An engineer overthinks tennis in a daily journal.
The December challenge for the USTA Champions Program is to donate two tennis “Quick Start” kits to promote tennis in the local community. After exploring my options in the Wichita Falls area, I decided to donate the sets to the Angel Tree operated by the Salvation Army.
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There is an error in how the new USTA Digital Platform calculates order of finish in Round Robin pools. I stumbled across it when building the comparison data set used in yesterday’s post. I deferred talking about it until today because it is an issue that merits dedicated attention.
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In “When a USTA Level 4 Tournament… Isn’t” three weeks ago, I repeatedly emphasized the phrase: “The draw format of a tournament should not materially alter the rankings point allocation for the players.” The reason for belaboring that foundational truth is that it is key to understanding the ongoing player frustration over the USTA tournament rankings points allocations. In the intervening time, I continue to wonder if the policy makers have fully accepted or internalized that feedback. Perhaps an example will help.
In the spirit of the holiday season, my mind inevitably turns to all the gifts I have bestowed on my opponents this year on the court. Nobody likes to give away free points, but almost all of us do from time to time. Usually those donated points are mundane affairs, double faults, missed sitters, and poor shot selection based on nothing other than absence of concentration. All of those dot my personal competitive landscape. However, across the myriad of points I have donated over the years, one stand out above all others. I remember it like it was yesterday.
Twas the night before bump ups, new ratings pronounced;
Not a player was resting… Here’s my account;
The impact of the pandemic has raised the public consciousness on the importance of supporting small locally owned and operated businesses. The retail pro shop attached to clubs or tennis centers are firmly in that category. If you are considering giving someone the gift of tennis, the pro shop at your local tennis center is an obvious first start.
This year’s list has the most items ever carried on this annual traditional Black Friday Post. They are divided into categories for convenience.
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Most people who compete within the USTA system are blissfully unaware of the sheer magnitude of the USTA and the complex bureaucracy required to operate the organization. While the USTA has a number of full time paid staff positions, the organization is chiefly powered through committees largely of volunteers. Throughout the recent challenges with the new USTA tournament structure and digital platform, it has become apparent to me that a lot of USTA members don’t have even a passing familiarity with the USTA organizational hierarchy and where to lodge their… let’s call it feedback.
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If the request to the impacted tournament community is to continue to be patient, then open and honest information on the actual status and decisions that are being made should be extended to those people.
Tournaments are an essential and vital part of the tennis ecosystem. They are an effective engagement mechanism for both first time and returning players. Tournaments are also a vital outlet for players that have achieved a level of mastery above competitive players in their local area. This post outlines how tournaments are essential for building and sustaining tennis participation across the board.