ATP Race vs ATP Rankings
The Race is a calendar-year leaderboard for the ATP Finals. The Rankings are the 52-week rolling list. See how the two tables differ, when they reset and what each one decides.
The ATP Rankings
The ATP Rankings are a 52-week rolling list. Every Monday, the points scored over the last 52 weeks are added up and the world rankings are published. This is the list used to seed Grand Slams, accept players into Masters 1000 main draws, and decide who is World No. 1.
The ATP Race
The ATP Race is a calendar-year leaderboard. It resets to zero on 1 January and accumulates only the points scored that year. The top eight on the Race at the end of November qualify for the ATP Finals in Turin.
Why the two lists diverge
In January the Race is meaningless, the field is bunched within 100 points. By April the Race typically rewards whoever started the year hot (Australian Open winners and runners-up dominate). The Rankings, by contrast, still credit results from last summer.
Equivalent for the women
The WTA has the same two-list system: the WTA Rankings are 52-week rolling, and the Race to the WTA Finals is the calendar-year leaderboard determining who plays in Riyadh.