Tennis News: April 25, 2022
Wimbledon takes a hard line stance on Russian and Belarusian players as the US-Ukraine Billie Jean King Cup qualifier generates dramatic tennis and heart warming story lines.
An FMLC FUBAR
Against my better judgement, I decided to don my “Peril Sensitive Sunglasses” and create a points calculation table for the back draw participants in a recent tournament division. In retrospect, a helmet would have been a good idea as well.
ONE Problem with ONE Round Robin
When the USTA unveiled the new Adult tournament framework, the word ONE was emphasized. The USTA information page uses ONE over and over. “ONE nationwide structure of tournaments. ONE nationwide points-per-round ranking system. ONE standing list.” Today’s topic deals with ONE problem with the way Round Robin ranking points are structured in the current regulations.
A Points Per Round Runaround
I made a startling discovery in the USTA Adult Ranking System document last week. There are actually two Round Robin tables that were in effect in 2021. Additionally, the change opens a tiny window into the thought process of the USTA Adult Competition Committee. (ACC) To top it off, I also realized there is an alternate way to look at a recent error I documented in Round Robin tournament ranking points calculations.
Ageless Painless Tennis
The book I am reviewing this week came up as an Amazon suggestion when I started reviewing books about Senior tennis over the past couple of weeks. The 4.5 average star rating across 40 reviews was more than enough to convince me that I needed to take a look at it. My reactions are mixed.
Overruled Line Calls
The “Role of Court Officials” section of the ITF Rules of Tennis contained in the USTA Friend at Court describes the roles and authority that various officials have during a USTA officiated match. The rules are clear that questions of fact, such as whether a ball was in or out, can only be ruled on by an official based on direct observation. However, the rules surrounding overrules also reveal that sometimes officials with direct observation disagree on the correct call.
The OOFOS Sandal
The tennis community is always quick to share advice and experience when a player is injured. I benefitted from that first hand when I recently attended the National Senior Women’s Clay Court Championships on a knee scooter. One of the best recommendations I received for treating my own condition was from an umpire who implored me to try the OOFOS branded sandals. I wish they had come into my life sooner.
Tennis News: April 18, 2022
A major leadership change is announced for the USTA. The Billie Jean King Cup should have been center stage this weekend, but television coverage in the US was terrible. Ash Barty’s sudden retirement hit Tennis Australia where it hurts – in the wallet.
Lew Sherr named as new USTA CEO
If I had to guess, most avid tennis players are not aware that the USTA has been searching for a new CEO. Additionally I believe that most couldn’t name his predecessor even if their lives depended on it. Today is a paragraph by paragraph dissection of the USTA press release announcing the selection of Lew Sherr as the new CEO. Specifically I am looking for clues about what the new era might portend for the organization. As a reminder, overthinking such things is the hallmark of this site.
4 responsesMore Tennis, Less Points
The Women’s 4.5 division at the 2022 USTA 18+ NTRP Doubles National Championships had exactly 12 teams in the final entry list. That number provides a lot of options on how to divide the players into round robin groups. The ultimate decision was to conduct the first round robin stage as two six team pools. The downstream side effects on this one are pretty wild.