The Wimbledon Championships may have inspired you to want to try grass court tennis. It is a luxury that most players will never enjoy in their lifetime. However, there is actually an opportunity for every Adult player in the United States to experience grass court tennis this year. There are nine USTA tournaments scheduled in 2022 with registration deadlines that have yet to pass.
Most players are unaware that selection criteria limiting entry into tournaments is fairly rare for Adult Senior tennis. Essentially, all you have to do is meet the entry criteria. In 2021, the Men’s Singles draw at the Open Championships was a full 64 draw with no byes. That implies that entries may have been constrained. Clicking through on the players, there were quite a few 4.5 NTRP and at least one NTRP 4.0 in that bracket last year. That is the only tournament where selection criteria might be an issue.
The historic Longwood Cricket Club is on my personal bucket list of places to play. I am kind of kicking myself for not realizing that the Mother-Daughter Championships is located there this year. I unfortunately have a work commitment that precludes participation next month. However, I am totally playing that tournament in 2023 if it is still at Longwood. (The umpire I gave birth to seems less than enthused, but hopefully she gets onboard at some point.)
Will you get your ass handed to you on the court? Maybe, but it happens to everybody eventually at that level. I have even won two rounds in a Level 1 main draw before evisceration at the hands of a former WTA player in the Round of 16. I promise you that no one will mind or resent your participation in the tournament. Have fun and take lots of pictures.
I am committed to playing the Grass Courts at Mission Hills in December. It will be my first time on the surface, thus checking off another minor bucket list item for me. (As it turns out, my bucket list has a lot of tennis related items on it.) It is nice to have something on the calendar to look forward to.
Here is a summary of the grass court tournaments remaining in 2022 along with their entry deadlines. Maybe this is your grass court year!
| Date (Entry Deadline) | Divs | Tournament/Location |
| 8/4-6 (7/21) | FD MS | Level 1: 2022 USTA Father-Daughter and Mother Daughter Grass Court Championships Longwood Cricket Club, Chestnut Hill, MA |
| 8/9-12 | M60+ | Level 1: USTA National Men’s 60’S Grass Court Championships The Philadelphia Cricket Club, Philadelphia, PA |
| 8/13-16 | M30+ M35+ | Level 1: USTA National Men’s 30 & 35 Grass Court Championships The Philadelphia Cricket Club, Philadelphia, PA |
| 8/15-8/21 | Open | Level 1: USTA National Grass Court Championship (Open) International Tennis Hall Of Fame, Newport, RI |
| 8/22-26 | 85+ 90+ | Level 1: 2022 USTA National 85 & 90 Grass Court Championships Longwood Cricket Club, Chestnut Hill, MA |
| 8/22-28 | M70+ | Level 1: USTA National Men’s 70 Grass Court Championships The Philadelphia Cricket Club, Philadelphia, PA |
| 9/6-12 | M65+ | Level 1: USTA National Men’s 65 Grass Championship Seabright Lawn Tennis Club, Rumson, NJ |
| 9/20-25 | M50+ M55+ | Level 1: USTA National Mens 50 & 55 Grass Court National Championship Agawam Hunt, Rumford, RI |
| 12/14-21 | W30+ W40+ W50+ W60+ W70+ W80+ W90+ | Level 1: Grass Court Women’s 30, 40, 50, 60, 70, 80 & 90 Mission Hills Country Club, Rancho Mirage, CA |
