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The Score Does Not Change the Standard: Principle 10 of The Code Bosu Ball Lateral Shuffles Tennis Beyond the Headlines: June 1, 2026 The Hidden Value of Tournament Tennis The Hidden Labor Behind League Tennis The Hidden Economics of Tournament Tennis Suzanne: The Jazz Age Goddess of Tennis

How to Change USTA Regulations

On By Teresa Merklin

Yesterday I described an ambiguity in the USTA Adult and Family Tournament, Ranking & Sanctioning Regulations document that impacts how ranking points are awarded at tournaments. This has prompted me to explore the process for proposing updates to that document. The specific change will be a clarification of how rankings points are assigned for players/teams that do not win a match in Round Robin pool play. Like any good bureaucracy, the USTA has a process for updating their regulations.

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Points Per Round and Rankings

On By Teresa Merklin

Last weekend the post “Points Illustrated: An Example of Rankings Inequities,” contained an example where a winless team was awarded 615 ranking points in a Level 4 round robin bracket. In the USTA legacy digital platform, players had to win a match in a tournament to receive anything more than participation points for the event. The fact that the new digital platform awarded those points is a great backdrop for exploring what the USTA regulations actually say.

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Points Illustrated: An Example of Rankings Inequities

On By Teresa Merklin

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.

My Most Epic Point Donation

On By Teresa Merklin

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.

The USTA Adult Competition Committee

On By Teresa Merklin

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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