Men’s Pro Tour Releases 2015 ATP World Tour Schedule

Written by: Bob Larson Tennis on 11th February 2014

Men's Pro Tour Releases 2015 ATP World Tour Schedule

epa01848970 Roger Federer of Switzerland prepares to serve against Lleyton Hewitt of Australia during the sixth day of the 2009 US Open Tennis Championship at the USTA National Tennis Center in Flushing Meadows, New York, USA 05 September 2009. The Open runs through Sunday 13 September 2009. EPA/ANDREW GOMBERT |

The ATP has released the 2015 ATP World Tour calendar following meetings with its ATP Board of Directors in London last week.

The 2015 calendar will feature 62 tournaments in 31 countries across six continents and, for the first time, will incorporate a three-week grass-court swing in the lead up to The Championships, Wimbledon.

The grass-court swing will be comprised of events in Stuttgart, ‘s-Hertogenbosch, London-Queen’s, Halle, and a new 48-draw event in Nottingham (previously held as a 28-draw in Eastbourne). Newport will continue to be held the week after Wimbledon. In addition, Queen’s and Halle will be re-categorized as ATP World Tour 500 events, bringing the grass-court season additional weight in the 52-week Emirates ATP Rankings with a 75 percent increase in points attributed to the surface.

“The ATP World Tour is a truly global sports property, and demand for tournaments around the world is high, which reflects the strength of our product and the growing popularity of our sport,” said Chris Kermode, ATP Executive Chairman & President.

“The extended grass-court season, with additional Emirates ATP Rankings points at stake, is a positive step forward,” continued Kermode. “One of our assets as a sport is to provide for variance across playing surfaces throughout the season, so the strengthening of the grass-court season is a significant enhancement for the overall calendar. In particular, I would like to thank the All England Club, led by Philip Brook, for the instrumental role it has played in achieving this positive outcome.”

The 2015 calendar sees the ATP retain its strongest foothold in the traditional markets of Europe and North America, while recent developments in the emerging markets of Asia and South America continue to take hold.

China remains the only country outside the United States to host ATP events across ATP World Tour 250 (Shenzhen), ATP World Tour 500 (Beijing), and ATP World Tour Masters 1000 (Shanghai) categories. Meanwhile, the 4-week South American swing continues to be highlighted by the Rio tournament, the first ATP World Tour 500 event to be held in the continent. The weeks for the ATP World Tour 250 events in Buenos Aires and Sao Paulo will be determined in due course.

The ATP will also re-introduce a third tournament in week 17 of the 2015 ATP World Tour calendar alongside the Munich and Oeiras tournaments. The week had previously held the Serbia Open in Belgrade, which saw its last edition in 2012. The ATP will be commencing an application process to lease an ATP World Tour 250 to be played outdoors on clay in the European region.

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