Hopefully, most tennis players will never have to deal with the part of the USTA regulations that I am writing about today. However, this is a prime case that illustrates why it is important for people to know the rules and regulations and take proactive steps to protect against misunderstandings and potential administrative errors.
Today’s post has been languishing in my queue ever since the lengthy series about a suspension point fiasco earlier this year. This regulation came to my attention during that exploration, though it was unrelated to the substance of what happened. It is finally time to loop back to this particular USTA regulation to explore the potential implications for every tournament player.
Notification to player of points assessed. The person filing the suspension point report pursuant to USTA Regulation IV.F.5. or that person’s designee shall notify the player of the suspension points assessed within seven days after the end of the tournament and shall record the method of notification. Failure to notify the player or record the method of notification shall not invalidate any penalties imposed or suspension points assessed.
USTA Friend at Court, Part 3, USTA Regulation IV.F.9
At my day job, the writing technique reflected in this regulation is colloquially known as “weasel words.” It firmly establishes a requirement for officials to promptly notify a player who is assessed tournament suspension points. However, the last sentence negates the obligation. If the USTA fails to notify the player, there is no recourse. Too bad, so sad.
This means that it is possible for a player to receive tournament suspension points and yet be completely unaware of it. I have a highly credible example where that occurred to a player in my close personal circle. Since suspension points can accumulate and culminate in an actual suspension, as the name implies, this is far from an insignificant thing.
Usually, the official who assesses the suspension points makes the notification verbally. However, that isn’t always practical in cases where the player has already departed the site or even potentially was never there. That is likely the reason why the ServeTennis platform is widely believed to send out an email notification. That idea is the prevailing belief among USTA staffers and long-time volunteers in my Section who work in that area.
The problem is that I cannot find anyone who can confirm that they have received an email notification of tournament suspension points from the USTA when they were assessed. That includes one case where the suspension points were reflected on the player’s record. Most people in my tennis circle don’t routinely accumulate suspension points, so I will concede that this is a statistically insignificant sample.
Nevertheless, I am not convinced that the emails are actually going out. I find it highly odd that people will cop to being assessed suspension points and then turn around and lie about whether an email was received. In any case, I will cheerfully trade a Fiend at Court embroidered hat with any adult who has received a suspension point notification email and is willing to share it with me.
This brings me to the actions that every USTA tournament player should take. Last weekend, in informal discussions at the USTA Texas semiannual meeting, it was suggested to me that some people might not receive the emails because they don’t have a valid address on file with the USTA. Consequently, all players should periodically visit their profile page with the USTA to verify that they have a valid and actively monitored email address on file.
It was also suggested to me that some people might have all notifications from the USTA disabled. A tab on the user profile allows people to turn marketing emails on and off. While I recommend that all tennis players subscribe to everything the USTA sends out, none of the options on that page seem to correspond to official business. I don’t think that a player can opt out of messages of that nature.
Additionally, all players should regularly monitor their USTA profiles for the appearance of suspension points. If notifications aren’t going out, that would be the only way for a player to reliably know when suspension points have been levied.
As the name implies, a player who accumulates a certain number of suspension points will be suspended. The threshold number for that is 10. While all points are appealable once a suspension occurs, if a player had no idea that points were assessed at a tournament up to 12 months before the suspension was triggered, it may be difficult to recall the circumstances or find witnesses who might support an appeal. Even if the umpire verbally notifies the player, there is no guarantee that the implications are understood in the heat of the moment.
For my readers in Texas, it is particularly important to stay on top of this because the Section’s officiating committee recently discovered that recording code violations in Serve Tennis was not being consistently performed. This year, it is a point of emphasis, which will undoubtedly raise the number of reports.
As an example of a potential nightmare scenario, a no-show default can result in 5 suspension points. That wouldn’t be a big deal if there weren’t a few tournament directors who are notorious for miscoding withdrawals. A couple of years ago at the Cotton Bowl, a spate of players withdrew only to have their first-round matches coded as default no-shows. 5 suspension points seem harsh for what was actually a tournament administrative error.
For anyone who wants to explore the punitive side of this, the point schedule for the tournament suspension point system is in Table 17 in Part 3 of the USTA Friend at Court. It is a raucous litany of everything that can go wrong in tournament tennis.
The bottom line is that all Adult tennis players should verify that they have a valid email address on file with the USTA that they regularly monitor. Additionally, all players should periodically review their profiles to ensure they have not been levied suspension points that they are unaware of. Not doing so risks the drama of trying to appeal points after a suspension has been issued, which could be very messy.
I just sent you a suspension points email I received a few years back. Funny that you called out TDs not properly recording withdrawals, because that was the situation. I was able to get it reversed, but would have never realized without the email coming in.
Thank you! It is actually a relief to know these are going out.
Is that an illegally placed towel hanging on the back fence?
Winner, winner, chicken dinner!