Players game for reforms

Top players today gave their backing to the changes made to professional tennis aimed at making the sport more popular in the new millennium.

From January 1st 2000, the current world rankings system will be abandoned in favour of the ATP Champions Race 2000, in which every player starts the year on zero points.

The player who accumulates the most points in the 18 designated tournaments will be world number one at the end of the season, unlike the previous 52-week rolling system which could see a player lose in the first round of an event and then become world number one.

Todd Martin, president of the ATP Tour Player's Council, said: "The professionals on the Tour today are fully behind this new strategy to enhance the appeal of the sport to both fans and sponsors.

"It will be good for the game, for spectators, for our backers and for us the players."

Under the shake-up announced yesterday, the top tournaments, previously known as the Super Nine, will become part of a new Tennis Masters Series which will culminate in the season-ending Tennis Masters Cup.

The 60 tournaments outside the series will be part of an International Series, five of those tournaments making up the 18 to count towards the world ranking along with the four grand slams and the nine Tennis Masters events.

Changes will also be made to television coverage of the sport with more cameras and choice of action and innovations such as the net-cam.

The moves will be seen as part of men's tennis' attempts to combat the rise in interest in the women's game with the rivalry of the Williams' sisters, Martina Hingis and Anna Kournikova more appealing to fans than the power-dominated men's game.