Los Angeles Area USTA League Coordinator

Team Captains must be familiar with all the rules that govern USTA Leagues. Each League has a set of local rules, in addition to the National and Sectional rules. Every tennis player should also be familiar with the additional publications listed here.

Rules for League Play

• National
  
• 2012 Sectional
  
• 2012 Local
  
• 2012 Supplement - Mixed Doubles
  

Additional Rules

• The Code: The Players’ Guide for Unofficiated Matches
• Friend at Court UPDATED for 2011
  
• Rules of Tennis (ITF)
  

Additional answers and tips

Have you ever had a dispute with a fellow player over a call on the court that you couldn’t settle? Or have you ever wondered why a certain ruling was made during a match you were watching? Maybe you’re just curious about how some scenarios, from the common to the ridiculous, are resolved. The USTA constantly receives these types of questions from players and fans, so we figured it’s about time we provided a forum in which queries about rules can be answered. Visit the Improve Your Game homepage for "The Final Word".

Staggered Matches

This is the recommended way to handle staggered matches:

1st round- line 1 singles, line 1 & 2 doubles
2nd round- line 2 singles, line 3 doubles

The reason for this is that any defaults must be taken from the bottom up. So if one of your singles players does not make it, it comes from line 2, same for a doubles team. Even if you plan on starting your "best" doubles team in the first line, if there's ANY question about them making it in time for that round, put them at line 3, so they can start later. You know that the lines do not have to be played in order of strength. The primary goal when staggering courts is to make sure any defaults are handled properly.

The other option that teams have used in the past is this:

1st round - all doubles lines
2nd round - both singles

The order of play should be the same for all of your home matches, and announced at the beginning of the season. You should also state a start time for the 2nd round. Perhaps make it "no later than 3:30", when your 1st round starts at 1:30, allowing the standard 2 hours for each match to finish. Chances are, at least one court will finish to give your 2nd round players a court to warm up, and if everyone is ready to play earlier, go ahead.

One final note: The lineups must be exchanged before the first round, and must include players for the second round. 

Sample from "The Code"

1. Courtesy. Tennis is a game that requires cooperation and courtesy from all participants. Make tennis a fun game by praising your opponents’ good shots and by not:
• conducting loud postmortems after points;
• complaining about shots like lobs and drop shots;
• embarrassing a weak opponent by being overly gracious or condescending;
• losing your temper, using vile language, throwing your racket, or slamming a ball in anger; or
• sulking when you are losing.