The Watercooler

Mornin'. This morning, the ATP announced the creation of a new series of tournaments, which will no leave the ATP with three levels of main-tour events - the 1000, 500, and 250 Series events. Although "Shanghai 1000" sounds more like the name of a punk band or a body of prisoners (Free the Shanghai 1000!) than a tennis tournament, the ATP wants to identify the events with the number of ranking points they offer the  winner - thus signifying their importance.

I don't really see how calling it, say, the Sopot 250 is going to make fans or spectators unfamiliar with tennis better understand the "system" and how it operates, although I confess that it makes my job easier. I do get sick of having to go to the media guide to look up whether Sopot is an International Series or an International Series Gold event.

Still, it seems to me that calling the tournament Sopot and identifying it as a Tier 3 event for those who care to know, as the women might, is actually clearer. Do fans really need to know, want to know, or care how many ranking points the winner of an event gets, and will they understand, reading the morning sports page, that Paris 1000 will mean that the tournament is worth 1000 ranking points to the winner? I don't think so.

I do think fans are interested in how important an event is,  but only in a cut-to-the-chase way. And  the Tier designations of the WTA do that pretty  pretty simply and clearly, although I admit it's not part-and-parcel of the name, which seems to be what the ATP is shooting for.  Actually, I think the Master Series, or Super 9s, was a pretty good approach. Does anybody really care about the distinctions as you go down the ladder? Did anyone, ever, have an urgent need or desire to know that one tournament is an International Series, the other an International Series Gold? I doubt it.

Those who care enough about things like the ranking points distribution at different events make it their business know how the system works. Nobody else cares, or needs to be told that it's the Cincinnati 1000 - as distinguished from the Memphis 500. Numerical designations seem to me the weakest form of brand identification anyway: What would you rather drive, a Dodge 4500, or a Dodge Durango? Names are always better than numbers, which is why nobody names their child "3000".

This is your Watercooler post for the day - I will be back later with a special report on Bjorn Borg on the eve of the tournament in which he will once again have a chance to play his former nemesis, John McEnroe.