Top 500 National Ranking Procedure for 2013

2013 Top 500 NATIONAL RANKING

Top 500 Rankings for 2013-Men Updated 4.17.2013

Top 500 Rankings for 2013-Women Updated 4.17.2013

DESCRIPTION OF USTA Top 500 NATIONAL RANKING
The USTA is requested by the ITF to send a National Ranking of the top players of the United States.  The USTA is only allowed to send a list comprised of 500 players.  These lists are used when players do not have an ATP or WTA Ranking for selection into pro level events where they run out of players with professional rankings.  (Usually this list is only used for the qualifying of lower level ITF circuit events).  They are also used for seeding of events in the United States.
The Rankings are a composite of  events, which include USTA Pro Circuit events, USTA Adult and Junior events, ITF Jr Events as well as Collegiate events. Listed below are the events included in the ranking and the points table based on the round reached. You may find that this list is often referred to as the "Top 500 List". The ITF uses this list to determine those individuals for the purposes of selection of players into qualifying for ITF Professional Events.  The USTA reserves the right to make changes to the tournaments used and the point structure at any time. The events currently being used for ranking are:

Pro Circuit Events
All USTA Pro Circuit Men’s events 10K-100K
All USTA Pro Circuits Women’s events 10K-100K

Collegiate
3-ITA/NCAA Division I Championships (All-American, Indoor, NCAA Championship)

Junior
USTA National Championships Boys and Girls 18’s (Spring, Clay, National and Winter)
USTA National Championships Boys and Girls 16’s (Spring, Clay, National and Winter)
ITF Junior Events Grade I or higher that take place in United States

2013 POINTS TABLES

 * Player must have won a match in order to receive points, ** 16 Intl events only

LIST CALCULATION
The ranking list will be calculated using the points table listed above. The ranking will be composed on the player’s results for the past 12 months. The list will be sent to the ITFfour times per year in 2013 on or around January 15th, April 15th, July 15th and October 15th.

ELIGIBILITY

The USTA's Top 500 National Ranking will include Americans who are eligible to represent the US in Davis Cup or Fed Cup competition. Players listed from another country on their IPIN will be removed from the USTA's Top 500 List.  Players with a greencard who wish to be included should send a email to the contacts listed below. 

CONTACT & QUESTIONS
The USTA Player Services department oversees the administration on the ranking list. If you have questions please contact John Lansville at Lansville@usta.com.

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

What is the purpose of this list?
This list serves various functions. As a National Governing Body, the International Tennis Federation requires a list of players ranked in a way that logically reflects their ability level in comparison to their compatriots. Being listed allows a player a chance to be accepted into the qualifying of ITF Professional Events worldwide. Another purpose of this list is to be used in the system of merit by the USTA Circuit Supervisors to accept American players into the qualifying draws of USTA Pro Circuit events from the on site Alternates list.

How does the Supervisor know what my ranking is?
The ITF inputs the latest Top 500 Rankings list for each nation into their Tournament Database. Once the valid IPIN is inputted your ranking will automatically appear in the system. Although players Top 500 Rankings may change frequently, the USTA is only allowed to submit updates 4 times per year. The USTA will provide an updated list three times a year  on or around January 15th, April 15th, July 15th and October 15th.

Is it possible to be ranked without winning a round in any event?
It is possible that a wildcard to a professional event earn points even though the player has not won a match or that a draw is not full and a player reaches a round without winning a match and he/she still earns points.  In addition there are some draws which players earn points just for be included in the Main Draw such as the Jr US Open and the various collegiate championships.

How many points do I need to be included on the US Top 500 ranking list?
The number of points that a player needs depends on how many points everyone else has on the Top 500 ranking list.  The ITF allows the USTA to send in only 500 names of American players. Usually to be included on the ranking list you will need about 10 points but sometimes it can go either higher or lower. Therefore the more points you accumulate the better chance you have to be included on the list.