Changes Designed to Streamline Tour

Whether it is a high-tech make-over or a face lift, the men’s tennis tour will feature a different look in 2000.

New, yet recognizable.

Instead of two big-money season-ending tournaments, both held in Germany, there will be only one. The new Tennis Masters Cup, which will be played in Lisbon, Portugal, in 2000, will replace the Grand Slam Cup and the ATP Championships.

Additionally, the top international tournaments, previously known as the Super 9, will now be called the Tennis Masters Series. One of four American events of the nine is the tournament at Indian Wells, Calif.

For the sake of clarity, the tour will feature a new points system in 2000. Each player starts with zero points, and points will be awarded for 18 tournaments: the Grand Slam events (Australian Open, French Open, Wimbledon and the U.S. Open), the nine Tennis Master Series tournaments and five other events.

However, one thing won’t change. For the basis of seeding and entries, the tournaments will still use the 52-week rolling system.

“We have done a lot of research,” said ATP Tour CEO Mark Miles, on Thursday, in announcing a $1.2-billion marketing partnership.

“The public is totally baffled by our current ranking system. Nobody understands how it is possible that Pete Sampras can beat Andre Agassi in the final of Wimbledon and at the conclusion of that match have Andre Agassi pass him to become the No. 1 player in the world. That won’t happen again with the race. That is the major problem with the ranking system.

“We are going to have to think laterally a little bit here. The race is different from the ranking. We are not going to say to the public that after two weeks in January, Lleyton Hewitt--who did well in two events--is the best player in the world. We are going to say what you think when you watch the NBA standings or the NFL standings. We are going to say he is ahead. He had the best year so far, not that he is the best player in the world. It’s easy for fans. It’s natural for fans to think year and season.”

Other steps are being taken to enhance television production standards at these tournaments. Miles said that events will feature up to 16 cameras--twice as many as traditionally used--including one that slides behind the baseline, another at the net and a mobile camera on the chair umpire’s stand.