Junior tennis rules and regulations for newbies!

[greecian2001]

Hi,

Looking for some info on the rules and regs for playing junior tennis in US. We are moving from UK to US (NJ/NY area) in the next 2 months and have 2 girls who play competively here in the UK.

The girls train with green ball but in the UK the rules only allow them to compete in orange ball tournaments with one of the girls representing the county and recently selected for the regional squad.

When we move will they have to play in 10&U orange ball tournies? Are there any green ball events? Will the stronger of the girls be eligible for 12&U events? Are there age restrictions on tournaments? Is green ball really disappearing in 2012? Is there a ratings or rankings system in operation?

I appreciate this is a lot of questions packed into one thread but the US system seems a bit confusing! sorry

Thanks for any advise.

A.

 

[thepastord]

First, if they are both pretty solid, you may want to consider entering local 12's. That would be regular size court and normal balls... If they haven't played in/on the normal format, you may want to consider starting in the 10U. I'm pretty sure it would be the orange balls.

It may depend on the area as to the level of play. So it would be good for some NJ/NY parents to chime in. In Florida, the competition is pretty solid. My kid is almost college bound, so I don't really have actual experience firsthand. In Florida, we also have a bracket called "Rookie".

 

[greecian2001]

thanks thepastord,

I think 1 of the girls would fit easily into the 10&U with the orange ball. Her strokes are solid but her fitness/movement - not so good! The other girl is very solid, very strong and super fit! She plays up at the moment (when possible) and has had some good results with the green ball. She has trained recently on normal balls and adjusted well and was able to take part in a 12&U club event winning 3 out 4 of her matches.

So I think 10&U (orange) for one girl and possibly 12&U (yellow) for the other? Are there any age restrictions on entering the 12&U? In the UK there is no way she would be allowed to enter for at least another 18months!! Once I register them with USTA are they restricted to the level/grade of events they can enter?

Is green ball definitely out from next year? Very disappointing I found this a great transition ball especially for the advanced 9-11 year olds. It works well here in the UK and has really improved the standard/quality of girls tennis in that age group.

A.

 

[ga tennis]

No age restrictions here.Good luck! Welcome to America!!

 

[klu375]

Your new tennis home is called USTA Eastern Section:
www.eastern.usta.com
You will have to buy junior USTA membership for your girls to play sanctioned tournaments. Search for tournaments here:
http://tennislink.usta.com/TOURNAMENTS/Schedule/Search.aspx
For 10U there is a mix of tournaments with regulation balls and slower balls (called Quickstart)
To learn Eastern regulations follow links on this page:
http://www.eastern.usta.com/For-Players/20013_USTA_Sanctioned_Junior_Tournaments__Tournaments/
Keep in mind that depending on your visa status they may not let them play the highest level local tournaments (called Sectionals). You can discuss this and other issues with the ultimate authority:

Julie Bliss
Director, Competition & Player Development
914-697-2229

bliss@eastern.usta.com
​

Good luck.