ATP Announces 2009 Tennis Calendar

The "1000" tournaments will replace the existing ATP Masters Series, and these eight tournaments will join the ninth "1000" event, Monte Carlo, to make up the top tier of the new ATP Tour structure. The eight tournaments named will attract a mandatory player field, ensuring guaranteed top player participation at all events. The commitment will be backed by new rules and sanctions that include suspension for missed mandatory tournaments. Launching in 2009, the ATP Tour will undergo its largest set of changes since its creation in 1990. As well as new tournaments and a record breaking level of prize money, the ATP will also introduce a new brand look and identity based on extensive consumer research and designed to make the Tour more fan friendly by linking tournaments to their winners ranking point levels of either "1000," "500" or "250." "The 2009 ATP Tour is about the world's best tennis players performing in the world's very best stadiums at the right times of the season and we have now created a top tier that will showcase our sport, deliver substantially increased investment into our facilities and will attract more broadcast and sponsor support," said ATP President Etienne de Villiers.