General Questions

Tiebreak Procedure
In 2007, the USTA introduced the Coman tiebreak procedure at its National events. USTA Colorado and the Intermountain Tennis Association introduced the procedure at the USTA League Senior Championships in 2006. After many years of using this tiebreak procedure for leagues, it is clear that it is not going to be adopted in other areas of tennis (i.e. juniors, tournaments, high school, college, professional). Several other areas throughout the country have also abandoned the use of the Coman for league play.

Starting in the 2019 league season, USTA Colorado will utilize the standard tiebreak procedure for changing sides. Players change sides of the court every 6 points. The first person to serve, serves one point to the deuce side of the court (do not change sides after the 1st point). Every subsequent server will serve two points, starting from the ad-side of the court. Any tiebreak at the end of the 1st or 2nd set is still first to 7 by 2. The match tiebreak in lieu of a 3rd set is still first to 10 by 2. At the end of any set, doubles partners may change their serving order. This includes at the beginning of a match tiebreak in lieu of a 3rd set.

The standard tiebreak procedure for switching sides will apply to all local league matches, flight playoffs and District Championships. The Coman is still being used for Sectional and National Championships, so any teams that advance will use the Coman at those events.

The Standard tiebreak procedure must be used for all league matches (singles or doubles) for any tiebreak that is played (set tiebreak or match tiebreak).

What is league tennis?
League tennis is a team sport, which offers players of all ages and abilities to play other teams of like ages and abilities.

How many players are on a team?
Depending on which league you participate in, you will need between 5 and 8 players in order to form a team.

How can I find out about the formats of each league?
Click on the specific league names along the left for a description of each league. You can also select a specific area of Colorado for more specific information. Once familiar with the league formats, review the league calendar which lists the dates for each league. The day of week and times of days for matches can be downloaded from the league calendar page for each area.

What is the difference between USTA, ITA or CTA leagues?
Most leagues start with USTA, ITA or CTA in the name. In leagues with USTA in the name, winning teams have the opportunity to advance as far as the National Championships (except for USTA Mixed 18 & Over during the 2014 season). Winning teams in leagues with ITA in the name can advance as far as Sectional Championships; and winning teams in leagues with CTA in the name can advance as far as District Championships.

Why is USTA Adult 18 & Over 6-7 weeks of matches now?
In December 2015, we began communicating the changes for the 2016 season via our BLAST! email and on our website. One such change was the shortening of USTA Adult 18 & Over. In addition, we held meetings with facility coordinators in Jan and Feb, and encouraged them to share this information with captains. For many years, this league was set up on an 8-10 week season. Because of basic round robin principles, only some teams received 10 weeks. Most received 8 or 9 weeks. Due to the growth of this league, flight playoffs had to be added several years ago, which shortened the number of available weeks for this league. At that time, we began using Fridays to allow us to fit up to 10 weeks of matches in 8 weeks on the calendar. We have received thousands of email and phone complaints over those years about Friday matches, so our staff and Adult Programs Committee worked to find a solution to the problem. Since Sectional dates cannot be moved later, and since we cannot start the season earlier, we are confined to a 7-week period (on the front range) to run this league - making this league consistent with the majority of our other leagues, as well as the norm for the entire country.

Teams have been placed in flights of 4, 7, & 8 teams, providing 6-7 weeks of matches. The exact number of matches is dependent on how many teams there are within each NTRP level and geographic area.  Because of basic round robin principles, only flights of 8 receive 7 matches. Flights of 4 or 7 receive 6 matches.

What if I don't know anyone who plays tennis but I want to participate in leagues?
The CTA can help players find a team or match up teams looking for players. You may also contact facility coordinators where you might be interested in playing to let them know you would like to find a team. Use our court locator to find sites near you.

Once I find a team to play with, how do I sign up?
All adult leagues, with the exception of USTA Flex Leagues, Social Leagues and World Team Tennis, require a USTA membership.

You will also need a team number in order to register for league play. Team numbers are available from the facility coordinator at the facility at which you plan to play.

Once you have a USTA membership number and a team number you are ready to register yourself for league play. If you do not have an NTRP rating, you will be required to go through the self-rate process prior to registering for a team. Simply go to TennisLink and click on Register for a team in the upper right hand corner. The site will prompt you through the rest.

Ratings
Year-end ratings (from the previous year) are good for 3 years. Players’ ratings for those 60 and over are good for 2 years.

How do I know what NTRP level I should play?
See NTRP FAQs.

Information distribution
In 2006, the transition was started to provide information online instead of through the mail. Information previously provided in captains' packets is available on the Captain and Player Information page and/or will be sent directly to your inbox via Adult League Alerts for anyone who has subscribed for BLAST! and Adult League Alerts. Due to this online accessibility, we will no longer be mailing information to captains. It is highly recommended that all captains and players download all rules and regulations and keep with you throughout the season. Routinely check your email and COLORADOTENNIS.com for updates and other important information. If you need any assistance, please contact us.

Eligibility for Advancing
Two (2) matches are required to be eligible for Districts and Sectionals. Only one (1) match can be a default. For National Championships, three (3) matches are required to be eligible. Of those 3 matches, none can be defaults.

Alternate Surfaces
If a home team Captain plans to play any of their individual matches on alternative court surfaces (i.e. clay), this Captain must designate prior to the exchange of line-ups which position(s) will be played on alternative court surfaces. If the home team fails to designate the specific matches to be played on alternative surfaces before exchanging line-ups, the visiting team Captain has the ability to designate which matches will be played on the courts provided by the home facility.

League Registration
League registration begins on February 1 for all leagues.  Registration is done on TennisLink Leagues*. In order to register for a team, you must have a USTA membership that is valid through the league season and a team number. The facility coordinator of the facility you wish to play out of provides team numbers. You need to have the minimum number of players registered by the registration deadline of each league to be included in the schedule. Players may only play on one team within each league, except for leagues that use a "combined NTRP" format (i.e. levels that are 6.0, 7.0, 8.0, etc.).

Player additions, moves and deletions
Players may be added to your team until the last match of the season. Players may be moved to another team as long as they have not played a match. Players may not be deleted once the league department has generated a schedule. All player moves and deletion requests must be submitted to the Adult League Department by the facility coordinator. Requests from captains or players will not be completed.

League rules and regulations
Most everything captains and players need to know is outlined in the national or local league regulations. These can be downloaded from the Rules and Regulations page. It is strongly recommended that you download and print the operating procedures for your league. To locate the league operating procedures, please select the appropriate geographic area above. If clarification is needed, please contact the adult league department at USTA Colorado.

Score Reporting
Scores must be reported on online within 72 hours of the match being played. If a match is rained out, rescheduled or suspended then scores should be reported within 72 hours of completion.

Score entry method
The score for any third set must be entered as 1-0 in TennisLink. The system will not accept any other score for a third set.

Player deletion fee
USTA Colorado will be assessing a fee for player deletions in all adult leagues to cover the costs associated with the administration of those deletions. This fee ranges from $6 to $9 depending on the league. Thus, facility coordinators and captains, please take note of this when registering players on your teams. Players can apply registrations from one league to another (except Trio) to avoid the deletion fee.