The ATP reinstated the world tour to its name as the organisation rebranded itself as theATP World Tour.[3] ATP World Tour tournaments in 2009 are classified as ATP World Tour Masters 1000, ATP World Tour 500, and ATP World Tour 250. Broadly speaking theTennis Masters Series tournaments became the new Masters 1000 level andATP International Series Gold andATP International Series events became ATP 500 level and 250 level events.
The World Tour Masters 1000 includes tournaments atIndian Wells,Miami,Monte Carlo,Rome,Madrid,Toronto/Montreal,Cincinnati,Shanghai, andParis. The end-of-year event, theTour Finals, moved to London.Hamburg has been displaced by the new clay court event at Madrid, which is a new combined men's and women's tournament, and the indoor hard court event in Madrid was replaced by an outdoor hard court Masters tournament inShanghai. From 2011, Rome and Cincinnati will also be combined tournaments. Severe sanctions will be placed on top players skipping the Masters 1000 series events, unless medical proof is presented.[4] Plans to eliminateMonte Carlo andHamburg as Masters Series events led to controversy and protests from players as well as organisers. Hamburg and Monte Carlo filed lawsuits against the ATP,[5] and as a concession it was decided that Monte Carlo remains a Masters 1000 level event, with more prize money and 1000 ranking points, but it would no longer be a compulsory tournament for top-ranked players. Monte Carlo later dropped its suit. Hamburg was "reserved" to become a 500 level event in the summer.[6] Hamburg did not accept this concession, but later lost its suit.[7]
The ATP & ITF declared that2009 Davis Cup World Group and World Group Playoffs award a total of up to 500 points. Players accumulate points over the four rounds and the playoffs and these are counted as one of a player's four best results from the 500 level events. An additional 125 points are given to a player who wins all eight live rubbers and wins the Davis Cup.[8]
Otherwise, the domain name of their website was changed to "www.atpworldtour.com".[9]
The2009 ATP World Tour season sawRoger Federer breakPete Sampras's Grand Slam record of 14men's singles titles, capturing his firstFrench Open title and his sixthWimbledon title in the process, marking 15 Grand Slam tournament victories to his name. This success came after losing to his main rival,Rafael Nadal, in theAustralian Open final7–5, 3–6, 7–6(7–3), 3–6, 6–2 in what has been lauded as one of the greatest Australian Open finals of all-time.[10] This victory gave Nadal his first Grand Slam title on hard court, his sixth major title overall and put an end to Federer’s 8–0 record in slam finals on hard court.
This defeat for Federer came at his first opportunity in a slam final to tie Sampras’s record of most Grand Slams won in men’s singles and came on the back of consecutive defeats to Nadal at the previous years French Open and Wimbledon. It also marked the first and only time in Nadal’s career that he’d win a slam having come through 5 set matches in both the semifinals and final, beating fellow SpaniardFernando Verdasco in an epic that lasted 5 hours, 14 minutes in the semis. Nadal would continue his dominance of the tour by winning titles inIndian Wells,Monte Carlo,Barcelona andRome before falling to Federer in the final ofMadrid. This was Federer's first Masters Series title since winningCincinnati in 2007 and his first win over Nadal since the2007 Tennis Masters cup, having lost the previous 5 matches they played.
Nadal was shocked in the fourth round of theFrench Open by big hitting SwedeRobin Söderling, marking the first ever defeat Nadal had endured at the French Open. This has been described as one of the biggest upsets in tennis history.[11] Federer came through tough tests earlier in the French Open, coming from 2 sets down to defeatTommy Haas in the fourth round and beatingJuan Martín del Potro in a 5-setter in the semis to advance to his fourth French Open final. Söderling himself would come through a 5-setter in the semis againstFernando González, only to lose to Federer in the final in straight sets6–1, 7–6(7–1), 6–4.[12] With this win, Federer captured his first and only French Open title, equalling Pete Sampras’s then record of 14 Grand Slam titles and in the process becoming the sixth man in singles history to complete the Career Grand Slam.
Federer then captured his sixth Wimbledon and 15th slam overall by defeatingAndy Roddick in the final5–7, 7–6(8–6), 7–6(7–5), 3–6, 16–14 in the longest men’s singles major final in history (in terms of games played). This was the third and final time the two would play in a Wimbledon final with Federer winning all three encounters. By winning this, Federer became the first player to win 15 men’s singles Grand Slam titles passing Pete Sampras’s prior record of 14.[13] By winning the French Open and Wimbledon back to back, Federer became the eighth man of all time to complete the channel slam and the fourth man of the open era (along withRod Laver,Björn Borg and Rafael Nadal). This win also saw Federer regain theNo. 1 position at the top of theATP rankings and would later end the season ranked No. 1. Later in the summer, Federer would win his thirdCincinnati Masters title beatingNovak Djokovic in the final.
At theUS Open, 20 year old Argentine Juan Martín del Potro captured his first and only major title and in doing so became the first man to defeat both Nadal and Federer back to back in a Grand Slam tournament. This came in a period in time when both Federer and Nadal had dominated the game for the past 5 seasons, winning 17 of the past 18 slams from the2005 French Open onwards, with the exception being Novak Djokovic’s first slam victory at the2008 Australian Open. Djokovic also became the only other man that would later be able to defeat both Nadal and Federer back to back to win a slam title. Del Potro defeated Federer in a 5 set epic3–6, 7–6(7–5), 4–6, 7–6(7–4), 6–2, thus ending Federer’s 40-match winning streak at the US Open.
After the US Open,Nikolay Davydenko would win his third career Masters Series title by beating Nadal in the finals ofShanghai and would go on to achieve his biggest career achievement by winning theATP World Tour Finals.[14] Davydenko successfully defeated Nadal, Söderling, Federer and del Potro en route and became the inaugural winner of the Year-End Championships during its stretch held inLondon (2009–2020). Novak Djokovic andAndy Murray were two other competitors who also had good success during the 2009 season, with Djokovic winning theParis Masters, 3500 Series tournaments inDubai,Beijing andBasel, and the inauguralSerbia Open in Djokovic’s home city ofBelgrade. Murray won 2 Masters 1000 titles inMiami andMontreal and also won 4 other titles inDoha,Rotterdam,London andValencia.
Year-end No. 2 team ofDaniel Nestor (left) andNenad Zimonjić (right) recorded the most titles wins in 2009, with nine trophies.
These tables present the number ofsingles (S),doubles (D), andmixed doubles (X) titles won by each player and each nation during the season, within all the tournament categories of the 2009 ATP World Tour: theGrand Slam tournaments, theATP World Tour Finals, theATP World Tour Masters 1000, theATP World Tour 500 series, and theATP World Tour 250 series.[15] The players/nations are sorted by: 1) total number of titles (a doubles title won by two players representing the same nation counts as only one win for the nation); 2) cumulated importance of those titles (one Grand Slam win equalling two Masters 1000 wins, one ATP World Tour Finals win equalling one-and-a-half Masters 1000 win, one Masters 1000 win equalling two 500 events wins, one 500 event win equalling two 250 events wins); 3) a singles > doubles > mixed doubles hierarchy; 4) alphabetical order (by family names for players).
These are theATP rankings of the top twenty singles players, doubles players, and the top ten doubles teams on the ATP Tour, at the end of the2008 ATP Tour,[17][18][19] and of the 2009 season,[20][21][22] with number of rankings points, number of tournaments played, year-end ranking in 2008, highest and lowest position during the season (for singles and doubles individual only, as doubles team rankings are not calculated over a rollingyear-to-date system), and number of spots gained or lost from the 2008 to the 2009 year-end rankings. The 2008 year-end rankings include the number of points under the 2008 points system, and doubled, as they were at the end of the year by the ATP, to fit the 2009 points system[2] (the doubles (team) rankings points were not doubled, as they were calculated under theATP Race points system in 2008). The doubled year-end rankings were never officially published though, as the first rankings of 2009 already counted the drop of the 2008 season openers' points due to a calendar change.
The Davis Cup World Group and World Group Play-Off matches awardedATP Ranking points from 2009 to 2015.[24]
Glossary
Only live matches earn points;dead rubbers earn no points. If a player does not compete in the singles of one or more rounds he will receive points from the previous round when playing singles at the next tie. This last rule also applies for playing in doubles matches.[24]
1 A player who wins a singles rubber in the first day of the tie is awarded 5 points, whereas a singles rubber win in tie's last day grants 10 points for a total of 15 available points.[24]
2 For the first round only, any player who competes in a live rubber, without a win, receives 10 ranking points for participation.[24]
3 Team bonus awarded to a singles player who wins 7 live matches in a calendar year and his team wins the competition.[24]
4 Performance bonus awarded to a singles player who wins 8 live matches in a calendar year. In this case, no Team bonus is awarded.[24]
5 Team bonus awarded to an unchanged doubles team who wins 4 matches in a calendar year and his team wins the competition.[24]
Following is a list of notable players (winners of a main tour title, and/or part of theATP rankings top 100 (singles) or top 50 (doubles) for at least one week) who announced their retirement from professional tennis during the 2009 season:
Agustín Calleri (born September 14, 1976, inRío Cuarto, Argentina) started his pro career in 1995, reaching his best singles ranking, no. 16, in 2003. Aclay court specialist, Calleri titled twice in singles and thrice in doubles during his time on the main tour, but never went further than the third round in any Grand Slam tournament. He played his last professional match in July on theATP Challenger Tour inBogotá.[26][27]
Guillermo Coria (born January 13, 1982, inRufino, Argentina) joined the pro circuit in 2000, reaching his best singles ranking, no. 3, in 2004, and finishing three seasons within the top 10 (2003–2005). JuniorFrench Open singles champion and JuniorWimbledon doubles champion in 1999, Coria collected nine singles titles on the main tour, among which twoATP Masters Series titles (Hamburg 2003 andMonte Carlo 2004). Two-time quarterfinalist at theUS Open (2003,2005), Coria lost the2004 French Open final to countrymanGastón Gaudio, despite leading by two sets to love and later holding two match points in the final set. He played his last match in March at a Challenger event inBangkok.[28]
Nicolas Coutelot (born February 9, 1977, inStrasbourg, France) became a professional in 1996, reaching his highest singles ranking, no. 87, in 2002. Coutelot mostly competed on theATP Challenger Tour and theITF Men's Circuit, where he played his last match in a Futures tournament in April.[29]
Werner Eschauer (born April 26, 1974, inHollenstein an der Ybbs, Austria) turned professional in 1998, reaching his career-high singles ranking of no. 52 in 2007. Eschauer competed mainly on theATP Challenger Tour and theITF Men's Circuit during his career, playing his last match in a Futures tournament in November.[30]
Luis Horna (born September 14, 1980, inLima,Peru) came on the tour in 1998, reaching career-high rankings of singles no. 33 in 2004 and doubles no. 16 in 2008. AFrench Open andWimbledon Junior doubles champion, Horna took home two singles and six doubles titles on the main circuit, clinching his biggest win at the French Open (2008), which he won withPablo Cuevas. Horna last competed at theLima Challenger in November.[31]
Thomas Johansson (born March 25, 1975, inLinköping, Sweden) turned professional in 1993 and ranked as high as no. 7 in mid-2002, though he never finished a season in the top 10. Twice a quarterfinalist at theUS Open (1998,2000), once a semifinalist inWimbledon (2005), Johansson won one Grand Slam title at theAustralian Open (2002, def.Safin). Over his career, he collected eight more singles titles, one doubles title, and a silver medal in doubles at the2008 Olympics. Johansson last competed in theMiami qualifying in March.[32]
Hyung-taik Lee (born January 3, 1976, inHoengseong,South Korea) joined the tour in 1995, reaching a career-high ranking of no. 36 in 2007. Lee won one singles and one doubles titles on the main circuit, posting his best results on theATP Challenger Tour where he last played inSeoul in October.[33]
Andrei Pavel (born January 27, 1974, inConstanța,Romania) entered the circuit in 1995, reaching the no. 13 in singles in 2004, and in doubles in 2007. AFrench Open junior champion in 1992, Pavel collected three trophies in singles (including the2001 Montreal Masters) and five in doubles during his career on the main tour. He last competed in singles and in doubles during theBucharest tournament in September.[35]
Mariano Puerta (born September 19, 1978, inSan Francisco, Argentina) turned pro in 1998, reaching a career-high singles ranking of no. 9 in 2005. He won three singles and one doubles titles on the main tour, and reached one Grand Slam final, at theFrench Open (2005, lost toNadal). Puerta was sanctioned fordoping offenses in 2003 (nine months) and 2005 (eight years, later reduced to two). He came back from suspension in 2007, competing until theLima Challenger in November.[36]
Sergio Roitman (born May 16, 1979, inBuenos Aires, Argentina) became a pro player in 1996, peaking at no. 62 in singles in 2007, and no. 45 in doubles in 2008. Roitman titled twice in doubles on the main circuit, but most of his victories came on theATP Challenger Tour, where he played his last match at theGuayaquil Challenger in November.[37]
Marat Safin (born January 27, 1980, in Moscow, Russia, thenUSSR) turned professional in 1997, and became the 18th man to lead theATP rankings asworld no. 1 on November 20, 2000, holding the position for nine weeks over three spells. Over his 12-year career, Safin collected 15 singles titles (including fiveATP Masters Series shields inToronto (2000),Madrid (2004) andParis (2000,2002,2004)) and two doubles trophies. A semifinalist at theFrench Open (2002) and atWimbledon (2008), Safin won two Grand Slam titles out of four finals, his first coming at theUS Open (2000, def.Sampras), his second at theAustralian Open (2005, def.Hewitt) after two runner-up finishes in Melbourne (2002, lost toJohansson,2004, lost toFederer). Three time a Top Ten finisher at the end of the season (2000, 2002, 2004), Safin also contributed to the two firstDavis Cup victories for Russia in2002 and2006. He retired during theBNP Paribas Masters in November, playing his last match againstJuan Martín del Potro before a ceremony was held for him on center court.[38][39]
Jim Thomas (born September 24, 1974, inCanton, United States) turned professional in 1996, and peaked at no. 29 doubles ranking in 2006. Thomas won six doubles titles on the main circuit during his career, and last competed in June on theATP Challenger Tour inReggia Emilia.[40]
Alexander Waske (born May 31, 1975, inFrankfurt, Germany, thenWest Germany) joined the circuit in 2000, reaching career-high rankings of no. 89 in singles in 2006, and no. 16 in doubles in 2007. Waske won four doubles titles on the main tour, and played his last tournament at theFrench Open in May.[41]
Tomáš Zíb (born January 31, 1976, inPísek, Czech Republic, thenCzechoslovakia) joined the circuit in 1995, and reached his best singles ranking, no. 51, in 2005. Also a top-100 player in doubles, Zíb won one doubles title in his career, playing his last tournament inRome on theATP Challenger Tour in April.[42]
Andy Murray (6)
Novak Djokovic (10)
Roger Federer ($8,761,805)
Bob Bryan
Horacio Zeballos
Spain (ESP)
Czech Republic (CZE)
Russia (RUS)
France (FRA)
Canada (CAN)
Slovakia (SVK)
Austria (AUT)
Sweden (SWE)
Poland (POL)
India (IND)
Germany (GER)
Bahamas (BAH)
Australia (AUS)
South Africa (RSA)
Croatia (CRO)
Brazil (BRA)
Belgium (BEL)
Uruguay (URU)
Belarus (BLR)
Israel (ISR)
Chile (CHI)
Cyprus (CYP)
Ukraine (UKR)
Latvia (LAT)
Zimbabwe (ZIM)
Luis Horna (born September 14, 1980, inLima,Peru) came on the tour in 1998, reaching career-high rankings of singles no. 33 in 2004 and doubles no. 16 in 2008. AFrench Open andWimbledon Junior doubles champion, Horna took home two singles and six doubles titles on the main circuit, clinching his biggest win at the French Open (2008), which he won withPablo Cuevas. Horna last competed at theLima Challenger in November.[31]
Hyung-taik Lee (born January 3, 1976, inHoengseong,South Korea) joined the tour in 1995, reaching a career-high ranking of no. 36 in 2007. Lee won one singles and one doubles titles on the main circuit, posting his best results on theATP Challenger Tour where he last played inSeoul in October.[33]
Andrei Pavel (born January 27, 1974, inConstanța,Romania) entered the circuit in 1995, reaching the no. 13 in singles in 2004, and in doubles in 2007. AFrench Open junior champion in 1992, Pavel collected three trophies in singles (including the2001 Montreal Masters) and five in doubles during his career on the main tour. He last competed in singles and in doubles during theBucharest tournament in September.[35]
