The Fix is In: Repairing the USTA Tournament Points Allocation Tables
This post is my thought exercise on what a single source rankings table would look like in practice. It turned out to be easier than I expected.
Texas Understood the Assignment: The Rankings Matter
When the NTRP National Championships were unveiled, players in the Texas Section were already well versed and primed for the rankings chase. For players competing for the 8 spots in each division at the Texas Masters, the fact that 3 spots were open for NTRP Nationals simply created a new tier of achievement.
6 responsesWhen a USTA Level 4 Tournament… Isn’t
Whatever you call it, there is a foundational philosophy that encapsulates the criteria used to separate right from wrong. There is a currently a raging debate within the USTA Texas Section over points allocated and awarded at a recent closed Level 4 tournament. Understanding the player frustration requires a conceptual understanding of a fundamental truth that most experienced tournament players hold to be self-evident: The draw format of a tournament should not materially alter the rankings point allocation for the players.
3 responsesThe 1923 Wightman Cup
The Wightman Cup was first contested in 1923. The occasion also marked the official dedication and first time use of the new concrete stadium at the West Side Tennis Club in Forest Hills. Four trumpets heralded the start of the dedication ceremony which featured hoisting of flags and erection of the net posts and nets on the court. The West Side Tennis Club president threw in the balls for the first match.
Familiar Faces at the 1986 Wightman Cup
The 1986 Wightman Cup left the world with some iconic artifacts that still grace the internet. The team photo of the victorious United States team drips with “The eighties called and they want their hair back” awesomeness. Additionally the competition was held at the Royal Albert Hall. Fitting for the venue, the Opening Ceremony featured trumpet fanfares and live vocal music from the choir loft.
Introducing the Wightman Cup
The opening line from her biography page at the International Tennis Hall of Fame sums it up nicely: “Few in women’s tennis history had a more distinguished and productive career than Hazel Hotchkiss Wightman.” She was an outstanding player who also made significant off-court contributions. Her leadership ultimately led to an international women’s team competition, modeled after the Davis Cup.
A Scary Tennis Story for Halloween
m the Halloween tennis social at the Wichita Falls Country Club suggests that tennis participation is enthusiastic and strong. According to data shared at the 2021 Tennis Industry Forum, participation in private club settings ticked up ever so slightly in 2021. The vast majority of new tennis participation in 2021 originated in public parks and schools. That fact is a scary Halloween story for Wichita Falls.
1 responseLocation, Location, Location: New Tennis Participants
The Tennis Industry Forum is an annual meeting that publicly shares information from the Tennis Industry Association, the USTA, the National Golf Foundation (!), and Tennis Industry United. The target audience includes tennis service providers and tennis equipment manufacturers. The data disclosed at that meeting is positioned as key industry research that can help a tennis business grow. The 2021 presentations included location details on where new tennis players are engaging with the sport. That data illustrates the fundamental challenge the USTA has with retaining those new players in the tennis ecosystem.
1 responseChecking the Numbers: More Tennis Participation Data
Earlier this year, the post “Geeking Out over Tennis Participation Data in the Physical Activity Council Report” broke down the data revealed in the public version of the 2021 Physical Activity Council (PAC) Report. At the time, the USTA was falling all over themselves to issue press releases announcing a “surge” in tennis participation in 2020. The thing is, the data in the public PAC report didn’t exactly support that assertion.
Taking a Flyer on Tennis Promotion
The October challenge for the USTA Tennis Champions program was to distribute flyers promoting tennis. Harkening back to my own days as a youth soccer coach and parent, there were many days when I stumbled off the pitch emotionally primed to embrace the virtues of an individual sport. As the Fall soccer season comes to a close, the time is right to distribute some flyers to encourage youth soccer players to give tennis a try.