The year-long tennis grind gets back to business for the new Millennium on Monday with a revised ranking system and a new tournament commitment clause which is expected to change life considerably for players at the top of the men's game.
Tournaments in Adelaide, Chennai, India and Doha in the Gulf, mark the start of 2000 play with the first Grand Slam of the season, the Australian Open, starting on January 17th. Leading the charge into the next 1,000 years of the sport will be Andre Agassi, crowned world number one for 1999 after a superb comeback effort last year which included winning the French and US Open titles.
But things will hardly be the same for players.
Taking effect will be a first-past-the-post computer ranking system with one end of year world number one decided on overall point totals in November at the end of the 11-month season.
Elite players (the top 50) will be required to compete in all nine of the newly named Tennis Masters Series, the four Slams and at least five other tournaments of their choice. Miss an event and it's zero points, just like in Formula One racing or professional golf.
Players who are not ranked high enough can count other lower level tournaments to make up the minimum total of 18 events played.
"We're very excited about the new ATP Champions Race and believe it will make the game easier for fans to understand," said ATP CEO Mark Miles.
"Extensive research has shown us that the old 52-week best-of14 event ranking system was increasingly difficult to follow. The new race is designed to make it easier for fans to follow their favourite players' progress throughout the year."
While Agassi, number two Russian Yevgeny Kafelnikov, third-ranked Pete Sampras and number four Swede Thomas Enqvist should all be revitalised and ready to go after a short holiday, there are rumblings in the ranks as to how the new system will actually play out.
Top names for years have had the luxury of skipping some events - Slams if they dared or were injured - and making up the points at another, lesser tournament.
That concept is long gone as Tour officials strive to make the game more coherent to the public in this inaugural year of a 10-year, $1.2 billion re-branding exercise.
Many fear that injuries will take an even heavier toll on the elite. Already, Chile's Marcelo Rios (thigh), Briton Greg Rusedski (foot) and two-time US Open winner Pat Rafter of Australia will not be in the 2000 starting blocks due to physical problems.
Rafter has seen his season compromised by a slow-healing shoulder which required surgery last autumn. He will only play doubles at the Australian Open.
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