Protected ranking
Protected Ranking (in German: protected list place) is a technical term from tennis .
How a report for participation in a tennis tournament or the qualification for a tennis tournament is taken into account depends on the position in the world rankings in tournaments of the WTA , ATP or ITF (exception: wildcards ). If a player is injured over a longer period of time, he automatically slips down the world rankings. If the injury lasts six months or longer, the person affected can apply for a protected ranking so that they do not have to enter the tournament with a much worse world ranking position. If the protected ranking is granted, the world ranking position, with which the player is then taken into account in tournament fixtures, results from the average ranking in the first three months of injury.
After returning to gaming operations, the protected ranking is valid for nine months after the first tournament participation or for the first nine tournaments played, whichever occurs earlier.
In this context, after Serena Williams decided not to participate in the Australian Open 2018, a discussion arose as to how the world association WTA deals with pregnancies of its players with regard to the ranking and the possibilities of a comeback. Pregnancies of players are not regulated separately in the rules of the ITF and the regulations of the world association WTA, but are classified as "injuries" . Williams was ranked 22nd in the ranking of January 15, 2018 with 2000 points after her victory at the Australian Open 2017 . Due to the loss of these points, however, she completely slipped out of the ranking in the ranking of January 29, 2018 after the Australian Open exactly one year after her last professional match. She is therefore not seeded in the first major tournaments she plays after her pregnancy break and has to use the protected ranking or wildcards of the tournament organizers.
Individual evidence
- ↑ ATP Tour Rankings FAQ: What is a protected ranking and who is eligible? (English).
- ↑ Serena Williams' Seeding Prospects Show Why WTA Needs A New Approach To Pregnancy (forbes.com, December 13, 2017, accessed January 28, 2018)