NATIONAL BANK OPEN 101

The Women's Tennis Association (WTA) was founded by Billie Jean King in 1973 on the principle of equal opportunity. Today, the WTA is the global leader in women’s professional sports.

The WTA Tour comprises over 50 events, spanning six continents and nearly 30 countries and regions with a global audience of over 700 million.

In September 1970, the birth of women's professional tennis was launched when nine players signed $1 contracts with World Tennis publisher Gladys Heldman to compete in a new women's tour, the Virginia Slims Series. The Original 9, as they were called, included Billie Jean King, Rosie Casals, Nancy Richey, Kerry Melville, Peaches Bartkowicz, Kristy Pigeon, Judy Dalton, Valerie Ziegenfuss, and Julie Heldman.

Rankings for singles and doubles are based on points accumulated for wins earned at tournaments on the WTA Tour and the ITF World Tennis Tour. The most prestigious events (Grand Slams and WTA 1000s) award the most points. Players keep their ranking points for one full calendar year from when they earned them. The following season, they must defend those points if they don't want to lose them. The rankings are updated every Monday.

The computerized ranking era began with Chris Evert installed as the WTA's first official world No. 1 on November 3, 1975.

A total of 29 players have been World No. 1. Steffi Graf held the top spot on the rankings for 377 weeks, the most of any player on the WTA Tour.

WTA Tournaments are divided into four different categories: WTA 125, WTA 250, WTA 500, and WTA 1000, which is where the National Bank Open presented by Rogers falls, alternating between Montreal (odd years) and Toronto (even years). Each number represents the number of ranking points the singles winner earns. The more prestigious the tournament, the bigger the draws. The year-end WTA Finals is the Tour's showcase event and features the top 8 singles players and doubles teams in the world. Meanwhile, The four Grand Slams, (Australian Open, Roland-Garros, Wimbledon, and the U.S. Open), which are professional tennis' crown jewels, are governed by the International Tennis Federation (ITF). They award 2,000 ranking points to the singles champions.

The ITF Women's World Tennis Tour is the minor league for professional tennis. Players use it to build up their ranking to eventually graduate to the WTA Tour. It offers approximately 500 tournaments across 65 countries and incorporates six prize money levels of tournaments: $15,000, $25,000, $40,000, $60,000, $80,000 and $100,000. The Tour stops on Canadian soil in Toronto, Fredericton, Saskatoon, Granby, Saguenay, Edmonton, and Calgary.

The Billie Jean King Cup – formerly known as Federation Cup (1963-1995) and Fed Cup (1995-2020) – was launched in 1963 to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the ITF. It is now the world’s largest annual international team competition in women’s sports, with a record 134 nations competing in 2023.

Tennis has come a long way since the "Open Era" began in 1968 and the ATP has been part of the storied history.

The Grand Slam tournaments and all other national championships were open to amateur competitors only prior to 1968. Two years later, tournaments around the world formed a unified circuit, which became the Grand Prix. In 1972, during the first week of the US Open at Forest Hills, the leading professionals joined forces to create the Association of Tennis Professionals.

It was a formative and groundbreaking moment for the ATP that happened on August 30, 1988. In a parking lot outside the gates of the US Open, with a rented PA system and a podium bedecked with the ATP logo, players, media, and interested parties gathered to hear ATP CEO Hamilton Jordan deliver 'Tennis at the Crossroads'. This critique of the opportunities and challenges facing men's professional tennis was the birth of the ATP Tour and had an immediate impact on the men's game.

From the United Cup in Australia, to Europe, the Americas and Asia, the stars of the game battle for titles and ATP Rankings points at ATP Masters 1000, 500 and 250 events, and Grand Slams. The ATP Challenger Tour also awards ranking points. All roads lead towards the Nitto ATP Finals, the prestigious season finale held in Turin, Italy. Featuring only the world’s top 8 qualified singles players and doubles teams, the tournament also sees the official crowning of the year-end ATP World No. 1, the ultimate achievement in tennis.

Rankings for singles and doubles are based on points accumulated for wins earned at tournaments on the ATP Tour. ATP Challenger Tour, and the ITF World Tennis Tour. The most prestigious events (Grand Slams and ATP Masters 1000s) award the most points. Players keep their ranking points for one full calendar year from when they earned them. The following season, they must defend those points if they don't want to lose them. The rankings are updated every Monday.

The ATP Rankings began on August 23, 1973 with Ilie Nastase debuting at No. 1, and has continued through today as the official ranking system in men's professional tennis.

A total of 28 players have been World No. 1. Novak Djokovic held the top spot on the rankings for 396 weeks which is a record. Meanwhile, Roger Federer found himself at the helm for 237 consecutive weeks.

ATP Tournaments are divided into three different categories: ATP 250, ATP 500, and ATP Masters 1000, which is where the National Bank Open presented by Rogers falls, alternating between Montreal (even years) and Toronto (odd years). Each number represents the number of ranking points the singles winner earns. The more prestigious the tournament, the bigger the draws. ATP Challenger Tour events are the second-highest tier of tennis competition. The year-end ATP Finals is the Tour's showcase event and features the top 8 singles players and doubles teams in the world. Meanwhile, The four Grand Slams, (Australian Open, Roland-Garros, Wimbledon, and the U.S. Open), which are professional tennis' crown jewels, are governed by the International Tennis Federation (ITF). They award 2,000 ranking points to the singles champions.

The ITF Men's World Tennis Tour provides entry-level professional tennis tournaments and provides a pathway between the ITF Junior World Tennis Tour and the elite levels of men’s professional tennis. The results of ITF tournaments are incorporated into the ATP Ranking, which enables professionals to progress to the ATP Challenger Tour and ATP Tour, and ultimately the Grand Slams.

The Tour offers approximately 550 tournaments across 70 countries and incorporates two prize money levels of tournaments: $15,000 and $25,000. In 2023, the Tour stopped on Canadian soil in Montreal, Laval, Saint-Augustin, and Edmonton.

The ATP Challenger Tour, known until the end of 2008 as the ATP Challenger Series, is a series of international men's professional tennis tournaments.

In 2022, the ATP Tour announced an overhaul of the tournament system for the 2023 season and beyond. Challenger 110 and Challenger 90 events were scrapped, Challenger 80 was reduced to Challenger 75 while the prize money requirements for it and Challenger 100 were increased. It also introduced the new highest category − Challenger 175 with the inaugural tournaments held during the second week of the Indian Wells, Rome and Madrid ATP Masters 1000 events.

Davis Cup began in 1900 as a competition between USA and Great Britain. It's now the world's largest annual international team competition in sports, with 155 nations entering in 2023.