I want to start playing tournaments. Any tips?

[Stanimal3]

Hi all,

I haven’t played any competitive tennis in 10 years when I played in a USTA league.

My plan was to look for USTA 3.0 tournaments in my section and then move up to 3.5 as I build confidence.

I’m signed up for a 3.0 tournament in two weeks, but only two players (including myself) on the entry list so far. Is this normal at all? Not too many 3.0 events in my area compared to 3.5 and 4.0. Are there organizations other than USTA that I should look for?

This is all new for me and things seem to have changed a lot in 10 years. Any tips on the scene would be great. Just trying to figure how to navigate this new journey.

 

[FuzzyYellowBalls]

That is normal, usually people sign up last minute or the organizer begs people to sign up last minute. Bring towels, water, a few shirts to change into, hat. See if there are showers on site and shower between matches. 3.0, I'd just get the ball in no matter what, see if that is a winning formula and get more aggressive if need be.

 

[S&V-not_dead_yet]

Hi all,

I haven’t played any competitive tennis in 10 years when I played in a USTA league.

My plan was to look for USTA 3.0 tournaments in my section and then move up to 3.5 as I build confidence.

I’m signed up for a 3.0 tournament in two weeks, but only two players (including myself) on the entry list so far. Is this normal at all? Not too many 3.0 events in my area compared to 3.5 and 4.0. Are there organizations other than USTA that I should look for?

This is all new for me and things seem to have changed a lot in 10 years. Any tips on the scene would be great. Just trying to figure how to navigate this new journey.

Welcome back! Good thing we didn't lose you to Pickleball.

Any particular reason you want to start with tournaments vs league? is it purely logistical [finding a team when you don't know anyone is a hassle and captaining a team is even more of a hassle]?

If pickings are slim at 3.0, you may want to consider playing up, recognizing that you might be outmatched but just go for the experience. There's also a chance you'll run into another 3.0 playing up.

Whatever the case, exchange contact info with as many opponents as possible.

I advise simply getting as much match play as possible, whatever the format. Get accustomed to competing again and the flow and rhythm of a match, which is unlike just hitting.

Do you [or can you] belong to a club? Often there is some sort of ladder. And even if not, you can always ask the coaches to connect you with similar skilled players.

Besides USTA, there are UTR [Universal Tennis Rating] events; as soon as you start playing USTA matches, those results will get fed automatically into the UTR system also.

There are also MeetUp groups, Craigslist [beware of people vastly overrating themselves], the local park.

Just immerse yourself and you'll end up with a lot of contacts, most of which might not lead anywhere but you won't know which ones are the good ones until you try. Very quickly you'll find your tennis circle has been greatly expanded.

 

[RyanRF]

I recommend looking into UTR events, tournaments, and leagues.