Utah Tennis Association


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TENNIS 101 Q&A Submit your own question

8. One of my opponents cracked open a beer during a tournament match and proceeded to drink and refill her cup throughout the match. Is there a rule about alcohol consumption during match play? Although it's questionable from both a health standpoint - on a hot day it would certainly accelerate dehydration - and a legal standpoint - given Utah's quirky liquor laws - there are no rules in Friend at Court regarding alcohol consumption during match play.

7. I want to get back into playing tennis. How do I get a NTRP adult ranking? Do I need one to play in local tournaments? First, let's clarify some terms: Player RANKING represents year-long league and tournament play results; NTRP RATING represents player skills. Both Rankings and Ratings are published in December or January. Player End-of-Year Rank is static; an NTRP Rating is dynamic, although a player must play the following calendar year at his USTA published level. USTA DYNAMIC RATING EXPLANATION. For more information on obtaining a ranking in Utah, see "What is the best way to get a ranking" below.

You must have an NTRP RATING to play in USTA leagues; you do not need one to enter tournaments. The USTA has a graphic listing the characteristics for each NTRP level. NTRP self-rating is obtained when you register at TennisLink for a USTA league: enter your valid USTA membership number and League team number. If you don't already have a valid rating, it will automatically send you to the 10 questions used to determine your self-rate. Upon answering the questions, voilá, your NTRP self-rating appears. If you believe the rating is in error, you are given a opportunity to appeal that rating. If not, accept it and your rating will have a designation "S" for self-rate (as opposed to "B" for benchmark; "C" for computer-generated; etc.)

Please be aware that if you willfully under- or over-estimate your ability in the NTRP questionaire, you can actually harm your League team by possibly having your results disqualified for the season. Ouch!

6. I would love to learn to play tennis but have not been able to find a location that is close to my home and reasonably priced. I would also like to get my husband and sons involved. Any suggestions?
There are a couple of options for you:

TBP 1. May is National Tennis Month. As such, there will be FREE Tennis Block Parties hosted at various locations in Northern Utah. Check our homepage to see if one is near you. At these Block Parties, instructors will be available, as well as equipment, for you to try your hand at tennis. There will also be prizes, games and other assorted activities.

2. Go to www.Tenniswelcomecenter.com (or click on the graphic, left) and enter the specified info (zip code particularly) to direct you to nearby tennis facilities with lessons.

3. Contact your local parks and recreation center(s) and see if they have any group lessons coming up. This is often the most reasonably priced way to obtain professional instruction.

4. Ask around to see if anyone has a tennis player in their family; perhaps some good old-fashioned bartering can happen.

5. Can you help me understand the difference between the "Championships" bracket and the "Challenger" brackets in the tournaments listed? My son has won 3 Challenger brackets since he started playing tennis about 18 months ago, so is he required to enter the Championships bracket in all tournaments until he [ages up]? Thanks
You are correct that your son will have to play the Open division, vice challenger, in his age division. The rule states:
"A challenger player is a junior who is not ranked and has not won an open tournament in their current age division. A junior may continue to participate in a challenger event in their age appropriate division, until they have won no more than two (2) tournaments. After two (2) tournament wins a junior is no longer eligible for a challenger event until they age up. A player may not play out of his/her age division in a challenger event until the month in which the junior ages up."

4. Can you play in two different levels for summer league?
NO. This is a USTA rule.

3. Who serves after a tiebreak? Do you switch sides after a tiebreak? Thanks!
From the 2007 Friend at Court, p9, regarding who serves/receives after a tiebreak:

Rule 5b. Tie-break game
During a tie-break game, points are scored “Zero”,“1”, “2”, “3”, etc.
The first player/team to win seven points wins the “Game” and “Set”, provided there is a margin of two points over the opponent(s). If necessary, the tie-break game shall continue until this margin is achieved. The player whose turn it is to serve shall serve the first point of the tie-break game. The following two points shall be served by the opponent(s) (in doubles, the player of the opposing team due to serve next). After this, each player/team shall serve alternately for two consecutive points until the end of the tie-break game (in doubles, the rotation of service within each team shall continue in the same order as during that set).

The player/team whose turn it was to serve first in the tie-break game shall be the receiver in the first game of the following set.

Additional approved alternative scoring methods can be found in Appendix IV.

Because a tie-break is considered a 'game' (the winner's set score becomes 7-6 (with tiebreak score in parentheses)), you would switch ends after a tiebreak as you do after every odd game.

As an addendum, In League scoring, if you must play a tie-break because time has run out, the winners' score becomes odd. For example, time runs out at 4-4; League rules state you must play a tie-break. The winner's score becomes 5-4 and it's entered in TennisLink as a 'timed' match vs a 'completed' match. Otherwise, TennisLink will not accept the League match score. (I know you didn't ask that particular part, but that question is relevant to your original and is commonly asked.)

2. What is the best way to get a ranking?
From the 2008 UTA Tournament & League Handbook, p.2:

Utah District Year-End Ranking The ranking year runs from Jan 1 to Dec 31. Each player’s annual year-end ranking will be based on the accumulation of points for winning rounds (PPR) at Utah District Sanctioned Tournaments during the calendar year. A player must accumulate at least 300 ranking points during the calendar year in order to earn a year-end ranking, in addition to the following:

ADULTS: Must compete in one of 4 designated tournaments -

  *Techna-Glass Adult Ice Breaker
  *Ivory Homes Adult Tournament of Champions
  *Adult Utah State Open Tennis Championships
  *The Point After Adult Indoor Tennis Championships.
JUNIORS: Must compete in a minimum of four (4) Utah District Sanctioned Open Level Tournaments in the same age division to be considered for ranking. Ranking is based upon local Utah Tennis Sanctioned Tournaments only and does not include locally held ITA Circuit or Sectional Championships. Please note that Challenger Division Tournaments do not count towards Standings or Ranking Lists. A junior may be ranked in more than one age division, if they meet all of the requirements in each age division. If a tournament is not among a player’s best 6 tournaments, the Points Per Round will not count toward the player’s ranking.
Monthly standings are run at the conclusion of tournament play. If you have a win in the tournament, you will be awarded PPR points as described above and will get a monthly standing. Standings can be accessed at TennisLink.

1. Is it legal to serve from out behind the doubles lanes or do you have to stand behind the service line of the regular court? Thanks!
Acc to Friend at Court, p. 15, "In singles, the server may stand anywhere behind the baseline between the imaginary extension of the inside edge of the center mark and the outside edge of the singles sideline. In doubles, the server may stand anywhere behind the baseline between the imaginary extensions of the inside edge of the center mark and the outside edge of the doubles sideline." It's important to remember when you're playing singles, the doubles alleys theoretically do not exist; any ball landing there during play is considered out, and the server may not stand in the doubles alley to serve for a singles match.

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TENNIS 101 Q&A Submit your own question
8. One of my opponents cracked open a beer during a tournament match and proceeded to drink and refill her cup throughout the match. Is there a rule about alcohol consumption during match play?		Although it's questionable from both a health standpoint - on a hot day it would certainly accelerate dehydration - and a legal standpoint - given Utah's quirky liquor laws - there are no rules in Friend at Court regarding alcohol consumption during match play.
7. I want to get back into playing tennis. How do I get a NTRP adult ranking? Do I need one to play in local tournaments?		First, let's clarify some terms: Player RANKING represents year-long league and tournament play results; NTRP RATING represents player skills. Both Rankings and Ratings are published in December or January. Player End-of-Year Rank is static; an NTRP Rating is dynamic, although a player must play the following calendar year at his USTA published level. USTA DYNAMIC RATING EXPLANATION. For more information on obtaining a ranking in Utah, see "What is the best way to get a ranking" below. You must have an NTRP RATING to play in USTA leagues; you do not need one to enter tournaments. The USTA has a graphic listing the characteristics for each NTRP level. NTRP self-rating is obtained when you register at TennisLink for a USTA league: enter your valid USTA membership number and League team number. If you don't already have a valid rating, it will automatically send you to the 10 questions used to determine your self-rate. Upon answering the questions, voilá, your NTRP self-rating appears. If you believe the rating is in error, you are given a opportunity to appeal that rating. If not, accept it and your rating will have a designation "S" for self-rate (as opposed to "B" for benchmark; "C" for computer-generated; etc.) Please be aware that if you willfully under- or over-estimate your ability in the NTRP questionaire, you can actually harm your League team by possibly having your results disqualified for the season. Ouch!
6. I would love to learn to play tennis but have not been able to find a location that is close to my home and reasonably priced. I would also like to get my husband and sons involved. Any suggestions?		There are a couple of options for you: 1. May is National Tennis Month. As such, there will be FREE Tennis Block Parties hosted at various locations in Northern Utah. Check our homepage to see if one is near you. At these Block Parties, instructors will be available, as well as equipment, for you to try your hand at tennis. There will also be prizes, games and other assorted activities. 2. Go to www.Tenniswelcomecenter.com (or click on the graphic, left) and enter the specified info (zip code particularly) to direct you to nearby tennis facilities with lessons. 3. Contact your local parks and recreation center(s) and see if they have any group lessons coming up. This is often the most reasonably priced way to obtain professional instruction. 4. Ask around to see if anyone has a tennis player in their family; perhaps some good old-fashioned bartering can happen.
5. Can you help me understand the difference between the "Championships" bracket and the "Challenger" brackets in the tournaments listed? My son has won 3 Challenger brackets since he started playing tennis about 18 months ago, so is he required to enter the Championships bracket in all tournaments until he [ages up]? Thanks		You are correct that your son will have to play the Open division, vice challenger, in his age division. The rule states: "A challenger player is a junior who is not ranked and has not won an open tournament in their current age division. A junior may continue to participate in a challenger event in their age appropriate division, until they have won no more than two (2) tournaments. After two (2) tournament wins a junior is no longer eligible for a challenger event until they age up. A player may not play out of his/her age division in a challenger event until the month in which the junior ages up."
4. Can you play in two different levels for summer league?		NO. This is a USTA rule.
3. Who serves after a tiebreak? Do you switch sides after a tiebreak? Thanks!		From the 2007 Friend at Court, p9, regarding who serves/receives after a tiebreak: Rule 5b. Tie-break game During a tie-break game, points are scored “Zero”,“1”, “2”, “3”, etc. The first player/team to win seven points wins the “Game” and “Set”, provided there is a margin of two points over the opponent(s). If necessary, the tie-break game shall continue until this margin is achieved. The player whose turn it is to serve shall serve the first point of the tie-break game. The following two points shall be served by the opponent(s) (in doubles, the player of the opposing team due to serve next). After this, each player/team shall serve alternately for two consecutive points until the end of the tie-break game (in doubles, the rotation of service within each team shall continue in the same order as during that set). The player/team whose turn it was to serve first in the tie-break game shall be the receiver in the first game of the following set. Additional approved alternative scoring methods can be found in Appendix IV. Because a tie-break is considered a 'game' (the winner's set score becomes 7-6 (with tiebreak score in parentheses)), you would switch ends after a tiebreak as you do after every odd game. As an addendum, In League scoring, if you must play a tie-break because time has run out, the winners' score becomes odd. For example, time runs out at 4-4; League rules state you must play a tie-break. The winner's score becomes 5-4 and it's entered in TennisLink as a 'timed' match vs a 'completed' match. Otherwise, TennisLink will not accept the League match score. (I know you didn't ask that particular part, but that question is relevant to your original and is commonly asked.)
2. What is the best way to get a ranking?		From the 2008 UTA Tournament & League Handbook, p.2: Utah District Year-End Ranking The ranking year runs from Jan 1 to Dec 31. Each player’s annual year-end ranking will be based on the accumulation of points for winning rounds (PPR) at Utah District Sanctioned Tournaments during the calendar year. A player must accumulate at least 300 ranking points during the calendar year in order to earn a year-end ranking, in addition to the following: ADULTS: Must compete in one of 4 designated tournaments - Techna-Glass Adult Ice Breaker Ivory Homes Adult Tournament of Champions Adult Utah State Open Tennis Championships The Point After Adult Indoor Tennis Championships. JUNIORS: Must compete in a minimum of four (4) Utah District Sanctioned Open Level Tournaments in the same age division to be considered for ranking. Ranking is based upon local Utah Tennis Sanctioned Tournaments only and does not include locally held ITA Circuit or Sectional Championships. Please note that Challenger Division Tournaments do not count towards Standings or Ranking Lists. A junior may be ranked in more than one age division, if they meet all of the requirements in each age division. If a tournament is not among a player’s best 6 tournaments, the Points Per Round will not count toward the player’s ranking. Monthly standings are run at the conclusion of tournament play. If you have a win in the tournament, you will be awarded PPR points as described above and will get a monthly standing. Standings can be accessed at TennisLink.
1. Is it legal to serve from out behind the doubles lanes or do you have to stand behind the service line of the regular court? Thanks!		Acc to Friend at Court, p. 15, "In singles, the server may stand anywhere behind the baseline between the imaginary extension of the inside edge of the center mark and the outside edge of the singles sideline. In doubles, the server may stand anywhere behind the baseline between the imaginary extensions of the inside edge of the center mark and the outside edge of the doubles sideline." It's important to remember when you're playing singles, the doubles alleys theoretically do not exist; any ball landing there during play is considered out, and the server may not stand in the doubles alley to serve for a singles match.

Tennis 101