Andy Murray has questioned the ATP's stance on Grand Slam champions and the season-ending World Tour Finals, saying it reduces the significance of regular tournaments.
According to ATP rules, a Grand Slam champion can qualify for the World Tour Finals by finishing in the Top 20, rather than the mandated Top 8. With two of this year's major champions, Stan Wawrinka and Marin Cilic, yet to qualify, one or both could block the eighth-ranked player from reaching the tournament. Murray, who is currently in ninth place, could be in that position, and was critical of the rule.
"If the ATP want their tournaments to be the most important tournaments, which I think they do—it’s the ATP World Tour Finals—you would hope that the players who would get in would be those who accumulate the most points across the whole year on the ATP tour," he said. "But by putting the Grand Slam champions in then they would be saying the Grand Slams are the most important events."
The 27-year-old understands why the rule is in place, but asked whether the ATP should be favoring the Grand Slam champions.
"I’m not saying that's wrong. I've put a lot of my time and effort and training into getting prepared for the Grand Slams and playing the best-of-five-set matches. They mean a lot to all the players. If Marin was to get in placed ninth, he would deserve to be there. Winning the U.S. Open is a great achievement," he said, but added, "[I]f you want to protect your own tour, then you need to make sure that the tournaments that we are playing throughout the whole year are seen as being just as important as the other ones."
There are fewer than 500 points between No. 6 and No. 11 in the standings.