The 2026 USTA Friend at Court was released earlier this month. As is typically the case, the updates are modest, and the core rules of tennis remain largely unchanged. However, the rulebook includes a handful of minor clarifications and administrative updates worth examining. This post is a part of a continuing series taking a closer look at what actually changed in USTA tennis for 2026.
Last Wednesday’s rules post examined a governance-focused update to the USTA’s anti-doping language. That change reflected alignment with broader international frameworks but had little direct impact on most players. This week, we turn our attention to a very different rules update. It is small in wording, but more impactful in its implications.
The USTA has expanded the Red, Orange, and Green Ball Tennis regulations to explicitly include Para-Standing divisions. At first glance, this appears to be a simple addition. Regulation VI.E now clarifies that Red, Orange, and Green Ball Tennis may be used not only in junior development formats, but also in Adult, Family, Wheelchair, and now Para-Standing divisions.
Red, Orange, and Green Ball Tennis is fundamentally about scaling the game. Lower compression balls, modified court dimensions, and adjusted formats make tennis more accessible and more playable across a wider range of skill levels and physical capabilities. Most players associate these formats with early junior development, but the underlying concept has always been broader than that. This update reinforces that idea.
By explicitly including Para-Standing divisions, the rulebook acknowledges that scaling the game is not limited to age or experience. It can also support different physical profiles and competitive environments. The same tools that help a beginner learn the game can also be used to create more inclusive and competitive opportunities for a wider range of players.
It is also worth noting what this change does not do. It does not mandate the use of Red, Orange, or Green Ball Tennis in Para-Standing competition. Instead, it creates the option. Tournament organizers now have clear authorization to use these formats where they make sense. That distinction matters. Flexibility is often the key to effective inclusion. Rather than prescribing a single solution, the rulebook expands the set of available formats.
In that sense, this update is consistent with a broader pattern in the 2026 Friend at Court. Many of the changes this year are not about redefining the sport. They are about expanding the framework around it, whether that involves technology, governance, or participation. This is one of the more subtle examples of that trend. A small addition to a regulation signals that the USTA is continuing to think about how the sport can be structured to include more players without fundamentally altering how the game is played.
In next Wednesday’s post, we will look at another update that operates in a similar space between policy and practice. The USTA has clarified requirements for Court Monitors and Safe Play.
