2025 PREDICTION CONTEST INSTRUCTIONS

[3mlm]

After a short vacation, the 2025 TAT Prediction Contest begins the first week of January.

This contest is open to all TAT members who wish to participate. You can sign up by submitting picks for a current (or future) tournament.

HOW THE 2025 PREDICTION CONTEST BEGINS

The year starts in the week of December 30, 2024 with tournaments in Brisbane and Hong Kong for the ATP while the WTA will begin in Brisbane and Aukland.

The year is divided in weeks. Each week participants predict the quarterfinalists, semifinalists and winners of ATP and WTA singles tournaments at the 250 level or above.

Each week a thread will be posted in this forum for the tournaments played during that week. Not all tournaments' predictions are due at the same time. Each one has its own deadline which will be posted in the same thread along with the tournament level (250, 500, 1000, Slam, Final).

Deadlines may change due to unforeseen circumstance. Generally the rule of thumb is that the deadline is start of play for the first day in which more than 2 R16 matches are scheduled. It’s up to participants to be aware of this as I am fallible. I try to update as well as I am able.

Make sure to check back regularly and to check the WTA, ATP and/or tournament sites so as to not miss deadlines.

Special Situations:

- Occasionally all R-32 matches may not have been concluded before the deadline. In such situation you will have to send your predictions all the same but will have to choose from the player you think will win the unfinished R-32 match.

- Freebies: this is the opposite situation. Some R-16 matches will have been played before the deadline giving you a FREE quarterfinalist which will not exceed 2 per tournament.

- Deadlines may change due to unforeseen circumstance. Generally the rule of thumb is that the deadline is start of play for the day in which more than 2 R16 matches will be played. It’s up to participants to be aware of this as I am fallible. I try to update as well as I am able.

Submitting Predictions

Predictions should be emailed to TATcontests@gmail.com to receive an email acknowledging receipt of your email. Include your TAT username and the word "picks" in the body of the message to receive the acknowledgment.

You may also submit predictions by a pm or post but will not receive an acknowledgment.

Please submit predictions in the following format:

Username/QF1/QF2/QF3/QF4/QF5/QF6/QF7/QF8/SF1/SF2/SF3/SF4/F1/F2/Winner.

Example:

3mlm/Sakkari/Kerber/Azarenka/Kontaveit/Brady/Rybakina/Kudermetova/Bencic/Sakkari/Azarenka/Brady/Kudermetova/Sakkari/Kudermetova/Sakkari

Use last names only unless two players with the same last name play each other. In that case also use the first name initial (ie, SWilliams, KaPliskova or KrPliskova) for the selected winner of the match. Also, please don’t include countries, rankings, etc.

The closer the requested format is followed the easier it is to copy and paste to a text document and format for posting picks to the board and my scoring spreadsheet. Out of order picks and picks in columns have to be retyped in the proper format which can result in confusion and errors in transcription.

2025 PREDICTION CONTEST SCORING

2025 CHANGE: Considering most 2024 predictors submitted picks for most tournaments and the difficulties of keeping track in 2024, I’m adopting a simpler system in 2025: the ten lowest scores, including zeros, for the 250/500 tournaments of each predictor will be subtracted from their total ATP and WTA scores.

The 2025 TAT Prediction Contest has two main categories: ATP and WTA.

The ATP category includes predictions for the ATP Finals, Slams, Masters Series tournaments and tournaments at the 250 and 500 levels. The ten lowest scores, including zeros, for the 250/500 tournaments of each predictor will be subtracted from their total scores.

The WTA category includes predictions for the WTA Finals, Slams, 10 WTA1000 tournaments and tournaments at the 250 and 500 levels. The ten lowest scores, including zeros, for the 250/500 tournaments of each predictor will be subtracted from their total scores.

2025 Prediction Scoring Structure

ATP and WTA 250 and 500 1 point for each correct quarterfinalist; 2 points for each correct semifinalist; 3 points for each correct finalist; and 4 points for each correct tournament winner.

Slams and ATP and WTA Finals: Points are doubled.

ATP Masters and WTA 1000: 1 point for each correct quarterfinalist; 3 points for each correct semifinalist; 4 points for each correct finalist; and 6 points for the winner.

MEDALS

At the end of the year, medals will be awarded to the top three finishers in the ATP and WTA categories and the top three finishers in the combined ATP and WTA scores. You will be able to track your status in each category and in the total when the scores are posted each week.