USTA Florida Announces Guidelines for Youth, Adult Tournaments

With tennis players eager to get back out on the court, the USTA Florida Section is pleased to announce return to play recommendations for Youth and Adult Tournaments ahead of a planned resumption of tournament play in July.

“We couldn’t be more excited to have USTA Florida tournaments restarting in July,” said Jason Gilbert, Director of Youth Tennis for USTA Florida. “Safety is our main priority so we’re supporting our Tournament Directors with safety guidelines and introducing a new and safer option to deliver tournaments called the Virtual Tournament Desk.”

Match Tennis App’s Virtual Tournament Desk, which will be facilitated through the mobile devices of players, parents and coaches, aims to help prevent the spread of COVID-19. For more details about the Virtual Tournament Desk, click here.

The safety and well-being of all players and event personnel remains the first and foremost consideration of USTA Florida. Throughout the past two months, the non-profit organization requested feedback from players across the state to gain public insight and expectations about a return of tennis play amid the COVID-19 environment. The feedback from the Florida tennis community proved critical to the development of these guidelines that will assist USTA Florida in resuming youth and adult tournaments this summer and fall.

Tournaments in several Florida communities will resume in July. USTA Florida highly recommends that all players and facilities adhere to the tournament guidelines, as well as all local health and safety regulations when returning to play. The guidelines include format modifications as well as recommendations for both players and facilities. A list of adult and youth tournaments scheduled for July can be found below:

“The last few months have been challenging for many, which is why we’re thrilled to have guidelines in place for the resumption of adult tournaments,” shared Andy Gladstone, USTA Florida Adult Program Coordinator. “I truly feel that playing tennis will help people cope with current life changes and provide a sense of normalcy.”

For more information on these newly announced guidelines, please visit www.USTAFlorida.com/coronavirus. For questions regarding Youth Tournaments, please contact Jason Gilbert, Youth Tennis Director, at gilbert@ustaflorida.com. For questions regarding Adult Tournaments, please contact Andy Gladstone, Adult Program Coordinator, at gladstone@ustaflorida.com.