A. MEMBERSHIP.  All players, including non-U.S. citizens, are required to be members of the USTA in order to play in the USTA Adult and Family National Tournaments.

 

B. AGE.

 

1. Events with age restrictions.  

 

• Men’s and Women’s Divisions with Minimum Age Restriction: A player, if otherwise eligible, may enter if the player will reach the minimum age by December 31 of the year during which the division is scheduled to start.
• NTRP Divisions with Minimum Age Restriction: A player, if otherwise eligible, may enter if the player will reach the minimum age by December 31 of the year during which the division is scheduled to start.
• Parent-Child Division with Minimum Age Restriction for Parent: A team, if otherwise eligible, may enter if the parent will reach the minimum age by December 31 of the year during which the division is scheduled to start.
• Combined Ages Division with Minimum Age Restriction: A team, if otherwise eligible, may enter if the combined age of the players will reach the minimum combined age for the division by December 31 of the year during which the division is scheduled to start.

 

2. ADVERTISEMENT Minimum age required for Adult NTRP Divisions.  Players must have reached the age of 18 by the first day of the tournament.

 

C. ADULT NTRP DIVISIONS.

 

1. NTRP Rating required.  A player is required to have one of the following NTRP Ratings to play in an Adult NTRP Tournament:

 

• NTRP Computer Rating (C);
• NTRP Tournament Exclusive Rating (T);
• NTRP Automated Appeal Rating (A);
• NTRP Self Rating (S).

 

Players with an NTRP Mixed Exclusive (M) Rating must self-rate to receive an NTRP Self Rating (S) to register for an Adult NTRP Tournament.

 

2. Maximum and minimum NTRP Ratings for other Adult NTRP Divisions.  To enter all other Adult NTRP Divisions, a player’s NTRP Rating must be:

 

• less than or equal to the NTRP Rating of the division; and
• not less than one NTRP level lower than the division.

 

For example, a 4.0 NTRP Division may have players with 4.0 and 3.5 NTRP Ratings, but may not have players with NTRP Ratings higher than 4.0 and lower than 3.5.

 

D. CITIZENSHIP NOT REQUIRED.  All Adult and Family tournaments are open to citizens and non-citizens.

 

E. RESIDENCY. Closed Section Level 4 Tournaments, Closed Section Level 5 Tournaments, and Closed District Level 5 Tournaments require players to be residents within the geographic boundaries of the Sectional Association or District Association that has been authorized to sanction the tournament.  Residency is determined as set forth in Regulation III.  Tournaments between teams representing Sectional or District Associations require players to be residents within the geographic boundaries of the respective Sectional or District Association to play on a team. 

 

RESIDENCY

 

Residency shall determine the players who may play in Closed Sectional and District Tournaments and the players who may be selected to represent a Sectional Association or District Association in a team competition.

 

• Declaration of Residency by Players Living Within the Geographic Boundaries of the USTA. A player residing within the geographic boundaries of the USTA must declare residency for the purposes of playing in Adult and Family tournaments.  A player may be the resident of one Sectional Association and, if applicable, one District Association within the geographic boundaries only of the declared Sectional Association at any given time.
• Unless otherwise declared, a player’s Section residency shall be the Sectional Association assigned through USTA membership and which is based on the geographic boundaries.
• USTA members who reside in British Columbia and who meet the eligibility criteria shall be deemed to be residents of the USTA Pacific Northwest Section.
• If applicable, and unless otherwise declared, a player’s District residency shall be the District Association assigned through USTA membership and which is based on the geographic boundaries assigned to the District Association in the Sectional Association’s Bylaws.
• The physical address of a player’s legal guardian may be the basis for a player’s declaration of residency if the player is residing with that legal guardian. 
• The physical address of a boarding school, including a tennis academy, may be the basis for a player’s declaration of residency if the player is enrolled and residing at the school or academy. 
• Players may declare a different Section and District residency no more than once each calendar year. 

 

If a player desires to change residency more than once per calendar year, the player must request a waiver from the USTA Regulations. 

 

Declaration of Residency by US Citizens Living Abroad. A player who is a US citizen living abroad may declare residency by submission of a request for an assignment to a specific Sectional Association and, if applicable, a specific District Association, within the boundaries of that Sectional Association.

 

Form of Declaration. A player electing to declare residency in a Sectional Association or District Association other than the Sectional Association or District Association assigned through USTA membership must complete the official USTA Declaration Form.