A new easy to understand, easy to follow annual points race that will be a highlight of many improvements and developments to be showcased by the ATP on the men’s professional tennis circuit next year was officially unveiled at the ATP World Championship today. Next year the new system will be known as the ATP Champions Race 2000 and will debut on January 1, 2000. All players will start the year with zero points and begin a calendar year race with the player accumulating the most points becoming the World No.1. Players will accumulate points from eighteen events, with those ranked high enough to enter the Mercedes Super 9 and Grand Slam events required to count those results along with their best five others from Championship and World Series events. Players who are not ranked high enough to get into Mercedes Super Series or Grand Slam tournaments can count an additional Championship or World Series tournament for each one that they miss. “We’re very excited about the new ATP Champions Race and believe it will make the game easier for fans to understand,” said ATP CEO Mark Miles (pictured). “Extensive research has shown us that the old 52 week best of 14 event ranking system was increasingly difficult to follow. The new race is designed to make it easier for fans to follow their favorite players’ progress throughout the year,” Miles said. To further simplify the race, bonus points will be dropped from the point totals so that fans can clearly see a player’s progress though a tournament and the year. This, for example, ensures that two players who are losing semi finalists at the same event will earn exactly the same points. In the past that was not necessarily the case, as players could pick up bonus points depending on whom they beat during the course of a tournament. To compensate players for the withdrawal of the old bonus point system, an average amount of bonus points have been rolled into the new ATP Champions Race distribution table. “The ATP Champions Race will encourage fans to follow the entire Mercedes Super 9 series on a global basis,” said Daniel Beauvois, Managing Director ISL Worldwide. Player’s eligibility for tournament entry and for seedings in tournaments will still be determined by a 52 week rolling system that is modeled on the 18 event formula used for the points race. This will be known as the ATP Entry System, which will also be in operation from the beginning of the year. “Anything that makes the game easier to follow for fans and therefore boosts interest in the game is good for the players and the sport,” said ATP Tour Player Council President Todd Martin.