When I was a kid, we played “King of the Mountain” on a pile of construction dirt someone had left on an empty lot in our neighborhood. The objective of the game was to be the “King,” who stood on top of the mound while other players try to displace them. These were simpler times when we never thought to consider why we didn’t refer to the person on top of the hill as the “Queen,” even though that would have been appropriate for half the players in the game.
The competitive ecosystem for tennis is essentially a giant game of King of the Mountain. In fact, the dynamic performance level distribution of the entire population of tennis players resembles a triangle. In Women’s tennis, the very tip of that triangle is Iga Świątek of Poland. She is the best player in the world. I am going to go out on a limb to say that she is poised to stay in that position for an extended time.
Jessica Pegula is currently the top-ranked American player, at #5. CoCo Gauff has snuck up to #7. Madison Keys is #24, and you could probably win a bar bet from people who have no clue that Bernarda Pera is currently the 4th highest-ranked US player at 27. Heck, until I looked that information up for this post myself, you could have won that bar bet from me.
By far, the largest grant issued by the USTA in support of its mission “to promote and develop the growth of tennis” goes to player development. In 2021 the USTA granted $13,720,000 to USTA Player Development Inc, which is a separate 501(c)(3) charitable organization. The mission of USTA Player Development is to support younger players and up-and-coming talent for the highest echelons of competitive tennis. The organization is trying to manufacture future American Kings and Queens of the mountain.
One motivation for developing talent in the United States is that those players generate interest and excitement about the sport within the general population. That is particularly true for the youngest junior players. The competitive pathway can only be supported if a steady stream of new players starts out on that competitive journey.
A second reason why the USTA supports player development is that the organization wants the United States to do well in international team competitions at the Davis Cup and the Billie Jean King (formerly Federation) Cup. Those international team competitions are arguably the best measurement of how well each country’s player development program is doing.
Most people seem to be unaware that the ITF conducts many more World Championships beyond the Davis Cup and the Billie Jean King Cup. In fact, the ITF World Tennis Masters Tour provides competitive opportunities on the world stage for players from the 30+ to 90+ age categories. The United States sends teams to the ITF World Championships for each age division every year. This is still Open tennis. It is just restricted only by age.
In essence, if you take the competitive pyramid and restrict the playing population pool by age, an elite tier of players vying to become the “King of the Hill” is at the apex of their division. That tier of competition is supported by the ITF and is doing quite well. As it turns out, the opportunity to win a World Championship is a powerful engagement incentive.
The pinnacle of competition in the US for Adults in the 30+ to 90+ age divisions is the Level 1 National Tournaments. These “gold ball” events attract players vying for United States World Championship team spots. This is where players prove that their performance level warrants consideration for inclusion. It is also where the best players get the competitive match play that is necessary to do well against other world-class players.
Participation isn’t what it should be at those events for a variety of reasons. One of the primary depressive effects is because the next tier below that in the competitive pyramid is essentially on life support, and the next level behind that is extinct. In fact, the shape of the competitive ecosystem in Adult Senior tennis isn’t a triangle at all, but rather a very bottom-heavy hourglass.
Players who are attempting to elevate their level of play to the pinnacle of competition have to cross a competitive void. I would argue that taking care of that competitive pathway is squarely within the scope of an organization with the mission “to promote and develop the growth of tennis.”
The excuse I have recently heard as a counter-argument to the importance of the Senior Adult competitive pathway is that USTA League is filling that demand. It is also apparently believed that having a product that largely serves only the bottom of the triangle is OK. Indeed, USTA League has an important role in the competitive ecosystem for building a broad base of competition.
Mountaintop removal mining involves removing the summit or the upper portions of a mountain to access the seams of coal underneath. It is a controversial and environmentally impactful technique primarily used in the Appalachian region of the United States. Mountaintop removal mining is generally thought to be bad for the ecosystem.
The net effect of USTA League on the competitive landscape is effectively the same as mountain top removal mining. It has created a large plateau of players with no interest in moving up to the next tier of competition. That next cohort of players who aspire to compete on the world stage has fallen below the critical mass required to support competition at that level. It is effectively gone.
The most insidious part of eliminating the upper echelons of competition in the USTA is that it negatively impacts USTA League play as well. The upper competitive tiers are also starting to erode. When you remove the top of the mountain, the only possible next step is to take out the next level. That is the thread I will resume with next Friday.
In the meantime, the USTA markets tennis as a sport for a lifetime. There shouldn’t be an asterisk next to it attached to a note that says “unless you are really good at this sport, in which case this ecosystem has no room for you.”
The most competitive players in Senior Adult tennis simply need a place to play. The USTA isn’t providing that at the moment, and it isn’t apparent that the organization even recognizes that there is a problem. If that recognition exists, I don’t think there is a good institutional handle on the root cause issues. That insight is necessary for creating effective solutions.
Treating the most competitive players in Senior Adult tennis as an insignificant minority that is irrelevant to the sport hurts the entire ecosystem. “To promote and develop the growth of tennis” requires understanding that maintaining a continuous competitive pathway leading to the pinnacle of the sport is essential.
- IRS Form 990, The United States Tennis Association, Public Inspection Copy for Tax Year 2021.
- ITF World Masters Tennis Tour, ITF Web Page, viewed June 24, 2023.
