Behind the ATP and WTA Tours lies a level that rarely receives the spotlight – but is absolutely fundamental to the entire sport.
This is where careers begin, rankings are built from zero, and future top players take their first steps in professional tennis.
(ITF) World Tennis Tour represents the entry level of the professional tennis pyramid.
Here, players compete who:
It is a global tour with tournaments all over the world – often with smaller crowds, but with just as much importance for the players.
For many players, the ITF Tour is the step from junior tennis into the professional game.
This is where players begin to:
The transition is crucial – and often challenging. The competition is global from day one.
The ITF Tour is structured in different levels, where the number roughly reflects the total prize money in USD.
On the women’s side, there are also higher ITF levels (W40, W60, W80, W100), acting as a bridge towards the WTA Tour.
The higher the level, the more:
To move forward into the ATP and WTA Tours, players must earn ranking points.
They do this by:
Once their ranking improves, new opportunities open up:
This is not a fast track – but a gradual progression.
The ITF Tour is both physically and financially demanding.
Players often travel without large teams, fund parts of their careers themselves, and compete in environments where margins are small.
Prize money rarely covers full costs, meaning:
The ITF Tour is not a separate world – it is an integrated part of the system.
It functions as:
Without the ITF Tour, the ATP and WTA Tours would lack their foundation.
At Nordea Open, players from different levels of the tennis pyramid come together.
Some arrive directly from the ATP and WTA Tours, while others have progressed through ITF and Challenger levels – often via qualifying rounds.
This means the audience in Båstad experiences not only established stars, but also players at different stages of their careers – from rising talents to those working their way back.
The tournament becomes a meeting point for the entire professional system.
In the next part, we take a closer look at the world rankings – and how the points system connects all levels of tennis, from ITF events to the biggest tournaments in the world.
