Tennis chiefs announce huge new rule change for 2024 that could be major boost to Brit star Andy Murray
A TENNIS rule change in 2024 could be very good news for Britain’s top players including Andy Murray.
The ATP announced plans to shake up the ranking points system ahead of the new season.
And it should work in the favour of the likes of Murray, Cameron Norrie, Dan Evans and Jack Draper – the four men from Great Britain inside the world’s top 100.
The new changes will see MORE points handed out at the Grand Slams and ATP Tour tournaments.
Winners will continue to receive 2,000 at majors then 1,000, 500 and 250 respectively at the different levels.
However, the points handed out to those who go out earlier on are going up.
For example, runners-up at the Australian Open, French Open, Wimbledon and the US Open will now get 1,300 points instead of 1,200.
There are also minor increases throughout each of the other rounds at the majors, except for first-round losses.
Semi-finalists will now get 800 rather than 720 while it is 400 for the quarter-finals, 40 more than before.
Similarly, those who lose in Masters 1000 finals will get 650, up 50 points from 2023.
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ATP 500 and 250 events also get proportionate boosts.
Only singles events have been altered with doubles remaining unchanged and it applies to the men’s ATP Tour but not the WTA for women.
The ATP said: “The changes are designed to optimise the points distribution following the increase in 96-draw Masters 1000 events, as well as delivering an improved balance and distribution of points following the significant increase in higher category ATP Challenger tournaments on offer to players from 2023.”
However, there are concerns that the changes will help increase the gap between the main ATP Tour and the secondary ATP Challenger Tour – especially because points for the Challenger events are being decreased in 2024.
Therefore, the players – roughly those in the top 100 and particularly the top 50 – are likely to find it easier to gain more points at the biggest tournaments and therefore pull further away from those trying to break through into the top level.
Norrie is the British No1 at 18 in the world rankings ahead of Evans (38), Murray (42) and Draper (61).
Meanwhile, compatriots Liam Broady (108), Jan Choinski (160), Ryan Peniston (179) and Billy Harris (199) are all battling it out on the Challenger Tour.
American star Taylor Fritz, though, believes a new system to create a more concentrated main tour, drawing inspiration from golf, could be the best solution for tennis.
He said: “If you’re on the main, top tour, you should be set to play 14 marquee events, and they should all be slightly bigger-draw events to get basically everybody in the top 100 in, and that’s honestly all we should play.”
He later added: “When I say separate or premium tour I am not saying only top players.
“The ‘main top tour’ should be made up of the top 100-120 players kind of like how the top 125 in the PGA get a tour card. At the end of the year, some people go down and some people come up into the main tour.”