What Is A Protected Ranking In Tennis?

If a player gets injured and is out for a long time, their ranking can drop — fast. A protected ranking lets them come back without starting from zero.

It’s like freezing their ranking in time while they recover. Once they return, they can enter a limited number of tournaments as if they were still ranked where they left off.

1. Who Gets One?

To be eligible, players must be:

  • Injured (and out) for at least 6 months

  • Officially approved by the ATP or WTA

The protected ranking is based on the player’s average ranking over the first 3 months of their injury — and they can use it to enter up to 12 events over a set period.

2. Why It Matters

It keeps players from being punished for taking time off to heal. Instead of having to grind through qualifiers or low-level events, they can get straight into the draw at major tournaments — even if their real-time ranking has tanked.

Bonus: Protected rankings can create chaos in a draw. You could be a top player facing a returning star in round one.

👂 Where You’ll Hear It

“She’s using her protected ranking to enter Wimbledon.”
Translation: She was out for months, but now she’s back — and still gets access to the big leagues (at least for a few events).

“Tough first-round draw — he’s playing a former top-10er on a protected ranking.”
Translation: The rankings don’t tell the full story. This one’s way more dangerous than it looks on paper.

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