Tournament guidelines 

Tennis Safety Covid-19 | USTA Guidelines

Game Format

  1. All games are best of 3 except for finals which are 5 Sets.
  2. Divided into 4 groups based on registrations. Each group will contain 5 except one group which is 6.
  3. First-round – Round robin will be played among 4 groups and Top 2 teams from each group will move forward.
  4. Second round – Knock out rounds and out of 8 teams (Quarterfinals), 4 teams will move forward.
  5. 8 teams which came out from round1 will play quarterfinals.
  6. Balls – 1 can of balls are given for first round, 2 Cans for Quarterfinals, 2 cans for Semis and 5 cans for finals.

Game Rules

  1. We encourage the team to talk to each other and coordinate the time and location for the matches. In case if the match did not happen then we encourage to complete the match in that week to align with the rest of the team for next week.
  2. If no show up when the opponent team is ready and could not complete the match in that week then the opponent will be declared as a win and will move forward. (We suggest no show time is 20 mins).
  3. If the weather is bad during the complete weekend, then we would suggest finishing the game in that week.
  4. Initial round Robbin’s games will be given flexible to participants to play at their own decision or choice courts. If there are any issues, then you can reach to any of the sports volunteers. Sports Committee suggests playing only in public courts like Beck middle school (Cherry Hill), Eastern high school (Voorhees), Larchmont park Mt laurel, etc.
  5. For Semifinals & Finals sports team will decide the courts.
  6. Each match score points should be updated to the sports committee.
  7. Any issues with the opponent team of not adjusting the timing or could not reach than the first step are to request into the group and notify the sports committee.
  8. For additional details please refer to USTA rules (2021_USTALocalLeagueRulesLongIslandApproved.pdf). In the interest of everyone, sports team decided to have Umpire decision is final in case they are available at the match.
  9. Players stretch into opponent’s court to play a shot.
    1. The player is near the net and they hit the ball after it has passed over the net. The follow through on their swing can extend into the opponent’s court (provided that they do not touch the net or the ground).
    2. The ball bounces on the player’s side of the court, and due to spin or wind, it goes back over the net. In this situation, the player can reach over the net and hit the ball (provided that they do not touch the net or the ground).
  10. If the match is stopped due to rain, the continuation of the same game where they left off (Not a new game).

USTA rules

PRINCIPLES

  1. Courtesy is expected. Tennis is a game that requires cooperation and courtesy.
  2. The warm-up is not practice. A player should provide the opponent with a warm-up of five to ten minutes. If a player declines to warm up the opponent, the player forfeits the right to a warm-up, and the opponent may warm up with another person. Some players confuse warm-up and practice. Each player should try to hit shots directly to the opponent. (If partners want to warm each other up while their opponents are warming up, they may do so.)

 

If Umpires are not available.

  1. The player makes calls on own side of the net. A player calls all shots landing on, or aimed at, the player’s side of the net.
  2. Opponent gets the benefit of the doubt. A player should always give the opponent the benefit of any doubt. When a match is played without umpires, the players are responsible for making decisions, particularly for line calls. There is a subtle difference between player decisions and those of an on-court official. An official impartially resolves a problem involving a call, whereas a player is guided by the principle that any doubt must be resolved in favor of an opponent. A player in attempting to be scrupulously honest online calls frequently will keep a ball in play that might have been out or that the player discovers too late was out. Even so, the game is a much better player this way.
  3. A ball touching any part of the line is good. If any part of a ball touches a line, the ball is good. A ball 99% out is still 100% good. A player shall not call a ball out unless the player clearly sees space between where the ball hits and a line.
  4. Either partner may make calls in doubles. Although either doubles partner may make a call, the call of a player looking down a line is more likely to be accurate than that of a player looking across a line.
  5. The player calls own shots out. Except for the first serve, a player should call out the player’s own shots if the player clearly sees the ball out regardless of whether requested to do so by an opponent. The prime objective of making calls is accuracy. All players should cooperate to attain this objective.
  6. Partners’ disagreement on calls. If one partner calls the ball out and the other partner sees the ball good, the ball is good. It is more important to give opponents the benefit of the doubt than to avoid possibly hurting a partner’s feelings. The tactful way to achieve the desired result is to tell a partner quietly of the mistake and then let the partner concede the point

SERVING (if Umpires available then they would be making this call and only if no umpire’s then players can do it)

  1. Avoid foot faults. Players should not foot fault because it violates the ITF Rules of Tennis. It is a foot fault when a foot just touches the line, even when the player does not follow the service to the net.
  2. Calling foot faults. The receiver or the receiver’s partner may call foot faults only after all reasonable efforts, such as warning the server and attempting to get an official to the court, have failed and the foot fault is so flagrant as to be clearly perceptible from the receiver’s side.
  3. Receiver readiness. The receiver shall play to the reasonable pace of the server. The receiver should make no effort to return a serve when the receiver is not ready. If a player attempts to return a serve (even if it is a “quick” serve), then the receiver (or receiving team) is presumed to be ready.

 

SCORING

  1. Server announces the score. The server shall announce the game score before the first point of a game and the point score before each subsequent point of the game
  2. Disputes over the score shall be resolved by using one of the following methods, which are listed in the order of preference:
    1. Count all points and games agreed upon by the players and replay only disputed points or games.
    2. If the players do not agree on the court in which the disputed point started, toss a coin to select the court.
    3. If the players do not agree on who served a disputed point in a tiebreak, toss a coin to select the server. (A coin toss may also be needed to determine the side in which the point is played and the end from which the server serves.)
    4. If the players do not agree on who served a disputed game, toss a coin to select the server.
    5. Play from a score mutually agreeable to all players.
    6. Spin a racket or toss a coin.

Tie-break:

The tie–break is played when a set reaches six games all, with the next person in the serving rotation starting the tie–break. That player serves one point from the deuce court, then subsequent players serve two points, starting each rotation of two points from the ad court.

 

In the event of a tie, whether in round robin or single elimination competition, the tie shall be broken by the first of the following procedures that does so:

    • Individual Matches
    • Head-to-Head
    • Number of Sets Lost
    • Number of Games Lost
    • Game Winning Percentage

For each match, the following will be updated on scoring spreadsheet.

  1. Number of sets won/loss by each team.
  2. Number of games won /loss by each team.
  3. Games won /loss percentage by each team (GW = GW / (GW + GL)
  4. Sets won/loss percentage by each team (SW = SW / (SW + SL)

WHEN TO CONTACT SPORTS COMMITTEE

Withdrawing from match or tournament. A player who has decided not to play a match or a tournament shall notify the TASJ Sports committee immediately.