ITF World Tennis Number introduced as part of acceptance criteria for ITF Tour events

Exciting news, ITF World Tennis Number has been incorporated as part of the singles acceptance criteria within the ITF World Tennis Tour Juniors (“WTTJ”), and ITF World Tennis Masters Tour (“WTMT”). This change will be effective for any entry deadline occurring on or after 25 April 2022.

What does this mean for players?

The ITF World Tennis Number is a global rating which recognises and rewards achievement at national level, allowing players to compete at home and build up their ITF World Tennis Number, giving them a greater chance to access international ITF tournaments at reduced costs. ITF World Tennis Number will be used once players with an ITF Juniors or Seniors ranking have been accepted, allowing for a more objective and consistent acceptance criteria.

What does this mean for ITF world ranking?

The ITF Combined Ranking (WTTJ) and ITF Ranking (WTMT) will remain the primary measure of acceptance into tournaments across both Tours. Where players do not have an ITF Ranking, or applicable ATP/WTA for Junior tournaments, the acceptance list will be sorted in order of ITF World Tennis Number.

The following will apply to both Tours:

• A player must hold a verified singles WTN, which provides assurance that sufficient results data has been received to calculate an accurate rating.
• A player’s singles WTN at the time of the entry deadline will be used – WTN’s are updated on a weekly basis, on a Wednesday.
• A player’s singles WTN will be applied to two (2) decimal places - 16.49 is better than 16.50.
• WTN will not be used for doubles and/or mixed doubles acceptance criteria in 2022.
• WTN will not be used for seeding purposes in 2022.

Where can I find my ITF World Tennis Number?

Players who have competed on WTTJ or WTMT since 2016, will be able see their ITF World Tennis Number on their player profile on itftennis.com. Any player with a verified WTN will also be able to view their WTN within their IPIN profile.

How can I see if my ITF World Tennis Number is verified?

How will ITF World Tennis Number be used for ITF World Tennis Tour Juniors?

• Singles acceptance will continue to prioritise those players with a combined ITF Junior ranking
• Priority acceptance will remain for players who have achieved an ATP or WTA professional ranking, in line with Regulation 43B.
• Following the above, unranked players with a verified singles WTN will as of the Monday before the entry deadline will next be ordered in the acceptance list.
• Where players have no ranking, and do not have a verified singles WTN, acceptances will be ordered by the existing criteria of nation, region and zone which will remain unchanged.
• The WTN will be applied from 25 April 2022 onwards.

How will ITF World Tennis Number be used for ITF World Tennis Masters Tour?

• Singles acceptance will continue to prioritise players with an ITF Seniors ranking
• Unranked players with a verified singles WTN will as of the Monday before the entry deadline will next be ordered in the acceptance list.
• Where players have no ITF ranking, and do not have a verified singles WTN, acceptances will be ordered by the existing criteria of nation, region and zone which will remain unchanged.
• The WTN will be applied from 25 April 2022 onwards. Therefore, the revised entry criteria will be applied for the first time for all tournaments with an entry deadline on Monday 25 April or Tuesday 26 April 2022.

Full details can be found in the revised ITF rules and regulations.

What’s next?

The ITF World Tennis Number will be applied to all ITF Tours in due course, in which case further information and an updated FAQ document will be shared with National Associations and other key stakeholders.