ATP World Tour Points Explanation (250 tournament bummer)

So in Atlanta, we have a little 250 point tournament called the BB&T Open.  It's a very small tournament that I have been going to since it was in Indianapolis.  As a matter of fact, that is where I got the pictures to make my first sequential photoshop art:

Anyway the tournament has actually gotten worse in recent years.  Not ONLY because the venue has gotten worse.  I mean seriously: in Indiana they had it on the IUPUI campus.  There was a tennis STADIUM, a grandstand court and like 6 or 7 extra courts.  We went from there to some country club way in the outskirts from Atlanta.  Then Racquet Club of the South which was OK.  Still not in Atlanta, you had to park at a mega church and shuttle in.  Now it's at Atlantic Station in Atlanta.  Which is OK I guess but not better.  It's less of an event and more of a backlot thing that they just shoved in the corner.

But I'm a little off track.  Every one I've been to has had big names promised to us and then they pull out at the last second.  Andy Roddick won this tournament last year I believe but in Indiana he pulled out twice.  How can they do that??

I went to the ATP website to study up on the points system.  If you are not familiar with what that is I will explain it in RED.  If you are you can skip the red.

The ATP points system is basically how the players are ranked.  They play in tournaments and are given points based on when they are knocked out in the tournament.  If you win the tournament you get the points the tournament is named for.  So you win a 500 level tournament you get 500 points.  Grand Slams are a whopping 2000 points.

The Grand Slams and 1000 level tournaments are mandatory for all players that qualify.  However, the 500 level and below aren't.  As a matter of fact only the best 6 of those tournaments count as your ranking points.  So you could play 10 of them.  But they are going to count your best 6 results. 

So far so good?  OK, if you are in the top 30, 4 of the 6 tourneys HAVE to be 500 level tournaments which leaves you 2 tournaments to do whatever with.  If you are in the top 30, why would you play in a 250 tournament unless you can win?  Seriously it is the same amount of rounds but the points are twice as much in one of them.  In other words, for stepping on the court in a 500 I get 20 ATP points.  For a 250 I have to win my first match.

As far as penalties for withdrawing.  For 250 tourneys there pretty much are none because, in 2011, in order for the ATP to make 1000 level tournaments mandatory they had to give up regulations on the 250s (from my understanding).

I only really go to watch the doubles but some of my friends get really happy about these big names.  I would hate to be the tournament director.  It seems like he has to settle for using the big names to sell tickets.  So if the players pull out, at least he has made money.  If they don't sign in, surely he can't say they will be there, right?

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