Yet Another USTA App

The USTA recently released a new “USTA Tennis App” aimed at the tennis-playing public. The release was heralded in an email that (presumably) went out to all USTA members. Today we are taking a look at this most recent offering toward the USTA’s “Build and Optimize Best in Class Digital Infrastructure and Platforms” strategic priority.

For anyone who already engages with the USTA’s public-facing web pages, information-wise there really isn’t much new here. The app is essentially an alternate presentation to access existing data. It is arguably more convenient to have all that information consolidated into an App. In fact, streamlining the navigation for common functions that currently require multiple clicks is a definite improvement.

The new App is a simple way to view your USTA profile, access playing records, and search for playing opportunities. The official promotional page at the USTA claims that the App makes it easier to scout players in your local community, but there actually isn’t a way to find players unless you search by name. That falls short of what I would expect to make that claim.

One feature that I was excited to see is a “Schedule” button prominently featured across the bottom menu bar of the app. Pressing on that presumably would bring up a summary of my upcoming tournaments, but I am not entered in any at the moment. My page currently lists my registration in an upcoming workshop for tournament directors. I can see how this will be convenient.

Some of the “features” listed for the App are really just gateways to web pages of other existing systems. For example, all League functions lead directly to TennisLink. I had to log in separately to that content which is further evidence that it is external to the App.

One other thing I should mention is that the new USTA App is only for users with Apple iOS devices. Curiously enough, two other Apps released by the USTA, the Net Generation App and the USTA Meetings App, also have versions in the Google Play Store that signals Android compatibility. While I am in the Apple ecosystem, many tennis players are not. The absence of support for the entire community is a glaring oversight.

The release of the new USTA Tennis App does make me worry that the organization continues to put window dressing on top of the existing digital infrastructure rather than addressing the serious structural flaws of the underlying system. The magic behind the user experience of the most popular Apps and websites isn’t how it presents information to the users but rather how information and data are fused to create value.

My hope is that the USTA is viewing this app as a way to gain a “quick win” while the organization starts the much-needed overhaul of the data management systems that are required to truly have a best-in-class digital infrastructure.

In the meantime, all iOS users should download and use it.

1. USTA Mobile Apps, USTA Web Page, viewed January 28, 2023.