Formation of the ATP Tour

In 1990, the Association of Tennis Professionals, led by Hamilton Jordan, replaced the MTC as the governing body of men's professional tennis, and the ATP Tour was born. With the beginning of the ATP Tour in 1990, the nine most prestigious events on the Tour became known as Super Nine events. The label 'Grand Prix' was done away with by the ATP Tour at the beginning of 1990. Twelve of the more prestigious Grand Prix events became International Series Gold tournaments, while the remaining ones (approximately 60) became known as International Series events. The format has been continued from the 1998 season to the present, though the system was slightly reorganized starting in 2009. The Super Nine events were later renamed the Masters Series tournaments and offered the best fields, the best facilities and the most prize money after the Grand Slam tournaments. In 2000, the Grand Slam tournaments and the Masters Series tournaments became the only mandatory events in tennis. Players were automatically entered and the Masters Series and the Slams became the baseline for player rankings.

In 2009, the ATP ranking system was reorganized. The Super Nine events, which had by then become the ATP Masters Series, were renamed the ATP World Tour Masters 1000. The Monte Carlo Masters, although retaining its status as a Masters 1000 event, became the only one of these events without a mandatory player commitment. The International Series Gold events, now 11 in number, became the ATP World Tour 500, and the remaining events became the ATP World Tour 250. The numbers indicate the ranking points that the winner of each event earns. Also, for the first time, the Davis Cup awards ATP ranking points.