What will the new wheelchair alignment accomplish?

 

• Create one national system for wheelchair tournament play.
• Provide a variety of play opportunities in various formats.
• Encourage cross-section/district play for player convenience.
• Create improved national rankings.
• Smooth the transition from junior to adult wheelchair tournament play
• Provide a nomenclature for players at all levels to understand.
• Alleviate system complexities experienced by tournament directors & staff.
• Vastly improve marketing opportunities as a result of the standardization and simplification of the new structure.
• Introduce the ability to suggest system requirements for a new software solution to ensure ease and simplicity.

 

How is the new alignment going to work?

 

• The major change will be the movement to new gender neutral divisions. ADVERTISEMENT For USTA tournaments, players will only be able to compete in A, B, C divisions or in juniors, which will apply for both singles and doubles.
• An eligibility document will be released prior to the start of 2021 in which players will be informed of their division eligibility. There will also be a formal appeal process.
• We will only require a move-up obligation to be determined at the end of each year. If players want to move down, they can appeal. With the new points system, players should be placed appropriately moving forward.

 

Starting in 2021, players will have the opportunity to:

 

• Earn points per win and points per round based on the tournament level played.
• Earn points while playing locally.
• Enter tournaments in any section and earn national points for the national standings list.

 

To download this information as a PDF, click here.

 

To read more about the 2021 Nationwide USTA Wheelchair Tennis Tournament Structure, click here.