An incident earlier this year at the Tom Fey Tri-Level National Invitational Championships has plunged me into a lengthy examination of the history, context, and culture surrounding retiring from matches. While it is not officially a part of the USTA League program, the Tri-Level informational page asserts that the “USTA Rules and League Regulations and Friend at Court will be enforced during championships. [sic]” Last Wednesday, we examined the rules specific to the Tri-Level Invitational Championship published on that event’s website. Today, we are turning our attention to what USTA League Regulations say about retiring matches.
Conveniently, the 2024 USTA League National Regulations include a detailed definition of retirement in the glossary. It outlines how matches are to be scored to determine standings and advancement. The definition also establishes provisions for how the scores are to be entered in TennisLink for NTRP calculations.
Retirement: Occurs when an individual match has started and a player is unable to continue due to injury, loss of condition, emergency or refusal to play. Retirements are entered in TennisLink with the final game count for NTRP calculation purposes (e.g., 2-6, 1-3) and the system will automatically credit the individual receiving the retirement with sufficient games as to make them the winner of the match (i.e., 2- 6, 6-3, 1-0 or 2-6, 6-3, 6-0 depending on scoring format) for determining standings.
The USTA’s official definition makes no distinction between retiring due to an injury or simply refusing to play. That is significant in this case because a team retiring from a match after their team’s result was determined is at the heart of the controversial situation that sparked this lengthy rules trace.
One doubles team member cited a sore elbow as the reason they did not complete a semi-final match. The move was made to preserve his playing condition, as his team only brought two players at his level to the event. Thus, he was certain to be in the lineup for the Championship that afternoon.
However, per the official USTA League definition, he did not have to claim injury to justify retiring from the match. It is legitimate to simply refuse to continue playing. I have previously seen that invoked when players do not believe playing conditions are safe. This situation can also arise from acrimonious on-court situations with the other team or officials.
That definition is provided within the USTA League National Regulations because retired matches are included in three rules. The first concerns how retired matches impact eligibility for advancement. As a reminder, the Tri-Level National Invitational has different eligibility rules than USTA League. However, since the USTA League National Regulations are cited as being enforced at the event, this rule provides important context.
2.03A(3)a In the Adult and Mixed Divisions, a player is eligible to progress to championship level competition below National Championships if that player has played on the same team in at least two matches at the same NTRP level in the same Age Group during its local league season and is otherwise eligible. A maximum of one default received by the player during local league competition shall count for advancing. Retired matches shall count toward advancing for all players involved in both USTA League Divisions.
2024 USTA League National Regulations
2.03A(3)a essentially establishes that retired matches are distinct from defaults. It also creates the precedent that a retired match is considered equally with a fully completed match for the purpose of advancement.
The next mention of retired matches reiterates the first part of the definition provided in the glossary. It then discusses full-team retirements, which can result in a grievance and penalties.
2.03M Retirement. A retirement occurs when an individual match has started and a player/doubles team is unable to continue due to injury, loss of condition, emergency, or refusal to play. If a full team retirement or combination of defaults and retirements occurs, the Championship Committee has the authority to file a grievance and to follow 2.03O if authorized by the Section. The Sectional Association may impose further penalties on the defaulting team. If such penalties include a suspension from League play, they must follow the League Suspension System, including the filing of a grievance and assessment of suspension points (See Regulation 3.03A(7) and 3.03D(4)).
2024 USTA League National Regulations
The retired match in San Diego came after the two other lines had completed full matches. Consequently, the rule in 2.03M Retirement does not specifically apply. However, it does establish that the Championship Committee has the authority to file a grievance and impose penalties, which explicitly include suspension points.
Once again, it is important to remember that the Tri-Level Invitational National Championships are not an official part of the USTA League. While they are free to model themselves after USTA League Regulations, it is not compulsory for the event organizers to do so. In this situation, the rule provides context for how retirements are officially regarded in USTA League play as a precedent.
Finally, there is a rule about how retirements are scored for the purpose of standings and NTRP ratings. It is essentially the second part of the definition provided in the glossary.
2.03N Scoring of Retirements. In case of a retirement, for the purpose of determining standings, the non-retiring player/doubles team shall be credited with such number of additional games as would have been won if the match was completed and the non-retiring player/doubles team won every subsequent game. For NTRP computer data entry in TennisLink, mark as retired and submit actual scores of the match at the point of retirement.
2024 USTA League National Regulations
Other than a few sentences that amplify these regulations and/or reference them in conjunction with other rules, there are no additional mentions of retired matches in the official USTA League Regulations. In a nutshell, what is written reflects an organizational understanding that retired matches will happen and that teams generally shouldn’t be penalized by it.
USTA League National Regulations do not prohibit retired matches or label that practice as unsportsmanlike. However, this exploration doesn’t stop here. The Tom Fey Tri-Level National Invitational informational page also cites the USTA Friend at Court as applicable to the event. We will start to take a look at what that rulebook says about what transpired tomorrow.
- USTA Tri-Level National Invitational Welcome Page, USTA SoCal Hosted Informational Page, last viewed April 6, 2024.
- 2024 USTA League National Regulations, USTA Resource Document, March 14, 2024.
- Friend at Court: The Handbook of Tennis Rules and Regulations, USTA, 2024
- USTA Adult and Family Tournament, Ranking, & Sanctioning Regulations, USTA Regulation, as amended December 14, 2023.
- USTA League Suspension Point System Calculation Tables, USTA Resource Document, February 6, 2024.
- USTA League Suspension Point System 2024, USTA Resource Document, February 6, 2024.
- USTA League Suspension Point System Frequently Asked Questions, USTA Resource Document, March 23, 2023.
