Adult Tournaments
Whether you play Singles or Doubles or want to compete locally or nationally, USTA Tournaments are for you.
National Standings Lists
Find A Tournament
National Tournaments
Adult Tournament Structure
2023 NorCal Adult Approved Tournament Calendar
Step-by-step Tournament Search Guide
Since 2021 USTA has adopted a simplified nationwide structure, which creates a standardized system and greater consistency for our players, parents, coaches, tournament directors and officials. Ready to get started?
USTA Northern California sanctions tournaments at private and public facilities all over the section. A variety of tournament categories are offered.
- NTRP Division
- Open Division
- Age Group Division
- Family Tournaments
- Wheelchair
- National Tournaments/Pro Circuits/ITF World Masters Tour
Find additional information you are looking for in the Adult Tournament Resources section below to help guide you with your Adult Tournament journey.
NTRP (National Tennis Rating Program) tournaments offer players the ability to play tournaments at their appropriate NTRP rating level. NTRP tournaments are grouped by level (3.0-5.0) and age (18+, 40+, and 55+) and are offered in singles and doubles. These tournaments may take place over a weekend or just one day.
One-Day Tournaments are a great way for league or recreational tennis players to try out tournament competitions. For tennis players who may not have a whole weekend to commit, these one-day events provide all the same excitement but in a shortened format. These tournaments are also a great way to meet and play against different people.
NTRP Ranking Points:
Tournaments with an NTRP Gold Cup Series designation are worth Level 4 ranking points.
Players who compete in tournaments with a Tournament of the Year designation will earn Level 5 ranking points. The top 8 players that earned the most ranking points from the section will compete in a Grand Prix Tournament.
NTRP division tournaments also allow players to work toward a national ranking and advance to the NTRP National Championships. To learn how to qualify for the NTRP National Championship, click here. For more information about the NTRP National Championship, click here.
Attention NTRP Tournament Players
Any player participating in a USTA NorCal-sanctioned NTRP tournament must have an NTRP rating. If a player is in violation of this rule he/she will be notified in writing by USTA NorCal.
Any singles, doubles and/or mixed doubles player who has been notified that he/she does not have a valid USTA NTRP rating must SELF-RATE prior to registering in a USTA NorCal NTRP tournament. A player violating this rule or any player playing below their NorCal self-rating level will receive an automatic 30-day suspension and any points earned from that tournament toward the National Standings List and the seeding/tentative/final rankings lists will be removed.
Click here for SELF-RATE instructions
Age Group Tournaments are open to all levels but are broken down by age in five-year increments; for example; 30 through 90. A player is deemed eligible for an age division event if the player will reach the minimum age by December 31 of the year during which the division is scheduled to start. Age Division Tournaments offer players the ability to work toward a national ranking.
There are multiple National Level Tournaments in the Age Group Division. To find a National Tournament click here.
Open Division Tournaments are open to all USTA players. Players of all abilities and ages can play in Open events. This category of tournaments is considered the toughest of all adult tournaments, often featuring former and current pros, teaching professionals, former and collegiate players, NTRP players, and top-ranked juniors.
Family Tournaments include the following divisions: father-son, father-daughter, mother-son, mother–daughter, parent-child, grandparent and grandchild and husband–wife. Please note, a parent and child may enter if they are related by blood, legal adoption, or current step relationship.
A child may play with different parents in different tournaments or different divisions in a tournament. There is also a division with a minimum age restriction for the parent. If the parent and child are related, and the parent will reach the minimum age by December 31 of the year during which the division is scheduled to start.
There are multiple National Level Tournaments in the Family Division. To find a National Tournament click here.
Wheelchair tennis is one of the fastest-growing and most challenging of all wheelchair sports. The Wheelchair Division offers the following divisions:
Men’s, Women’s, and Quad Open; Men’s, Women’s, and Quad-A, Men’s and Women’s B, Men’s C; Junior Open/A (18 & Under); Senior Open/A (40 & Over) Doubles; and Senior B/C (40 & Over) Doubles. Wheelchair Division Tournaments offer players the ability to work towards a national ranking.
To learn more about USTA NorCal wheelchair tennis and the annual North vs South Wheelchair Challenge, click here.
National Tournaments, Pro Circuits and the ITF World Masters Tour occur throughout the year. Learn more below about each.
Adult Tournament Resources
Rules & Regulations
Each year the USTA publishes Friend at Court, a book that includes not only the USTA Regulations but also the ITF Rules of Tennis and "The Code," the players’ guide for matches when officials are not present. It is highly recommended that each player or tennis family have a copy of this publication as a reference. You can purchase the easy-to-carry Friend of Court by calling toll-free, 1.866.898.8061.
USTA Regulations prohibit a player from entering two tournaments that have dates that overlap by one or more days unless a player has the prior written consent of both Tournament Committees.
2023 Friend at Court - Handbook of Tennis Rules and Regulations
USTA NorCal Adult Tournament Rules (as of 6/21/2023)
USTA Adult & Family Tournament Regulations (2023)
Sportsmanship
The USTA believes strongly in the importance of good sportsmanship in making tennis more enjoyable for all. Players, parents, and coaches alike all share responsibility in ensuring that good sportsmanship is an integral part of the competition - regardless of the level of play.
Players will be held accountable based on the conduct they and their spectators display before, during and/or after a match in any USTA-sanctioned tournament. Additionally, a person who enters a sanctioned tournament or match consents to be penalized under the Point Penalty System for abusive conduct by a person who appears to be associated with the player. Information regarding the suspension point system, which includes a chart of violations and the suspension points associated with each violation can be found in the Friend at Court on pages 113 - 118.
USTA NorCal Sportsmanship Committee Procedures (as of 8/1/2021)
Ranking Lists
National Standings List – Published on Wednesdays
The National Standings List is a weekly standings list of players in each division used, when authorized, for selection and seeding. When it is used for a Closed tournament, it can be filtered to only include residents of a Sectional Association or District Association. Please see the 2021 USTA Adult & Family Tournament Regulations (found above under Rules & Regulations) for more information.
Click here to view the National Standings List
Adult and Family National Rankings – Calculated Yearly
The Adult and Family National Ranking list is published once a year, after the end of the year. The Adult and Family ranking period for all players and teams is January 1 through December 31. Please see the 2021 USTA Adult & Family Tournament Regulations (found above under Rules & Regulations) for more information.
Contact Information
Adult Tournaments Specialist,
510.263.0443
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