Year in Numbers: Players make their mark in challenging 2020 

In spite of the calendar disruption caused by the Covid-19 pandemic in 2020, the ITF Men’s and Women’s World Tennis Tour has seen almost 5,000 players compete in over 300 tournaments, with a number of impressive performances and milestones.  

Four-time winners Alessandro Bega of Italy and Poland's Kacper Zuk top the list for most titles on the Men’s World Tennis Tour. Monaco's Lucas Catarina won a tour-leading 36 singles matches and Frenchman Evan Furness recorded the longest match-winning streak of the year with 19 consecutive wins in October and November, picking up three consecutive M15 titles in the process.  

China's Qinwen Zheng and Beatriz Haddad Maia of Brazil also finish the year with a tour-best four title wins on the Women’s WTT, while Romania's Andreea Amalia Rosca recorded the most singles match wins, with 43. Sina Hermann of Germany had the best match-winning streak of the year with 15 consecutive singles wins in September and October, as she won the titles at W25 Grado and W15 Monastir.  

The 2020 season began positively, with an increased number of events scheduled in the first quarter compared to the first quarter of 2019, before the shutdown of the WTT in March. The Men's and Women's Tours were able to resume in August under the ITF Return to Tennis protocols to protect the health and safety of all participants. Tunisia finish the year having hosted more WTT events than any other country, with two tournaments in these final two weeks taking their total to 44 in 2020. 

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Provisional calendars for 2021 are now available across the ITF circuits: the Men’s and Women’s World Tennis Tours, the UNIQLO Wheelchair Tennis Tour, ITF World Tennis Tour Juniors, ITF Seniors Tour and the ITF Beach Tennis Tour.  

All ITF circuits are working closely with stakeholders to ensure that as far as possible, playing opportunities are maintained, with measures in place to provide flexibility to tournaments and players who continue to face challenges presented by the Covid-19 pandemic.

Across ITF circuits, the best-of-24-month ranking system will remain in place until March 2021, in line with the ATP and WTA. This system ensures players are provided the opportunity to earn new ranking points while protecting those who are unable or reluctant to travel by allowing them to retain the points earned between March 2019 and March 2020. 

Additionally, to protect the ITF player pathway and in recognition of the lack of opportunities for junior players in 2020, all year-end top-100 juniors born in 2002 will be able to use their year-end junior ranking beyond their 19th birthday for acceptance into Men’s and Women’s WTT events for the entire calendar year in 2021.

Flexibility will be permitted regarding draw sizes in the qualifying and main draw of ITF World Tennis Tour tournaments, while application deadlines and entry and withdrawal dates will also remain altered across the circuits to accommodate the continuing uncertainty.  

Tournaments on the ITF Seniors and Juniors Tours will be allocated their normal grade and ranking points, but will be subject to an analysis of accessibility by the ITF. Where there are significant national border restrictions, the status of the tournament may be changed. 

The calendars will remain subject to change, with short notice at times, but the ITF will continue to work closely with national associations, organisers and players to provide opportunities to play and earn throughout 2021.