Andy Murray says ATP should "think long and hard" about ranking points

The ATP tour has announced when tournaments will restart but not if it will resume its regular ranking system, and players say they are finding it more difficult to plan their schedules.

Andy Murray, who just finished competing at the Battle of the Brits over the weekend, described it as a tough problem for the tour.

"I think they'll have to think long and hard about what they're going to do with the ranking points," the three-time Grand Slam champion was quoted as having told British press.

The men's tour is scheduled to get back up and running with events in Washington, D.C., a relocated Cincinnati, the US Open, Madrid, Rome and the French Open.

Players will have to pick and choose which to play, noted Murray. Since some events are being played on different dates than in 2019, there are also problems with when points come on or off.

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"It's not safe for players to go from the semis or final in New York, quarters even, and altitude on the clay court, when players haven't competed for a very long time," said Murray.

"The rankings, if you can keep the points as they are, could get a bit skewed."

Plus, with some players under travel restrictions or unsure if they want to play, along with limited competition at the Challenger and ITF level, there are questions about whether ranking points should be given for these events.

Murray suggested extending the annual rankings to a longer span.

"It might be worth potentially looking at a two-year ranking for the time," he said. "There are big tournaments every single week and it's going to be very difficult for players that are winning consistently to commit to that many events. I just think we need to be a bit careful with the rankings."