How do the ATP tennis rankings work and what are the points values for Wimbledon?
Succinctly put, the tennis ranking system is based on the best 18 performances of a tennis player in the past 52 weeks. Points are earned or lost based on the performance in a tournament compared to that of the previous year. So if one goes farther in a tournament than the year before, he or she gains points. Accordingly, if the player loses in an earlier round, he or she loses points. Defending champions cannot gain points in any circumstance. For any result less than a repeat title, he or she loses points. For example, Venus Williams cannot gain points at this year’s Wimbledon no matter what, even if she wins the title again (if she does, she neither gains nor loses points). This is somewhat cruel, but it’s just the way the ranking system works. The ranking system is blind to what opponents you play. So it does not matter whether you beat Roger Federer or some unheralded wild card player in the final of Wimbledon; the points gained for winning the title is the same. There is much mor
