Tennis is a worldwide sport that can be played by two opposing players (singles) or two opposing teams (doubles). The sport has a huge following around the world with over 24 million players in the US participating in it in 2003. In the same year, 340 million dollars was spent on buying racquets and other tennis equipment. Four tournaments are ranked as the leading professional tournaments in the sport and they include Wimbledon in the U.K., the U.S. Open in New York, the French Open, and the Australian Open.
There are two organizations – the Women’s Tennis Association (WTA) and the Association of Tennis Players for female and male players respectively. The ATP runs the men’s tour, which includes Grand Slams, Master series, International Series, and International Gold Series. On the other hand, the WTA runs the women’s tour. The sport’s international competitions are tiered and the amount of money won depends on the category that a player is placed in during different events.
As such, top players are placed at the top tiers and thus they earn more money as compared to their lower-ranking counterparts. Tennis rankings are adjusted weekly based on the performance of players during various tournaments.