ITF WORLD TOUR KEY 2021 RULE CHANGES

Dear National Association Staff,

With the 2021 World Tennis Tour (‘WTT’) now underway, we wish to take this opportunity to draw your attention to the updated 2021 ITF World Tennis Tour Regulations, including those changes which are new this year and can be easily referenced via the Summary of 2021 Rule Changes.

The updated 2021 ITF Organisational Requirements can be found here.

Below find some important changes for 2021 on the ITF World Tennis Tour. In addition, please find the important updates and changes from the International Tennis Integrity Agency (‘ITIA’), formerly the Tennis Integrity Unit (‘TIU’), as well as updated information about Tennis Anti-Doping Programme (TADP) and Therapeutic Use Exemption (TUE).

1) DRAW SIZES

In order to provide more playing opportunities, some tournaments may have larger main draws (women only) or qualifying draws (men and women).

Increased draws are at the discretion of the ITF and the tournament organiser, and are dependent on a number of factors, including the number of courts at the venue, the number of other playing opportunities that week, and whether the ITF’s Covid-19 protocols can be maintained.

The WTA ranking point allocation for tournaments with increased draws has been revised, see section 2 below. The total prize money at tournaments running 48 main draws will remain the same but will be distributed among the larger draw (details to be published shortly). Please check the 2021 Regulations for an updated prize money breakdown.

Potential main draw or qualifying draw changes are as follows:

Women’s $25,000, $60,000, $80,000, $100,000: • Tournament Organisers and the ITF will identify as promptly as possible, as a minimum in advance of the Entry Deadline, whether a main draw will remain at 32 or increase to 48.

Men’s $15,000, $25,000,and Women’s $15,000, $25,000, $60,000, $80,000, $100,000: • Tournament Organisers and the ITF will similarly identify as promptly as possible, as a minimum in advance of the Entry Deadline, whether a qualifying draw will be composed of 24, 32, 48 or 64.

The ITF will work with National Associations throughout the year to provide targeted funding assistance to enable tournaments to uplift prize money to a higher category where it is evident that activity is reduced or where it is apparent that players will benefit from additional opportunities to compete.

2) WTA RANKING POINT ALLOCATION

ITF tournaments with larger draws as outlined above will include additional WTA ranking points.

The revised point allocation will apply to ITF WTT tournaments played from 4 January 2021 (see changes in red in the table below). For ITF WTT tournaments played prior to 4 January 2021, the 2020 point allocation will apply.

WTA Ranking Point Allocation 2021 (ITF World Tennis Tour tournaments)

Category (Draw Size) W F SF QF R16 R32 R64 R128 QFR FQR Q2 Q1 ITF $100,000 + H (48S, 32Q) 150 90 55 28 14 7 1 - 6 4 - - ITF $100,000 + H 150 90 55 28 14 1 - - 6 4 - - (32S,32/24Q) ITF $100,000 + H 150 90 55 28 14 1 - - 6 4 2 - (32S,48/64Q) ITF $100,000 + H (16D) 150 90 55 28 1 ------ITF $100,000 (48S, 32Q) 140 85 50 25 13 6 1 - 6 4 - - ITF $100,000 (32S,32/24Q) 140 85 50 25 13 1 - - 6 4 - - ITF $100,000 (32S, 48/64Q) 140 85 50 25 13 1 - - 6 4 2 - ITF $100,000 (16D) 140 85 50 25 1 ------ITF $80,000 + H (48S, 32Q) 130 80 48 24 12 6 1 - 5 3 - - ITF $80,000 + H (32S,32/24Q) 130 80 48 24 12 1 - - 5 3 - - ITF $80,000 + H (32S, 48/64Q) 130 80 48 24 12 1 - - 5 3 1 - ITF $80,000 + H (16D) 130 80 48 24 1 ------ITF $80,000 (48S, 32Q) 115 70 42 21 10 5 1 - 5 3 - - ITF $80,000 (32S,32/24Q) 115 70 42 21 10 1 - - 5 3 - - ITF $80,000 (32S, 48/64Q) 115 70 42 21 10 1 - - 5 3 1 - ITF $80,000 (16D) 115 70 42 21 1 ------ITF $60,000 + H (48S, 32Q) 100 60 36 18 9 5 1 - 5 3 - - ITF $60,000 + H (32S,32/24Q) 100 60 36 18 9 1 - - 5 3 - - ITF $60,000 + H (32S, 48/64Q) 100 60 36 18 9 1 - - 5 3 1 - ITF $60,000 + H (16D) 100 60 36 18 1 ------ITF $60,000 (48S, 32Q) 80 48 29 15 8 5 1 - 5 3 - - ITF $60,000 (32S,32/24Q) 80 48 29 15 8 1 - - 5 3 - - ITF $60,000 (32S, 48/64Q) 80 48 29 15 8 1 - - 5 3 1 - ITF $60,000 (16D) 80 48 29 15 1 ------ITF $25,000 + H (48S, 32Q) 60 36 22 11 6 3 1 - 2 - - - ITF $25,000 + H (32S,32/24Q) 60 36 22 11 6 1 - - 2 - - - ITF $25,000 + H (32S, 48/64Q) 60 36 22 11 6 1 - - 2 1 - - ITF $25,000 + H (16D) 60 36 22 11 1 ------ITF $25,000 (48S, 32Q) 50 30 18 9 5 3 1 - 2 - - - ITF $25,000 (32S,32/24Q) 50 30 18 9 5 - - - 1 - - - ITF $25,000 (32S, 48/64Q) 50 30 18 9 5 - - - 2 1 - - ITF $25,000 (16D) 50 30 18 9 1 ------ITF $15,000 (32S,32/24Q) 10 6 4 2 1 - - - 1 - - - ITF $15,000 (32S, 48/64Q) 10 6 4 3 2 - - - 1 - - - ITF $15,000 (16D) 10 6 4 1 ------QFR= Qualifier, FQR-Qualifying Finalist, Q2-Second Round of Qualifying, Q1-First Round of Qualifying

+H indicates that Hospitality is provided.

3) WTA “BETTER OF” RANKING SYSTEM EXTENSION

The “Better Of” Ranking system has been extended and will be in place through the week of March 15, 2021, where March 22, 2021 is the last ranking run where no tournament points will drop.

April 5, 2021 will be the first rankings run where tournament points will start to drop. Details regarding points dropping will be available in the upcoming weeks as further evaluation and analysis is conducted.

4) WTA SPECIAL RANKING ELIGIBILITY

For players wishing to apply for a WTA Special Ranking, the WTA has extended eligibility to players ranked in the Top 750 in Singles and Doubles (previously the thresholds were a WTA ranking of 375 and 200 respectively). The qualification requirements can be found in the WTA rules. Players should contact the WTA regarding Special Ranking requests at [email protected].

5) ATP “BETTER OF” RANKING SYSTEM EXTENSION

The FedEx ATP Rankings were adjusted by the ATP in early summer from the traditional 12-month ranking to a Best of 22-month ranking with the goal of preserving the principles of merit, fairness and mobility despite the disruption caused by COVID-19. (The FedEx ATP Rankings were frozen from 16 March, just days after the Tour was suspended, until 24 August.)

In October, due to ongoing COVID-19 concerns, ATP announced that it would move to a Best of 24-month ranking, extending the current ranking approach through and including the week of 1 March 2021. All events continue to be non-mandatory through this period.

In January, based on a revised calendar, the ATP Board approved a two-week extension of the ‘best of’ ranking system through the week of 15 March, 2021.

ITF events that occurred during the tournament weeks of February 25, 2019 through March 9, 2020 will be included in the ATP Rankings for 104-weeks. ITF events played in this period will begin and continue to drop on March 15, 2021 and onward. All ITF events that occurred post ATP Suspension will be included in the rankings for the normal, 52-week period.

FedEx ATP Rankings: "Best Of" Ranking Logic Extension Update

Due to the delayed start to the 2021 ATP Tour season, the ATP has extended the "Best Of" ranking logic in the FedEx ATP Rankings through and including the tournament week of 15 March 2021 (Acapulco & Dubai).

The dates and events that fall under the "Best Of" logic extension period are summarised below:

• The ATP will continue to add points to players' breakdowns in the "Best Of" logic through and including the tournament week of 15 March (Acapulco & Dubai).

• Assuming a traditional calendar is resumed as planned, starting with the week of 22 March (Miami) all events added to the rankings will be added on a rolling 52-week basis, as they were prior to the COVID- 19 pandemic.

• Doha, Santiago, Marseille, Acapulco, and Dubai will now be treated as events with a "Best Of" ranking logic.

BEST OF RANKING LOGIC:

• A player cannot count the same Tour-level tournament twice in his ‘Best 19’ breakdown. For example, a player who played Dubai in 2020 and plays Dubai again in 2021, will count the better of those two results.

IMPORTANT REMINDERS:

• The "Best Of" logic extension does not alter the date of when points will begin to drop from players' breakdowns. The first ranking drop date will remain on 15 March.

• 2019 Indian Wells points will drop from the rankings on 15 March, 104 weeks from when the event was added to the rankings.

How will ATP Challenger Tour /ITF World Tennis Tour events played after the Tour resumption count toward a player’s ranking?

Any points obtained at ATP Challenger Tour/ITF World Tennis Tour events upon Tour resumption will be considered among a player's ‘Best of Other Countable’ results. A player's result obtained after the Tour's resumption that is not better than his lowest ‘Best of Other Countable’ results will be included in the Non- Countable results on his ranking breakdown.

Why are ATP Challenger Tour/ITF World Tennis Tour events being added differently than Tour-level events? ATP Challenger Tour and ITF World Tennis Tour events are scheduled on a one-year basis and do not have consistent spots in the calendar. Therefore, all results from these events will be added to a player’s Rankings breakdown. However, results will only improve a player’s point total if better than a player’s lowest ‘Best of Other Countable’ result.

Will the way a player's Ranking breakdown be calculated differently in 2021? Yes. The breakdown - for singles and doubles – will include 19 events for all players starting in 2021. *In singles, the Nitto ATP Finals is an extra event (20th) in the ranking breakdown. Top players who compete at all mandatory events will have the following breakdown:

• One (1) Nitto ATP Finals* (additional event in the ranking breakdown) • Four (4) Grand Slams • Eight (8) mandatory Masters 1000s • Seven (7) ‘Best Other’ (ATP Cup, ATP 500, ATP 250, Challenger, ITF)

6) INTERNATIONAL TENNIS INTEGRITY AGENCY (ITIA)

The International Tennis Integrity Agency (ITIA, formerly the Tennis Integrity Unit, TIU) became the new integrity

organization for professional tennis on 1 January 2021. All Players, Player Support Team Members or other Covered Persons who enter or participate on the ITF World Tennis Tour shall be deemed to have agreed to be bound by and to comply with all the provisions of the Tennis Anti-Corruption Program (TACP), which can be found on the ITIA website, the ITF website or in IPIN.

A number of important changes have been made for 2021 and players should read all of these changes.

7) ITF QUALIFYING SIGN-IN PROCEDURE

As a reminder, during the Covid-19 pandemic when the ITF’s Return to Tennis protocols are in force, all players must Sign-In by telephone and not in person.

On-Site Alternates may also Sign-In by a telephone conversation with the ITF Supervisor. On-Site Alternates that want to Sign-In either in person or by telephone must send an email to the Supervisor and then call the Supervisor and confirm they have been signed in before the Sign-In Deadline. Players who only email the Supervisor and do not communicate with the Supervisor by phone will not be accepted as an official Sign-In.

8) ON SITE GUEST PROTOCOL

Players are reminded that only one player support team member (+1) can be accredited at ITF World Tennis Tour tournaments. Circumventing the +1 provision of the ITF Return To Tennis Protocols rules may be treated as a violation of the Code of Conduct. In addition, an accredited Player Support Team member must be connected to the relevant player.

Players should also be aware of a new provision of the ITIA Tennis Anti-Corruption Program regulations this year (the ITIA is the new name for the Tennis Integrity Unit, TIU):

D.1.l. No Covered Person shall make any misrepresentation to seek or obtain on behalf of any person at any Event any registration or accreditation that allows access to areas such person would not otherwise be permitted to access (for example, seeking accreditation for an individual to a “players only” area by falsely certifying that a person is the Covered Person’s coach).

Please see the TACP regulations.

9) TENNIS ANTI-DOPING PROGRAMME

Participating in an ITF, ATP, WTA or sanctioned event (among other things), players are subject to the Tennis Anti-Doping Programme (TADP or Programme). That means that all of the rules of the Programme apply, and each Player and Player Support Person should familiarise themselves with the rules.

Tennis players, like anyone else, are subject to medical conditions. Treatment of these medical conditions may require the use of prohibited substances. In order to avoid a violation of the Tennis Anti-Doping Programme (TADP), players may obtain permission to use prohibited substances for valid therapeutic reasons. This permission is known as a Therapeutic Use Exemption (TUE). Please find two PDF’s attached which can be shared with players.

CONTACT

For further questions, please email [email protected] or [email protected].