Competition Models
Open Competition
- All players compete against each other regardless of any age or ability classifications
- The only groupings are men’s, women’s, and quad
Age Classifications
- All players compete against other players in the same age group
- For juniors, this allows use of the US Tennis Association’s 10 and under tennis format (smaller courts, lower nets, lower bouncing balls)
- For more information, see 10 and Under Tennis
National Tennis Rating System
- Players compete against others at their rating level
- For descriptions of the ratings, see USTA
Universal Rating System
- This alternative to NTRP also allows players to compete against others of their rating level
- For a description of the system, see Universal Tennis
Integration
- As specified by the International Tennis Federation rules, wheelchair specific rules apply when the ball is played by the wheelchair player
- A popular format of play is up/down doubles, where each doubles team consists of one player without a disability and one wheelchair player
- It’s also possible for players without disabilities to use wheelchairs. In that case, the wheelchair specific rules apply to everyone
Scoring
Full Set, Advantage Tennis
- Players must win games by two points, as in professional tennis, and win two sets out of three
Tiebreaks
- To shorten match times, a shorter tiebreak can be played in lieu of a third set if the two sets have been split
No-Ad
- Games need only be won by one point
- When the score is 40-40, only one more point is played
- In no-ad tennis, typically the receiver determines which side the server will serve to for the deciding point
Pro Set
- Rather than multiple sets, a single set can be played until someone reaches 8 or 10 games
Guideline Table of Contents
Overview
Rules
Training and Equipment
Glossary
Safety
FAQs & Resources
