Women's Tennis Association
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
WTA stands for Women's Tennis Association, and is also known as the WTA Tour, and is to women's tennis what the ATP is to men's tennis. In 2005 the WTA changed its name into The Sony Ericsson WTA Tour.
The Women's Tennis Association was begun in 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.
Tournament categories
- Grand Slam Events
- Season-ending championships (WTA Tour Championships): with Three Million Dollars ($3,000,000) prize money.
- Tier tournaments:
- Tier I (minimum prize money of $1,300,000): There are ten (10) Tier I Tournaments.
- Tier II (minimum prize money of $585,000): There are sixteen (16) Tier II Tournaments
- Tier III (minimum prize money of $170,000): There are seventeen (17) Tournaments in this Tier.
- Tier IV (minimum prize money of $140,000): There are twelve (12) in this Tier.
- Tier V (minimum prize money of $110,000): There are two (2) in this Tier.
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) as well as the rank of the players they defeat (quality points). The following table gives the distribution of "round points":
Description | W | F | SF | QF | R16 | R32 | R64 | R128 | QLFR | Q3 | Q2 | Q1 |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Grand Slam (Singles) | 650 | 456 | 292 | 162 | 90 | 56 | 32 | 2 | 26 | 21 | 12.5 | 2 |
Grand Slam (Doubles) | 650 | 456 | 292 | 162 | 90 | 56 | 2 | 22 | - | - | - | |
Tour Championships | 485 | 340 | 218 | 121 | 67 | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
Tier I (128) $2,000,000 | 325 | 228 | 146 | 81 | 45 | 28 | 16 | 1 | 11 | - | 6.25 | 1 |
Tier I (32) $2,000,000 | 325 | 228 | 146 | 81 | 45 | 1 | - | - | 20 | - | - | - |
Tier I (16) $1,300,000 | 300 | 210 | 135 | 75 | 1 | - | - | - | 19 | - | - | - |
Tier I (32) $1,300,000 | 300 | 210 | 135 | 75 | 42 | 1 | - | - | 18.5 | 10.5 | 5.75 | 1 |
Tier I (64) $1,300,000 | 300 | 210 | 135 | 75 | 42 | 25 | 1 | - | 10.5 | - | 5.75 | 1 |
Tier II (16) $650,000 | 220 | 154 | 99 | 55 | 1 | - | - | - | 13 | - | - | - |
Tier II (32) $650,000 | 220 | 154 | 99 | 55 | 29 | 1 | - | - | 13.25 | 7.75 | 4.5 | 1 |
Tier II (64) $650,000 | 220 | 154 | 99 | 55 | 29 | 15 | 1 | - | 7.75 | - | 4.5 | 1 |
Tier II (16) $585,000 | 195 | 137 | 88 | 49 | 1 | - | - | - | 11.75 | - | - | - |
Tier II (32) $585,000 | 195 | 137 | 88 | 49 | 25 | 1 | - | - | 11.75 | 6.75 | 4 | 1 |
Tier II (64) $585,000 | 195 | 137 | 88 | 49 | 25 | 14 | 1 | - | 11.75 | 6.75 | 4 | 1 |
Tier II (64) $585,000 | 195 | 137 | 88 | 49 | 25 | 14 | 1 | - | 6.75 | - | 4 | 1 |
Tier III (16) $225,000 | 145 | 103 | 66 | 37 | 1 | - | - | - | 9.5 | - | - | - |
Tier III (32) $225,000 | 145 | 103 | 66 | 37 | 19 | 1 | - | - | 8.5 | 4.5 | 2.75 | 1 |
Tier III (64) $225,000 | 145 | 103 | 66 | 37 | 19 | 10 | 1 | - | 4.5 | - | 2.75 | 1 |
Tier III (16) $170,000 | 120 | 85 | 55 | 30 | 1 | - | - | - | 7.5 | - | - | - |
Tier III (32) $170,000 | 120 | 85 | 55 | 30 | 16 | 1 | - | - | 7.25 | 3.75 | 2.25 | 1 |
Tier III (64) $170,000 | 120 | 85 | 55 | 30 | 16 | 9 | 1 | - | 3.75 | - | 2.25 | 1 |
Tier IV (16) $140,000 | 95 | 67 | 43 | 24 | 1 | - | - | - | 6.25 | - | - | - |
Tier IV (32) $140,000 | 95 | 67 | 43 | 24 | 12 | 1 | - | - | 5.5 | 3.5 | 2 | 1 |
Tier IV (32) $140,000 | 95 | 67 | 43 | 24 | 12 | 1 | - | - | 3.5 | - | 2 | 1 |
Tier V (16) $110,000 | 80 | 56 | 36 | 20 | 1 | - | - | - | 5 | - | - | - |
Tier V (32) $110,000 | 80 | 56 | 36 | 20 | 10 | 1 | - | - | 4.5 | 3 | 2 | 1 |
ITF $75,000 + H* (16) | 65 | 46 | 29 | 16 | 1 | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
ITF $75,000 + H* (32) | 65 | 46 | 29 | 16 | 8 | 1 | - | - | 2.5 | 2 | 1.5 | 1 |
ITF $75,000 (16) | 55 | 38.5 | 24.5 | 14.5 | 1 | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
ITF $75,000 (32) | 55 | 38.5 | 24.5 | 14.5 | 7 | 1 | - | - | 2.5 | 2 | 1.5 | 1 |
ITF $50,000 + H* (16) | 45 | 31.5 | 20 | 11.5 | 1 | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
ITF $50,000 + H* (32) | 45 | 31.5 | 20 | 11.5 | 5.5 | 1 | - | - | 2.5 | 2 | 1.5 | 1 |
ITF $50,000 (16) | 35 | 24.5 | 15.5 | 8.5 | 1 | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
ITF $50,000 (32) | 35 | 24.5 | 15.5 | 8.5 | 5 | 1 | - | - | 2.5 | 2 | 1.5 | 1 |
ITF $25,000 (16) | 25 | 17 | 11.5 | 7 | 1 | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
ITF $25,000 (32) | 25 | 17 | 11.5 | 7 | 3.5 | 1 | - | - | 1.5 | - | .5 | .25 |
ITF $10,000 M** (8) | 12 | 8 | 5 | 1 | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
ITF $10,000 M**(16) | 12 | 8 | 5 | 3 | 1 | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
ITF $10,000 (16) | 6 | 4 | 2 | 1.5 | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
ITF $10,000 (32) | 6 | 4 | 2 | 1.5 | 1 | - | - | - | .75 | - | - | - |
ITF $ 5,000 M** (8) | 5 | 4 | 2 | 1 | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
ITF $ 5,000 M**(16) | 5 | 4 | 2 | 1.5 | 1 | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
(*) “+H” indicates that Hospitality is provided (**) “M” indicates a Masters event
The "quality points" are calculated according to the table below:
Loser’s Rank | Points | Grand Slam Points |
---|---|---|
1 | 100 | 200 |
2* | 75 | 150 |
3 | 66 | 132 |
4 | 55 | 110 |
5 | 50 | 100 |
6-10 | 43 | 86 |
11-16 | 35 | 70 |
17-25 | 23 | 46 |
26-35 | 15 | 30 |
36-50 | 10 | 20 |
51-75 | 8 | 16 |
76 –120 | 4 | 8 |
121–250 | 2 | 4 |
251–500 | 1 | 2 |
501-> | 0 | 0 |
This is a list of players who have achieved the number one position in singles since the rankings' inception in 1975:
# | Player | Country | Date Reached | Weeks |
---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Chris Evert | 3 November 1975 | 262 | |
2 | Martina Navratilova | / | 10 July 1978 | 331 |
3 | Tracy Austin | 7 April 1980 | 22 | |
4 | Steffi Graf | 17 August 1987 | 377 | |
5 | Monica Seles | / | 11 March 1991 | 178 |
6 | Arantxa Sánchez Vicario | 6 February 1995 | 12 | |
7 | Martina Hingis | 31 March 1997 | 209 | |
8 | Lindsay Davenport | 12 October 1998 | 85 present | |
9 | Jennifer Capriati | 15 October 2001 | 17 | |
10 | Venus Williams | 25 February 2002 | 11 | |
11 | Serena Williams | 8 July 2002 | 57 | |
12 | Kim Clijsters | 11 August 2003 | 12 | |
13 | Justine Henin Hardenne | 20 October 2003 | 45 | |
14 | Amelie Mauresmo | 13 September 2004 | 5 | |
15 | Maria Sharapova | 22 August 2005 | 7 |
Records
Title Leaders in the Open Era
- Martina Navratilova: 167
- Chris Evert: 154
- Steffi Graf: 107
- Margaret Court: 92
- Evonne Goolagong Cawley: 68
- Billy Jean King: 67
- Virginia Wade: 55
- Monica Seles: 53
- Lindsay Davenport: 51
- Martina Hingis: 40
- Conchita Martinez: 33
- Venus Williams: 33
- Tracy Austin: 30
- Kim Clijsters: 30
Most Titles in a Season
Before 1990 (15 +):
- 21 - Margaret Court (1970)
- 18 - Margaret Court (1969, 1973)
- 17 - Bily Jean King (1971)
- 16 - Chris Evert (1974, 1975)
- 16 - Martina Navratilova (1983)
- 15 - Evonne Goolagong Cawley (1970)
- 15 - Martina Navratilova (1982)
Since 1990 (8 +):
- 12 - Martina Hingis (1997)
- 10 - Monica Seles (1991, 1992)
- 10 - Steffi Graf (1990, 1993)
- 9 - Arantxa Sanchez Vicario (1994)
- 9 - Steffi Graf (1995)
- 9 - Martina Hingis (2000)
- 9 - Kim Clijsters (2003)
- 9 - Kim Clijsters (2005)
- 8 - Steffi Graf (1992)
- 8 - Justine Henin-Hardenne (2003)
- 8 - Serena Williams (2002)
Oldest Winners of a Title
- 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)
Youngest Winners of a Title
- Tracy Austin: 14 yrs, 28 days (1977 Portand)
- Andrea Jaeger: 14 yrs, 7 mos, 14 days (1980 Las Vegas)
- Kathy Rinaldi: 14 yrs, 6 mos, 24 days (1981 Kyoto)
Match Win Leaders in Open Era
- Martina Navratilova: 1442
- Chris Evert: 1304
- Steffi Graf: 900
- Virginia Wade: 839
- Arantxa Sanchez-Vicario: 759
- Conchita Martinez: 711
- Evonne Goolagong Cawley: 704
- Billy Jean King: 695
- Lindsay Davenport: 693
- Gabriela Sabatini: 632
- Pam Shriver: 625
- Helena Sukova: 614
- Nathalie Tauziat: 606
Longest Winning Streaks
- 74 - Martina Navratilova (1984)
- 66 - Steffi Graf (1989-90)
- 58 - Martina Navratilova (1986-87)
- 57 - Margaret Court (1972-73)
- 55 - Chris Evert (1974)
- 54 - Martina Navratilova (1983-84)
Calendar-year Grand Slams
- Maureen Connolly (United States) in 1953
- Margaret Court (Australia) in 1970
- Steffi Graf (Germany) in 1988
- It should also be noted that Graf won the Olympic gold medal in tennis that same year.
Non calendar-year Grand Slams
- Martina Navratilova (United States): 1983 Wimbledon, US Open, Australian Open & 1984 French Open
- Steffi Graf (Germany): 1993 French Open, Wimbledon, US Open, 1994 Australian Open
- Serena Williams (United States): 2002 French Open, Wimbledon, US Open, 2003 Australian Open
Career Grand Slams
(year indicates first victory in a particular Slam)
- Doris Hart (United States) - 1949 Australian Open, 1950 French Open, 1951 Wimbledon, 1954 US Open
- Shirley Fry (United States) - 1957 Australian Open, 1951 French Open, 1956 Wimbledon, 1956 US
- Billie Jean King (United States) - 1968 Australian Open, 1972 French Open, 1966 Wimbledon, 1967 US Open
- Chris Evert (United States) - 1982 Australian Open, 1974 French Open, 1974 Wimbledon, 1975 US
- Martina Navratilova (United States) - 1981 Australian Open, 1982 French Open, 1978 Wimbledon, 1983 US Open
- Serena Williams (United States) - 2003 Australian Open, 2002 French Open, 2002 Wimbledon, 1999 US Open
Grand Slam Title Leaders
Player | Australian Open | French Open | Wimbledon | US Open | Overall | Total | ||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
S | D | MD | S | D | MD | S | D | MD | S | D | MD | S | D | MD | ||
Margaret Smith 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 | 2 | 18 | 31 | 9 | 58 |
Billie Jean King | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 6 | 10 | 4 | 4 | 5 | 4 | 12 | 16 | 11 | 39 |
Margaret Osborne duPont | DNP | 2 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 5 | 1 | 3 | 13 | 9 | 6 | ? | 10 | 12 | 21 | 37 |
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]
Other Trivia
- Chris Evert holds the Open Era overall win-loss ratio record : 0.901 (1,304 wins and 144 losses)
- 157 players have made $1 million dollars or more since 1970.
- 27 players have made $5 million dollars or more since 1970.
- 12 players have made $10 million dollars or more since 1970.
- 7 players have made $15 million dollars or more since 1970.
- 3 players have made $20 million dollars or more since 1970.
See also
- WTA Tour Championships
- Tennis - World No. 1 ranked Women
- List of female tennis players
- WTA 2005 Season