A question of rank

Marat Safin gearing himself up for the Masters Cup

BBC Sport's Iain Carter responds to criticism of last week's column on the ATP's Champions Race.

Last week's piece on the merits or otherwise of the ATP's Champions Race drew an instant reaction from the Tour.

Having heavily invested in the Race, it was a predictable response from ATP Communications Manager David Law.

Law took exception to my claim that issues surrounding the old ranking list (now known as the Entry System Positions) were just as interesting as the "race" to end the year as world number one.

No one does more to promote men's tennis than the man who signed his e-mailed observations to my piece - kind regards The Law.

Advantages

He was keen to point out one of the advantages of the race system, where every one starts the year from zero, was the extra coverage it generated for early pacesetters like Lleyton Hewitt.

He went on to champion the three-way contest for the world number one spot which will now be played out at next week's Masters Cup in Lisbon - with Marat Safin, Gustavo Kuerten and Pete Sampras going for glory.

Hewitt - early pacesetter in Champions Race

All of which is true. My argument is that while the Champions Race is worth its place, so too are the old rankings.

To assume fans can't cope with both concepts insults their intelligence.

After all, in golf there are the world rankings, the money lists and, in the appropriate years, Ryder Cup tables.

Each provides information which is relevant for different times.

Focus

This was brought into sharp focus in Paris last week, where Marat Safin went to the top of the Entry System Positions (the old rankings).

In previous years the ATP would have been trumpeting the 20-year-old Russian as the youngest world number one in the history of the rankings.

This time the fact was buried by the tour. I had to confirm what we thought to be true by asking the player himself.

Naturally his priority is to end the year as world number one, but the fact is he has already joined one of the most select clubs in sport.

Only 18 players have ever become number one in the system that is based on a rolling 52-week calculation and takes in performances on all surfaces.

At a time when the Tour is so keen to promote its younger generation, it seems extraordinary that tennis gets its youngest-ever number one and it is ignored.

David and I have debated this long and hard in Brighton this week. We agree to differ and I contend the ATP's Law needs rewriting.