Ill use this thread to capture the schedule as it develops and the qualifies for 2026, in one thread as opposed to separate places.
The schedule of PoM votes will develop as the year progresses - Ill do it one month at a time this season coming as opposed to trying to work it out for the whole year. Doing the whole year is too hard and subject to too much error and change!
For January, a January 2026 thread will be posted later next week; however, it will start with week 53 of the 2025 season, ie events including Monday 29th December and conclude with the end of the Australian Open on 1st February ie end of week 4. That is a 5 week duration.
PoS qualifiers this year will come through the same routes as 2025:
- PoM winners and runners up including ties for runners up. - grand slam winners in any of the mens and womens singles and doubles, mixed doubles, wheelchair singles and doubles and junior girls and boys singles and doubles. A total of 60 grand slam events over the season. - GB number one players in mens and womens singles and doubles, wheelchair singles and junior boys and girls- a total of 9 number one categories
- and finally, the field will be topped up to a final level with a wildcard vote - numbers to be determined.
-- Edited by JonH comes home on Saturday 27th of December 2025 08:32:14 AM
So another year draws to an end. Thanks to folks who support these. Plan to keep going in 2026, whether there are some tweaks I need to decide.
Player of the season works well and I dont think needs many changes.
The POS wildcard process seemed to go well in general but two rounds of voting wasnt necessary and next season it will be just one, whatever format that takes
PoM - the tie break when we have a tie doesnt work for me. Its boring and superfluous; the month has moved into the next. So just one vote - how or if we break a tie at all, needs to be decided. Maybe ties arent bad after all and we go back to letting ties be. Certainly a second round of voting isnt needed
PoM nominations process - this needs some thinking. It seems to be just a few people who nominate and when they arent on it, no nominations take place. Im not sure of an alternative and clearly January is underway (with no nominations yet) but if anyone has ideas on how to change the POM nominations process and, being frank, lead to me being less visible during it and less naggy, Im all ears.
But these are all tweaks and more may be needed; basically it seems to work well enough to continue. Onwards!
IMO the PoM nominations process is fine. It's a 4 or 5 week process and we get there in the end with some folk preferring to let the month play out before perhaps nominating and certainly often some good weeks when they just want to see the conclusion ( partly for narrative purposes ) and it's absolutely clear someone will be nominated.
However we get there, we get there and it's part of an overall process thst works. And thank you Jon for that.
FWIW no-one has crossed my mind from just the first week and the second week so far.
-- Edited by indiana on Tuesday 13th of January 2026 03:30:35 PM
IMO the PoM nominations process is fine. It's a 4 or 5 week process and we get there in the end with some folk preferring to let the month play out before perhaps nominating and certainly often some good weeks when they just want to see the conclusion.
However we get there, we get there and it's part if an overall process thst works. And thank you Jon for that.
Cool - and if folks think it works, no point changing or tinkering ! Just musing from afar ( in Doha now and just 3 hours ahead until the weekend so more on it though jet lagged like mad!)
I think that on the whole it works well. Just when people nominate for PoM is very dependent on the flow of tournaments. I usually find someone has beaten me to it when I do think of someone to nominate.
As far as ties go I agree there is no need to break ties for first place in the PoM however long the tie is. There would be no runner-up that month. If there is a clear winner but a tie for second then it might be best just to have a winner and no runner-up especially if three or more tie for second.
I think the PoS wildcard system is excellent. Some players can have a good season without ever having such a brilliant month that they become PoM or their best month coincided with two other people having a standout result.
I think that on the whole it works well. Just when people nominate for PoM is very dependent on the flow of tournaments. I usually find someone has beaten me to it when I do think of someone to nominate.
As far as ties go I agree there is no need to break ties for first place in the PoM however long the tie is. There would be no runner-up that month. If there is a clear winner but a tie for second then it might be best just to have a winner and no runner-up especially if three or more tie for second.
I think the PoS wildcard system is excellent. Some players can have a good season without ever having such a brilliant month that they become PoM or their best month coincided with two other people having a standout result.
IMO the PoM nominations process is fine. It's a 4 or 5 week process and we get there in the end with some folk preferring to let the month play out before perhaps nominating and certainly often some good weeks when they just want to see the conclusion ( partly for narrative purposes ) and it's absolutely clear someone will be nominated.
However we get there, we get there and it's part of an overall process thst works. And thank you Jon for that.
FWIW no-one has crossed my mind from just the first week and the second week so far.
-- Edited by indiana on Tuesday 13th of January 2026 03:30:35 PM
I do now have Luca Pow in mind so there will fairly soon be one nomination anyway.
IMO the PoM nominations process is fine. It's a 4 or 5 week process and we get there in the end with some folk preferring to let the month play out before perhaps nominating and certainly often some good weeks when they just want to see the conclusion ( partly for narrative purposes ) and it's absolutely clear someone will be nominated.
However we get there, we get there and it's part of an overall process thst works. And thank you Jon for that.
FWIW no-one has crossed my mind from just the first week and the second week so far.
-- Edited by indiana on Tuesday 13th of January 2026 03:30:35 PM
I do now have Luca Pow in mind so there will fairly soon be one nomination anyway.
Cool- not followed what Luca is doing this month, sounds good though. I return home tomoreow, last day on my travels this week, think I deserve a nomination as well!
-- Edited by JonH comes home on Thursday 15th of January 2026 04:01:49 AM
Our first qualifier for the 2026 Player of the Season! (it seems a long way off but PoM winners and Grand Slam title winners of the 15 main draw events (MS, WS, MD, WD, XD, JBS, JGS, JBD, JGD, MWS, WWS, QWS, MWD, WWD, QWD) all qualify:
2026 Player of the Season qualifiers list:
1. Neal Skupski - Australian Open Men's Doubles Champion
For this year, I wont be publishing a detailed month by month schedule ahead of the year as a whole, I will confirm each months exact dates as we get to them. But as a high level view, the 2026 PoM/PoS season will look like this:
PoM votes end of Jan 2026 to end November 2026
PoS Wildcard vote early December 2026 to mid December 2026
