An engineer overthinks tennis in a daily journal.
When the USTA established three age-based playing divisions for each NTRP level, there were consequences to the decision. One of the more subtle effects of dividing a single draw into three smaller brackets is that significantly less tennis is played. The numbers don’t lie.
The USTA decision to divide NTRP tournament play into three separate age divisions has a pretty significant side effect. I originally planned to write about the theoretical possibilities today, but the Trophy Husband alerted me a real example in an upcoming Level 5 tournament in San Angelo, Texas. Not to bury the lead, but this is proof positive that I do occasionally listen when he drones on about his own tennis life.
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Last Friday I wrote an essay highlighting how early entries into tournaments encourage other players to also participate. That post ended with a call to action for the tournament community to enter tournaments early and often. As it turns out, it is unlikely that I will be entering any NTRP tournaments early this year. The reason is fragmentation.
People respond to incentives that are placed before them. It is a part of human nature. Anyone who is intent on building participation in tennis tournaments should periodically invest time to brainstorm potential ways incentivize players to enter more tournaments. Today I am sharing the results from my own brainstorming session on this topic.
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There is a very simple thing that the USTA and the broader tennis industry organizations can do to build tournament participation: Notify prospective players about upcoming tournaments. It is an obvious statement yet it is something that isn’t being effectively done. That needs to change.
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One of the best way for individual tennis players to support tournament play is to enter tournaments. Paradoxically, I have heard players complain that no one entered a tournament that they themselves didn’t enter. I have even done the same thing myself. In addition to actually entering tournaments, players can maximize the chances that other players participate by throwing in their entry early. Timing matters. Waiting until the last minute to enter a tournament is almost the same thing as not entering at all when the goal is boosting participation.
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When the USTA first formalized NTRP based league play, the organization simultaneously self-imposed a requirement to conduct a series of National Championships. It has been an implicit part of the system from inception. That is probably why people look at me like I am crazy anytime I suggest that USTA Leagues would do just fine without National Championships. There is a pervasive belief that if the USTA eliminated League Nationals that participation would plummet. I’m not so sure.
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The USTA League Move-Up/Split-Up rule was put into place to keep the same teams from advancing to the National Championships in consecutive years. Usually I perceive that league play and the associated regulations are depressive influences on tournament culture. Today is a rare exception. It is quite possible that tournaments can appropriate a thing or two from league regulations to improve the overall ecosystem.
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USTA League teams that advance to the National Championships are subject to a provision known as “Move-Up/Split-Up.” In fact that is the exact title of section 2.06 in the USTA League Regulations. Teams that qualify for Nationals are prohibited from competing together at the same level the following year. Last weekend, someone pointed out an insane loophole in where the spirit and intent of those rules can be violated. In fact, there is at least one team in my local area who has apparently made the same discovery.
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Today marks the 770th consecutive daily post to appear on Fiend at Court. This site was launched on New Year’s Eve in 2019 as a personal goal accountability mechanism to write a page a day about tennis the following year. At the end of the first year, it was an easy decision to keep on going. The people who read this blog on a regular basis were a significant factor. Thank you for joining me on this journey of discovery.
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