The ATP runs the main men's tour and Challengers. The WTA runs the women's tour. World Tennis oversees international and developmental competition, and the four Grand Slams are organized independently. In most labels, such as 250, 1000 or M25, the number is the ranking points the singles winner earns. To find a U.S. event, start with the USTA Pro Circuit calendars.
Across professional tennis calendars, you will see labels such as ATP 250, WTA 1000, Challenger 75 and M25.
Who runs professional tennis: ATP, WTA, World Tennis and the Grand Slams?
The ATP runs the men's main professional tour and the ATP Challenger circuit. The WTA runs the women's tour, including its WTA 125 level. Each has its own ranking and competition rules.
The four majors are the Australian Open, Roland-Garros (the French Open), Wimbledon and the US Open. They are organized separately from the ATP and WTA tours, but results there count toward the men's and women's professional rankings.
The international federation formerly called the ITF adopted the name World Tennis on June 25, 2026. It governs international tennis and supports developmental competition through the World Tennis Tour. The tour's branding transition runs through January 1, 2027, so you will still see ITF terminology in older records and event information.
What ATP 250, WTA 1000 and Grand Slam labels mean
On the main men's and women's tours, the 250, 500 and 1000 categories show how many ranking points the singles winner gets. Grand Slam singles champions get 2,000.
| Event label | Circuit or organizer | What it means |
|---|---|---|
| ATP 250 | ATP men's main tour | 250 singles winner ranking points |
| ATP 500 | ATP men's main tour | 500 singles winner ranking points |
| ATP Masters 1000 | ATP men's main tour | 1,000 singles winner ranking points |
| WTA 250 | WTA women's main tour | 250 singles winner ranking points |
| WTA 500 | WTA women's main tour | 500 singles winner ranking points |
| WTA 1000 | WTA women's main tour | 1,000 singles winner ranking points |
| Grand Slam | Independently organized major | 2,000 singles winner ranking points |
An ATP Masters 1000 and a WTA 1000 are prominent events on their tours, each with its own calendar, draw and ranking rules. The ATP tournament explainer describes the men's system, including its main event categories.
Where Challenger tournaments and the World Tennis Tour fit
Professional tennis extends far below the best-known tour stops. ATP Challengers are men's professional events beneath the main ATP Tour. The World Tennis Tour runs men's and women's events where players can also earn professional matches and ranking points.
| Event label | Circuit | How to read it |
|---|---|---|
| Challenger 50, 75, 100, 125, 175 (2026) | ATP Challenger Tour | Men's events categorized by singles winner ranking points |
| WTA 125 | WTA | Women's professional tour level with its own WTA rules |
| M15, M25 | World Tennis Tour | M means a men's event. 15 and 25 are ATP singles winner ranking points under the published 2026 rules |
| W15, W35, W50, W75, W100 | World Tennis Tour | W means a women's event. 15, 35, 50, 75 and 100 are WTA singles winner ranking points |
The USTA's U.S. Pro Circuit examples list an M25 tournament with a $30,000 total purse. The purse is the money for the whole event. "M25" is the category.
Futures is the old name for lower-level professional events. You still hear it in conversation and in historical accounts, alongside World Tennis Tour and older ITF labels.
One spectator at the Challenger 100 in Poznań described the pace of clay-court tennis from the stands:
On friday I went to Poznań Enea Open which is challenger 100 event. There were few players that's to first hundred of ATP ranking, and I was like anoth that in this edition the first four seeded players all made it to the semi finals. And let me to you, i on slee wasn't aware of how fast the game on clay can be. From the stands i could feel the weight of the balls. The spin and power these guys were able to produce. It would break my arm for sure if i try to return any of shots.
How players enter a professional tournament
The event's entry regulations decide who gets into a professional draw. The routes are direct acceptance, qualifying, wild cards and lucky-loser replacements.
- Direct acceptance: A player gets a main-draw place through the event's eligibility and ranking criteria.
- Qualifying: Players compete in preliminary matches for specified main-draw positions.
- Wild card: The organizer awards an entry that the tournament's rules allow.
- Lucky loser: A player who lost in qualifying fills a main-draw vacancy under the event's replacement procedure.
- Seed: A designation used to place certain players in the draw according to the event's seeding rules.
The word open in a local tournament title confuses people. One recreational player described spotting a daunting opponent in an amateur open draw:
What would be your tips for me in my first OPEN tournament. I just saw the draw and this guy looks like D1/futures player. ... And no I'm not going to withdraw from this tournmanet. It's my first open and my hope is to get a few games off him and go down 6-4, 6-3 of sorts.
The poster is guessing at the opponent's background. A name like open says nothing about pro entry. ATP, WTA and World Tennis events run their own acceptance process.
What professional tennis rankings measure
ATP and WTA rankings award points for tournament results. The event's level and the round a player reaches set the number. Both use rolling 52-week systems with their own counting rules and exceptions.
Rankings influence direct acceptance and seeding at future tournaments.
Recreational ratings measure something else. USTA NTRP ratings and UTR describe playing ability in their own contexts, so a 4.0 NTRP rating is not an ATP ranking position. The WTA ranking explanation covers the women's point rules in detail.
Ranking points, prize purses and player earnings
A tournament purse is the total prize money for the event. What a single player earns depends on the payout schedule and their result.
| Figure | What it measures | Example or deciding information |
|---|---|---|
| Ranking points | Points counted by a professional ranking system | 50 winner points in a Challenger 50 category |
| Total event purse | Prize money for the whole event, as published | $63,000 in the cited 2026 Challenger 50 example |
| Player's gross prize money | Prize money one player earns | Depends on the payout schedule and the player's result |
| Player's net income | Income after expenses and obligations | Requires the player's actual costs and circumstances |
Players pay for travel, coaching, support services and taxes. A purse like the $63,000 Challenger 50 example tells you nothing about what one player keeps. You need the payout breakdown and that player's costs.
Choosing a lower-tier tournament to watch
Challenger and World Tennis Tour events let you watch professional players outside the big televised tournaments. At each venue, check the surface, the seating, how close you can sit to the court, the announced draw and the session schedule.
Finding a professional tennis tournament in the United States
The USTA Pro Circuit, established in 1979, is a U.S.-based route into developmental professional competition and a good starting point for spectators. Its official Pro Circuit page links to men's and women's tournament calendars and streaming information.
To find an event and understand its level:
- Pick a calendar and an event. Open the men's or women's calendar in the official Pro Circuit directory and filter by location and dates.
- Read its category. Look for a Challenger, M-series or W-series designation and match it to the circuit descriptions above.
- Inspect the event details. Check entry lists, qualifying and main draws, and match schedules where the event posts them.
- Confirm how to follow it. Ask the event organizer about access, tickets and streams.
If an event's entry or match-format rules differ from what this article describes, the event's published information decides.