ATP Tennis

As the game of lawn tennis became increasingly popular several tennis bodies were established for enhancing every aspect of the game. Likewise the Association of Tennis Professionals or ATP Tennis was established in the year 1972 exclusively for protecting the interests of male tennis players.

In 1990, ATP became the organizer of a worldwide Tennis tour, which came to be known as the ATP tour. The ATP tour is the most important tennis tour held at the international level.

The Association of Tennis Professionals or ATP Tennis currently organizes five types of tennis tournaments that are a part of the renowned ATP tour. The five types of tournaments include the Tennis Masters Cup, the ATP Masters Series, the International Series Gold Tournaments, the International Series Tournaments and Challenger Tournaments.

The Tennis Masters Cup is an event that is jointly conducted by the International Tennis Federation and the Association of Tennis Professionals. Each of these five types of tournaments is different in nature.

The Tennis Masters Cup is an annual tournament that is played mainly among the top eight men tennis players. These eight players are divided into two groups, each including 4 players. The players from one group play three round robin matches against players from the other group.

After these matches, the two best players from each group advance to the semifinals. The winners of the semifinals play the final. The Association of Tennis Professionals Masters Series is a mandatory tournament for the top ranking men tennis players that feature in the professional tennis arena.

The International Series Gold tournament is exclusively for professional tennis players with the players the opportunity of winning a cash prize ranging from $615, 000 to $1, 000, 000 along with Association of Tennis Professionals rankings.

The International Series Tournaments and the Challenger Tournaments are two of the lowest tennis tournaments organized by the Association of Tennis Professionals. Apart from organizing such tournaments, the ATP also performs the function of organizing the World Team Cup that is held in Dusseldorf.