The Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP) that controls the men’s circuit in professional tennis has divided the various tournaments in different tiers in terms of stature and the ranking points they have to offer. The fourth highest tier in this order are the ATP 500 events.
The ATP 500 events got its current name in 2019. This strata has been previously referred as ATP Championship Series, ATP International Series Gold, and ATP World Tour 500. A singles main draw knockout can feature 32 to 48 players, whereas the doubles draw can have 16 to 24 pairs.
An ATP 500 event’s knockout stages consists of the following rounds: Round of 32, Round of 16, Quarterfinals, Semifinals, and Finals. Players are rewarded with 500 points for winning the tournament whereas the runner-up gets 300 points.
Over 50 tournaments have been contested in different parts of the globe that fall under the ATP 500 event. The current tour calendar (2024) consists of 13 ATP 500 tournaments. Three of these tournaments are played on clay courts, two on grass courts, and the remaining are played on hard courts.
It is mandatory for higher ranked players to enter at least four ATP 500 events. One of these events must be scheduled after the US Open. If these players fail to enter in four ATP 500 events or do not play in an ATP 500 event after the US Open, they will have a 0 marking in their points tally for the season.
Roger Federer’s tally of 24 ATP 500 singles titles is the most by any player. In doubles, Daniel Nestor has won 20 ATP 500 titles.
