Men's Tennis Finale Planned

December 9, 1999 / 5:41 PM EST / CBS/AP

In a move to simplify the maze of men's tennis, the ATP Tour, the Grand Slam committee and the International Tennis Federation will run a joint season-ending event beginning next season.

Named the Tennis Masters Cup, the event replaces the discontinued ATP Tour World Championships and the men's Grand Slam Cup, organizers said Thursday.

Continuing the women's Grand Slam Cup, which has been held the last two years in conjunction with the men's event, will be decided later, the Grand Slam committee said.

The ATP Tour also has changed the name of its Super 9 events its top-tier tournaments to the Tennis Masters Series, which will culminate with the Masters Cup.

Four of the Masters events will be played in the United States and five in Europe, with the first Masters Cup next year in Lisbon, Portugal.

The ATP Tour also will start a new points system in 2000, with every player beginning the year at zero. Points will be awarded from 18 events: the four Grand Slams, the nine Tennis Masters Series tournaments, and five other events.

Larry Scott, chief operating officer of the ATP Tour, said the changes were aimed at "bringing some clarity" to men's tennis.

"Sports fans are used to following a race, but tennis has never had that," he said, referring to the new points system. Scott said replacing two season-ending events with one would "clean up the end of the year."

Scott said the three bodies that run men's tennis had "mended fences" and acknowledged the "alphabet soup" of organizations running the game confused casual fans.

"Sports is a business and we're in the entertainment industry and the competition is way too tough out there," he said. "Tennis can't afford to be fighting internally."