I have previously written a lot about the the USTA NTRP National Championships as well as the shortened scoring format used at that event. Today’s post is an executive summary specifically written to bring Senior competitors up to speed on this (relatively) new USTA initiative. I am an active Senior age group Level 1 tournament player who has also participated in the NTRP National Championship tournament. I don’t think there are a large number of people that have competed in both event types.
NTRP National Championship Overview
The USTA pioneered the new NTRP National Championship tournament in 2018.
In the first year, there were two age divisions, 18+ and 50+, at each NTRP level. Currently the tournament is conducted with 18+, 40+, and 55+ age divisions at each NTRP level. Separate tournaments are conducted on different dates for singles and doubles divisions. Additionally, the age divisions are dispersed across three different Sections. That makes a total of 6 independent tournaments.
There is no direct entry into the NTRP National Championships and each Section receives an allocation of endorsements based on overall Adult tournament participation. My home Section of Texas receives three endorsements for each division and awards those slots based on year end tournament rankings. Other sections conduct qualifying tournaments where the winner of the event receives the endorsement. Some Sections simply post an announcement asking for volunteers. Endorsements go unfilled and there is no defined mechanism for filling out the brackets.
When the USTA established the NTRP National Championship, the organization decided that it would be contested using “Fast4” scoring. Fast4 is not codified in the official rules of tennis but it is very similar to the Short Set format used in UTR tournament play. (The current USTA Information Page for 2022 no longer refers to the format as Fast4 but the scoring rules have not changed.) Games are played using no-ad scoring and a first to five (horribly flawed) tie breaker is played if the game count reaches 3-3.
The NTRP National Championship also uses a two phase draw format. Players participate in a preliminary round robin pool and are then slotted into a secondary “Championship” bracket based on order of finish from the initial round robin play. At the end of the tournament, one National Champion is crowned for each NTRP level and age division.
Level 1, But No Gold Ball
The USTA has designated the NTRP National Championships as a “Level 1” tournament. However, it is not a gold ball event. In fact it is explicitly stated in the USTA Adult and Family Tournament Regulations that the NTRP National Champion will receive a “specialized award” and not a gold ball. The Trophy Husband has won an NTRP “National Championship” so we have one of those “specialized awards” prominently displayed in our home.
Since there are no Level 2 or 3 tournaments with NTRP divisions, the fact that Level 1 points are awarded creates a rankings inequity for players who participate in the event who are not bumped up the following year. The tournament awards a disproportionately high number of points and NTRP National Championship tournament competitors usually do not receive an NTRP ratings bump following participation. It is an extreme rankings advantage for the following year.
Challenging Aspects of the NTRP National Championship Event
It is no secret that I harbor significant reservations about the NTRP National Championship. It is literally written all over many previous posts on this blog. In fact, after my own participation the first year, I have subsequently declined all opportunities to compete in the event. It’s just not for me.
I find it patently absurd to plan a National Championship using a shortened playing format. By definition, at Nationals the majority of players will incur significant overhead of cost and time to travel to the event. I am unwilling spend my money and time to ultimately play less tennis than what is available to me in local league play.
I do not mind shortened format if it is induced by weather delays. It should never be planned for a National Championship event.
The tie-break format used for the event is inherently flawed. The USTA should take its cue from UTR tournaments, and the NextGen Finals and play a standard tie break game. (I previously wrote a long post outlining exactly why in “Tie-Break: Short Set vs Fast4.”)
NTRP Tournaments and Senior Tennis Ecosystem Opportunities and Concerns
In “NTRP vs Competitive Pathway” I outlined how NTRP tournaments and Senior Open tournaments have been forced into the same 7 tier framework without any apparent conceptual understanding that they are fundamentally different competitive pathways. Consequently, I perceive that there are all sorts of unintended side effects and negative consequences to the overall tennis ecosystem from that decision.
What USTA Adult tennis really needs is a comprehensive strategy that clearly identifies the unique objectives of NTRP and Senior tennis and how those formats complement each other to the overall benefit of the tennis community. I believe that that kind of synergy is within the art of the possible. Getting there will require bringing a lot of stakeholders together and open minds to work it out. The open minds might be the hardest part.
At the moment, NTRP National Championships coupled with all the gyrations of NTRP age divisions and shortened playing formats seem to be pushing toward an objective that is not broadly understood. It could be that the direction is not well defined or perhaps there is a breakdown in communication. The messaging received to date doesn’t make sense to the Senior tennis tournament players.
In a complex environment with a lot of diverse stakeholders, consensus is difficult to achieve. The reality is that everyone will not like every decision made. However, we should all clearly understand the decisions that are made as well as the rationale. That is completely missing from the communications stream at the moment.
Tournaments are an essential and vital part of the overall tennis ecosystem. They are an effective engagement mechanism for both first time and returning players. Tournaments are also a critical outlet for players that have achieved a level of mastery beyond what is available in their local area.
I want to believe that everybody fundamentally understands how important Adult tournaments are to the health of the tennis industry. I firmly believe that all the stakeholders genuinely want to do what is best for tennis. Both NTRP and Senior Age Group Open tournaments are of vital importance. We need to find the best way to make them both work effectively.
- NTRP National Championships 2022 Information Page, viewed 4/5/2022.
