This is the definitive guide you need to follow the ATP Tour 2026! Here we will tell you the history of this professional men's tennis circuit. We will also help you understand the different categories and the calendar of the most important tournaments so you don't miss a thing. We'll even tell you where to watch them! That and much more below. Will you join us?
What is the ATP Tour?
The ATP Tour is the most important professional men's tennis circuit of all, where the best players in the ATP (Association of Tennis Professionals) rankings play, and it consists of tournaments held around the world throughout the year. Among them are the ATP Finals and Grand Slams, the highest category and most prestigious, followed by the ATP 1000, ATP 500 and ATP 250.
Each of these tournaments offers a certain number of points, large cash prizes and much greater prestige than those awarded by the ITF World Tennis Tour tournaments and lower-level ATP tournaments, such as the ATP 125, which are not part of the main circuit. Now we will explain which ones are the most important. Let's continue!
Understanding the structure of ATP tournaments
Throughout the year, many ATP tournaments are held around the world, all of different categories and with rewards that include a certain number of ranking points and prize money. Now we will explain what these categories are so that you can understand the importance of each one and how players can move up in the ATP rankings through these tournaments. Let's take a look.
🏆 Grand Slams: The Four Majors
Contrary to what many people think, Grand Slams are not organised by the ATP, even though they are part of the ATP Tour as the most important tournaments on the tour. Instead, they are organised by national tennis federations together with the ITF. Each one awards 2,000 ranking points to the winner. Let's take a quick look:
| Grand Slam | Foundation | Date | Surface | Venue |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Australian Open | 1905 | January – February | Hard | Melbourne Park, Melbourne, Australia |
| Roland Garros | 1891 | May – June | Clay | Stade Roland Garros, Paris, France |
| Wimbledon | 1877 | June – July | Grass | All England Club, Wimbledon, London, England |
| US Open | 1881 | August – September | Hard | USTA Billie Jean King, New York, United States |
🏆 ATP 1000 Tournaments
The 2026 ATP 1000 tournaments are the most important of the season, behind the Grand Slams, as they award 1,000 ranking points to the winner. Here, the top players in the ATP rankings (mandatory for those in the top 30) compete alongside rising professional players who are usually in the top 100. Among the most important ATP 1000 tournaments on the tour are those in Indian Wells, Miami, Madrid and Beijing.
🏆 ATP 500 tournaments
These tournaments are among the most intense of the season as they have more compact draws, usually headed by players in the top 20 of the ATP rankings. The rest of the players are generally from the top 100. Some of the most important ATP 500 tournaments in this category are Barcelona, London, Acapulco, Dubai and Beijing. Each awards 500 ranking points to the winner.
🏆 ATP 250 tournaments
ATP 250 tournaments are the lowest category on the main ATP tour. It is common to see many emerging players in these tournaments, but also a few established players looking to improve their position in the ATP rankings. As their category indicates, they award 250 ranking points to the winner. Among the most popular are Brisbane, Adelaide, Buenos Aires, Estoril and Stuttgart.
🏆 ATP Finals: End-of-season championship
The ATP Finals is the most eagerly awaited tournament of the year for many, as it usually determines the leader of the rankings, awarding up to 1,500 ranking points to the undefeated winner. The eight best singles and doubles players in the ATP rankings compete here for prize money of more than $5 million. The format includes a group stage (known as Round Robin), which is basically a 'round robin', and the playoffs, which include the semi-finals and the Grand Final.
2026 ATP Tour Calendar: Key Dates and Highlights
The 2026 ATP Tour is packed with intense matches and prestigious tournaments around the world. So now we'll take a quick look at the tour schedule to reveal the most important events and the most intense stretches of the year so you can follow the ATP Tour from the start of the Australian season to the ATP Finals and not miss a single Grand Slam.
Australian Tour (January)
The Australian tour marks the start of the ATP Tour season with the United Cup and ATP 250 Brisbane International tournaments. We then move to China for the ATP 250 Hong Kong tournament, before returning to Australia for the ATP 250 Adelaide International. The tour ends in late January and early February with the Australian Open, the first Grand Slam of the year.
Spring Hard Court Season (February - March)
Hard courts continue to take centre stage in this part of the ATP season, with major tournaments such as the ATP 500 in the Netherlands, Dallas, Doha, Acapulco and Dubai, and many other ATP 250 tournaments such as those in Santiago de Chile and Houston. The only ATP 1000 tournaments in this section are Indian Wells and Miami, both in the United States and known as the "Sunshine Double" due to the hot weather that prevails at both tournaments.
European clay court season (April - May)
April and May are the months for clay courts. The most important events in this part of the season are the ATP 1000 tournaments in Monte Carlo, Madrid and Monte Carlo, and the ATP 500 tournaments in Barcelona, Munich and Hamburg, each of which has enormous historical significance, making them some of the most prestigious tournaments on the tour. At the end of May, the French Open is held, which for many is the most important Grand Slam of all.
Grass season (June - July)
The Wimbledon Grand Slam, the oldest and most prestigious of all, is the highlight of June on the 2026 ATP Tour, which is played on grass. However, several preliminary tournaments are held first, including the ATP 500 tournaments in Germany and the United Kingdom. Then, in July, we return briefly to clay courts and finish on hard courts with the ATP 500 in Washington.
North American hard court tour (July - September)
The United States becomes the venue for the most important hard court tournaments of this period of the 2026 ATP Tour season, although the first ATP 500 of this section is in Portugal. This is followed by Washington, which serves as a prelude to the ATP 1000 tournaments in Montreal (Canada) and Cincinnati, giving way to the last Grand Slam of the year, the US Open in New York. This tour ends with the ATP 500 in Beijing, China.
Autumn season and ATP Finals (September - November)
The final stretch of the season, known to many as the "Asian Tour". This stage is the most important of all as it determines which players will qualify for the ATP Finals, the tournament that will close the year along with the Davis Cup in November. During these last few months, the ATP 500 tournaments in Beijing and Tokyo and the ATP 1000 tournaments in Shanghai and Paris are held.
How does the ATP ranking work?
The ATP rankings determine which players will automatically qualify for ATP tournaments and which will be seeded. That is why it is so important for players. It is also very useful for finding out who the best players in the world are, based on the ranking points they have earned throughout the season.
To enter the ATP rankings, players have to start at the bottom by competing in ITF and ATP Challenger tournaments to earn points in either of them.
Once in the rankings, players must earn points to move up, but only the 18 best singles results of the season will be taken into account. At the same time, these points expire after 52 weeks, so any player must strive to maintain or increase them in order to remain in and move up the rankings.
The best players on the ATP Tour
Carlos Alcaraz is the best male professional tennis player, according to the ATP rankings, thanks to the fact that he earned the most ranking points last season, some 12,050 points, after winning Roland Garros, the US Open and six other tournaments. Jannik Sinner is very close to the top spot, with 11,500 points earned in 2025, followed by Germany's Alexander Zverev with 5,110 points.
Among the players who climbed the most in the ATP rankings is Reilly Opelka, who started the previous season in 293rd place and finished in 50th. There are also Valentin Vacherot, currently number 31 in the world, and João Fonseca, number 24. If they continue to climb like this, it would not be surprising to see them in the top 20 or even the top 10 at the end of the season.
How to watch the ATP Tour: TV and streaming
In the United Kingdom, Sky Sport has the broadcasting rights for ATP Tour tournaments, as it does in Austria, Germany, Switzerland, Luxembourg, Italy, Ireland and Liechtenstein. In Spain, Movistar has the rights, while in France and Portugal, the tournaments can be viewed on Eurosport and Sport TV, respectively.
In the United States, you can tune in to the action on the Tennis Channel. In Canada, on the other hand, TSN is the only channel that broadcasts the ATP Tour. In South America, on the other hand, ATP Tour matches and tournaments are mostly broadcast on ESPN. All you have to do is subscribe to any of these TV or streaming platforms so you don't miss a single match or tournament throughout the year.
The future of men's tennis
Professional men's tennis is already popular in its own right, but it is becoming increasingly so, mainly in countries such as the United Kingdom and the rest of Europe, where the number of fans and bettors interested in the sport is growing by leaps and bounds. This trend is expected to continue in 2026 and grow in the years to come.
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Jacob Peter iGaming Content Writer
With years of expertise in sports betting and iGaming, he delivers detailed reviews, strategic guides, and professional analysis that make the betting market easier to understand. His strong knowledge of sportsbooks and betting strategies positions him as a reliable reference for players who want to make smarter decisions.
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