alternate. The participant at position eight in the Race will be awarded the eighth and final spot if no current-year Grand Slam champions are positioned between positions eight and twenty.

The ATP Race to Turin will always be based on points gained in the current season and the standings will only align with the rankings themselves at the conclusion of the season.

What is the points breakdown for all tournament categories?

* ATP Finals, 1500 for undefeated Champion (200 for each round robin match win, plus 400 for a semi-final win, plus 500 for the final win)

Note: In 2023, due to all points being stripped from Wimbledon and the cancellation of the Shanghai Masters last year, players will count three Grand Slams, seven Masters 1000s and nine ‘best other’ events. At the conclusion of 2023 Wimbledon, players who chooses to compete in the Wimbledon main draw must have their points from that Grand Slam count and reduce the number of ‘best other’ events counted to eight. A player who also chooses to play the 2023 Shanghai Masters must count his 2023 Shanghai points, further reducing the number of ‘best other’ results he counts to seven.

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Wawrinka beats Murray at rare ATP Challenger Tour match between Grand Slam champs

FILE - Britain’s Andy Murray, left, and Switzerland’s Stan Wawrinka pose for photographers prior to their semifinal match of the French Open tennis tournament at Roland Garros stadium in Paris, France, Friday, June 3, 2016. Stan Wawrinka beat Andy Murray 6-3, 6-0 in Bordeaux, France, on Wednesday, May 17, 2023, in what is believed to be the first ATP Challenger Tour matchup in more than 40 years between two past major champions. (AP Photo/Alastair Grant, File)

Switzerland’s Stan Wawrinka returns the ball to Bulgaria’s Grigor Dimitrov during their match at the Italian Open tennis tournament, in Rome, Friday, May 12, 2023. (AP Photo/Andrew Medichini)

Britain’s Andy Murray leaves after he lost his match against Italy’s Fabio Fogini during the Rome Masters tennis tournament in Rome, Italy, Wednesday, May 10, 2023. (Fabrizio Corradetti/LaPresse via AP)

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BORDEAUX, France (AP) — Far from the Grand Slam stages on which both have starred, Stan Wawrinka beat Andy Murray 6-3, 6-0 on Wednesday in what is believed to be the first ATP Challenger Tour matchup between two past major champions in more than 40 years.

Each man has won three Grand Slam titles — Wawrinka at the 2014 Australian Open, 2015 French Open and 2016 U.S. Open; Murray at the 2012 U.S. Open and Wimbledon in 2013 and 2016. Each has needed multiple operations in more recent times — Wawrinka to his left knee and left foot; Murray to his hip, including the insertion of a metal implant. Each is older than 35: Wawrinka is 38; Murray turned 36 on Monday.

Wawrinka once was ranked as high as No. 3 and is currently 84th. Murray once went all the way up at No. 1 and is now 42nd.

Their 22 past career meetings on the ATP’s top level (Murray leads, 13-9) include seven head-to-head showdowns at majors (Wawrinka leads 4-3). That featured matches in the semifinals of the French Open in 2016 (won by Murray) and 2017 (won by Wawrinka).

This latest encounter was also on red clay, but in the second round at a club in Bordeaux, near the coast and about 350 miles (560 kilometers) southwest of Roland Garros — with much smaller stakes and a much smaller audience.

Still, the duo did walk out onto the court to a standing ovation. Wawrinka, wearing a lilac polo shirt and black shorts, went up an early break at 3-1, then held five set points while ahead 5-2 as Murray served. Murray, in a pale orange T-shirt and black shorts, fended off those chances and held for 5-3 — but wouldn’t claim another game.

By the end, Wawrinka had saved the only break point he faced, while winning four of Murray’s seven service games.

Wawrinka and Murray both went to Bordeaux after early losses at the Masters 1000 tournament in Rome last week. The French Open starts in Paris on May 28.

The ATP said this was thought to be the first meeting on the ATP Challenger Tour between two men who had won Grand Slam titles since Ilie Nastase beat Jan Kodes in San Remo, Italy, in 1981.

Challengers are a level below the main ATP tour, mostly filled with players trying to move up. Sometimes, players hoping to work their way back from poor results or time off because of injuries will turn to Challengers to seek rankings points and match action.

Murray, for example, went to the Challenger event in Aix-en-Provence and won his first title at that level since 2005 by beating Australian Open semifinalist Tommy Paul in the final on May 7.

AP tennis: https://apnews.com/hub/tennis and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

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Madrid 2024: Dates, draws, prize money and everything you need to know

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The year's first WTA 1000 clay-court event is about to get underway next week, with the Hologic WTA Tour heading to the Spanish capital for the Mutua Madrid Open.

Nineteen of the world's Top 20 players are expected to participate in the outdoor red-clay event, which is celebrating its 15th edition as a WTA 1000 tournament.

Here's what you need to know about Madrid:

When does the tournament start?

Main-draw play begins on Tuesday, April 23, and the event continues through Sunday, May 5th at the iconic Caja Magica. The qualifying rounds will take place on Monday, April 22 and Tuesday, April 23.

The singles main draw contains 96 players. There will be 32 seeded players, and all seeds will receive first-round byes. Seventy-six players in total receive direct entry into the main draw, and there will be eight wild cards and 12 qualifiers.

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The doubles main draw will have 32 teams, including three wild-card pairings.

Madrid is on Central European Summer Time (GMT+2).

The Dunlop Fort Clay Court ball will be used at the Mutua Madrid Open.

Champions Reel: How Aryna Sabalenka won Madrid 2023

When are the finals.

The singles final will take place Saturday, May 4, not before 6:30 p.m. The doubles final will occur on Sunday, May 5 at 3:30 p.m.

When are the draws?

The singles draw will take place on-site on Sunday, April 21 at 6 p.m. The doubles main draw will be released on Tuesday, April 23.

Who are the defending champions?

Aryna Sabalenka won her second Mutua Madrid Open singles title in three years by defeating World No.1 Iga Swiatek 6-3, 3-6, 6-3 in last year's final. Sabalenka also beat the reigning World No.1 in the 2021 Madrid final, when she toppled Ashleigh Barty.

In last year's doubles final, Victoria Azarenka and Beatriz Haddad Maia bested Coco Gauff and Jessica Pegula 6-1, 6-4 to capture the title. Azarenka had previously won the Madrid doubles title back in 2011 alongside Maria Kirilenko.

What are the points and prize money on offer in the singles main draw?

First round: 10 points | €20,360 Second round: 35 points | €30,255 Third round: 65 points | €51,665 Round of 16: 120 points | €88,440 Quarterfinals: 215 points | €161,995 Semifinals: 390 points | €284,590 Finalist: 650 points | €512,260 Champion: 1000 points | €963,225

Who is playing?

The cut-off for singles direct entry was based on the Hologic WTA Tour rankings of March 25. No.72 Taylor Townsend was the last direct entry at that time.

The first two main-draw wild cards have been awarded to former World No.1 players and Grand Slam champions Caroline Wozniacki and Simona Halep. Wozniacki was a finalist at the inaugural edition in 2009 (l. to Dinara Safina), and Halep won this title twice consecutively in 2016 and 2017.

✔️ Simona Halep ✔️ Caroline Wozniacki ✔️ Martín Landaluce ✔️ Kei Nishikori These are the first wildcards for the main draw at the 2024 #MMOPEN ! — #MMOPEN (@MutuaMadridOpen) April 3, 2024

Projected Top 16 seeds:

1. Iga Swiatek Ranking: No.1 Year-to-date tour-level win-loss record, at WTA and Grand Slam events: 24-3* (2 titles) Best Madrid result: Finalist (2023) * through Stuttgart semifinals

2. Aryna Sabalenka Ranking: No.2 Year-to-date tour-level win-loss record, at WTA and Grand Slam events: 15-5 (1 title) Best Madrid result: Champion (2021, 2023) 3. Coco Gauff Ranking: No.3 Year-to-date tour-level win-loss record, at WTA and Grand Slam events: 19-6 (1 title) Best Madrid result: Round of 16 (2022) 4. Elena Rybakina Ranking: No.4 Year-to-date tour-level win-loss record, at WTA and Grand Slam events: 24-4* (2 titles) Best Madrid result: Round of 16 (2022) * through Stuttgart semifinals

5. Jessica Pegula Ranking: No.5 Year-to-date tour-level win-loss record, at WTA and Grand Slam events: 14-6 Best Madrid result: Finalist (2022)

6. Maria Sakkari Ranking: No.6 Year-to-date tour-level win-loss record, at WTA and Grand Slam events: 15-7 Best Madrid result: Semifinals (2023)

7. Zheng Qinwen Ranking: No.7 Year-to-date tour-level win-loss record, at WTA and Grand Slam events: 13-7 Best Madrid result: Round of 32 (2023)

8. Marketa Vondrousova Ranking: No.8 Year-to-date tour-level win-loss record, at WTA and Grand Slam events: 8-4* Best Madrid result: Round of 64 (2021, 2023) * through Stuttgart semifinals

9. Ons Jabeur Ranking: No.9 Year-to-date tour-level win-loss record, at WTA and Grand Slam events: 3-7 Best Madrid result: Champion (2022)

10. Jelena Ostapenko Ranking: No.10 Year-to-date tour-level win-loss record, at WTA and Grand Slam events: 17-7 (2 titles) Best Madrid result: Round of 32 (2019, 2021, 2023)

11. Daria Kasatkina Ranking: No.11 Year-to-date tour-level win-loss record, at WTA and Grand Slam events: 16-9 Best Madrid result: Quarterfinals (2018)

12. Beatriz Haddad Maia Ranking: No.13 Year-to-date tour-level win-loss record, at WTA and Grand Slam events: 9-10 Best Madrid result: Round of 64 (2022, 2023)

13. Jasmine Paolini Ranking: No.14 Year-to-date tour-level win-loss record, at WTA and Grand Slam events: 14-8 (1 title) Best Madrid result: Round of 64 (2022) 14. Danielle Collins Ranking: No.15 Year-to-date tour-level win-loss record, at WTA and Grand Slam events: 22-7 (2 titles) Best Madrid result: Round of 32 (2019, 2022)

15. Ekaterina Alexandrova Ranking: No.16 Year-to-date tour-level win-loss record, at WTA and Grand Slam events: 12-10 Best Madrid result: Semifinals (2022)

16. Liudmila Samsonova Ranking: No.17 Year-to-date tour-level win-loss record, at WTA and Grand Slam events: 4-9 Best Madrid result: Round of 16 (2023)

Former Madrid champions entered:  [WC] Simona Halep (2016-2017), Ons Jabeur (2022), Aryna Sabalenka (2021, 2023) Former Madrid finalists entered:  [WC] Caroline Wozniacki (2009), Victoria Azarenka (2011-2012), Jessica Pegula (2022), Iga Swiatek (2023)

Among the other notable names entered include four-time Grand Slam champion Naomi Osaka, who came back from maternity leave at the start of the season.

Grand Slam champions inside the Top 16 seeds are Iga Swiatek, Aryna Sabalenka, Coco Gauff, Elena Rybakina, Marketa Vondrousova and Jelena Ostapenko.

Other Grand Slam champions in the field are Victoria Azarenka and Barbora Krejcikova (who are projected to be seeded inside the Top 32), Sloane Stephens, Sofia Kenin and Osaka.

Hola! Donde están? Yo ya por aquí en Madrid, lista para empezar a jugar 😍🎾 pic.twitter.com/T48NXhka7L — Camila Osorio (@CamiOsorioTenis) April 18, 2024

What are some of the Mutua Madrid Open superlatives?

Player with the most Mutua Madrid Open singles titles: Petra Kvitova (3 titles - 2011, 2015, 2018)

Youngest singles champion: Petra Kvitova (2011 - aged 21 years, 2 months) Oldest singles champion: Serena Williams (2013 - aged 31 years, 7 months)

Singles champions ranked World No.1 at the time of their title: Dinara Safina (2009), Serena Williams (2013) Lowest-ranked singles champion: Aravane Rezai (2010 - ranked No.22 at the time) No.1 seed vs. No.2 seed singles finals: 2013 (No.1 seed Serena Williams d. No.2 seed Maria Sharapova) and 2023 (No.2 seed Aryna Sabalenka d. No.1 seed Iga Swi atek)

How did the rest of last year's clay-court season play out?

Here's a look at last year's champions and finalists from the upcoming clay-court events:

Madrid (WTA 1000): Aryna Sabalenka d. Iga Swiatek Rome (WTA 1000): Elena Rybakina d. Anhelina Kalinina

Strasbourg (WTA 250): Elina Svitolina d. Anna Blinkova Rabat (WTA 250): Lucia Bronzetti d. Julia Grabher

Roland Garros (Grand Slam): Iga Swiatek d. Karolina Muchova

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