Southwest

USTA SOUTHWEST  CORONAVIRUS UPDATE

July 20, 2020


USTA Southwest Statement on Programming 

Beginning June 1, the suspension of USTA Sanctioned products and events noted below will now be at the discretion of the USTA Southwest Section Office (Arizona, New Mexico and El Paso, TX).


As of now, USTA Southwest plans on slowly and safely welcoming tennis players back to USTA programming. This will happen on a case-by-case basis, based on local situations and in conjunction with government orders and local health authorities.


Meanwhile, as facilities and organizations begin to reopen, and players get back on the court, we encourage all to view the USTA Return to Play Guidelines below, which communicate important tips, strategies, and suggested guidelines for reopening facilities and safe play.


As always, feel free to contact the USTA Southwest office with any questions and/or needs by emailing info@southwest.usta.com.


These USTA Sanctioned products and events include :

·       Adult Tournaments and Junior Tournaments

·       USTA League

·       USTA Junior Team Tennis

·       USTA Social Leagues 

·       Team Challenge

·       Team Tournaments

·       USTA School Programs

·       Tennis on Campus

·       Wheelchair Tennis


The safety and well-being of all players and event personnel remains the first and foremost consideration of the USTA.  All players should check their USTA Section homepage to determine when these USTA Sanctioned products and events will resume and under what conditions. 

In all cases, the USTA highly recommends that all players and facilities adhere to the “Playing Tennis Safely” guidelines (see all program 'Return To Play' guidelines linked below), as well as that players adhere to all local health and safety regulations when returning to play.

 

Please note the additional national suspensions below that are still in effect across the country. 

 

All Category 1 and Super Category 2 National Adult Tournaments with an ITF status, all ITF Junior events, all Adults Category 2 and Category 3 tournaments, all Wheelchair L1 - L3 events, and all USTA Pro Circuit events will align with the same calendar as the ITF and be suspended through July 31.

The ATP Tour has also suspended events through July 31, while the WTA Tour has suspended select events in July.

In addition, the USTA has made the decision, separately, to cancel the 2020 National Clay Court Championships (junior events) scheduled for July 11-19, and which would have taken place in seven cities across three states.
 

“The impact of COVID-19 has been felt across the tennis landscape, and it is our goal to ensure that the sport is able to be played in a safe and healthy fashion at the parks and facilities throughout the country once the pandemic subsides,” said Patrick Galbraith, Chairman of the Board and President, USTA. “One of the greatest aspects of this game is that it fosters a true community, and we look forward to the time when we can return to our local courts and use tennis to unite us all, once again.”  

 

The determination has also been made to suspend the calculation and publication of the National Standings List (NSL) for Adult, Junior and Wheelchair play until further notice. The NSL published on March 18 will serve as the most current until tournament competition resumes.

 

In addition, to ensure that play taking place at local facilities will be the focus once the pandemic subsides, the following events will be canceled for 2020: 

• USTA League National Championships

• USTA Junior Team Tennis National Championships

• USTA Junior Intersectional Team Championships
• USTA Zone Team Championships

• USTA National Team Championships

For more information on the cancellation of the USTA League National Championships and USTA Junior Team Tennis National Championships, please visit the FAQ.

 

* The USTA Medical Advisory Committee includes: Dr. Brian Hainline, Chief Medical Officer of the NCAA and USTA Board Member; Dr. Brian Daniels, MD, Orthopedics and Sports Medicine at Nemours Children's Hospital in Orlando, Fla., and Medical Director, US Open; Dr. Mark Kovacs, Senior Director of Sports Science and Health, Cleveland Cavaliers; Dr. Bernard Camins, Medical Director for Infection Prevention at Mt. Sinai; Mike Rodriguez, USTA Senior Director and US Open Security.



IMPORTANT LINKS AND INFORMATION

USTA National Announcement and Updates (Latest update May 26)

COVID Updates by State: Arizona  |  New Mexico  | Texas (El Paso)

RETURN TO PLAY DOCUMENTS
Adult League  |   Junior League   |  Adult Tournaments  |  Junior Tournaments  |    Social Leagues

Wheelchair Play  |   Team Challenges  |   Officiating   |   Playing Tennis Safely Poster

RETURN TO PLAY PARTICIPATION WAIVER* 
Junior Form  |  Adult Form
*These forms will be required to be filled out for any USTA tennis acitivity held while COVID-19 is still in effect. 

Protocol for Playing Safely - Facilities |  Players

USTA Statement on Safety of Playing Tennis During COVID-19 Outbreak

Tennis Industry United (Including Business Financial Relief)

CDC Updates on COVID-19

Stay in Touch with our USTA Staff

Net Generation Tennis at Home

Project Play: Aspen Institute Outlook on Youth Sports

For NJTLs: The CARES Act Explained

USTA Frequently Asked Questions
 

Again, please be assured we are actively monitoring this situation and will provide additional updates as needed.


For questions or specific concerns regarding this topic, please contact info@southwest.usta.com.|

We will make every effort to respond as quickly as possible to your message.

Thank you for your patience and understanding.

 

Sincerely,
The USTA Southwest Board of Directors and Staff

 


PREVIOUS STATEMENTS COVID UPDATES


Playing Tennis Safely: Guidelines for Players and Facilities - April 22, 2020

The USTA recognizes that the coronavirus has been affecting different parts of the country in different ways and with different timing. We therefore believe it will be possible for people to return to playing tennis safely in some cities and states sooner than others.  

The USTA has created two "Playing Tennis Safely" documents, one geared to players and one geared to tennis facilities, that have been developed by the USTA in conjunction with its Medical Advisory Group and its Industry partners. These documents provide extensive guidelines for the safe return to the courts. 

By following these guidelines as well as those of local governments and health agencies, facilities and players will be able to make informed decisions as to when play can recommence.

  

Click here for Player Tips and Recommendations

Click here for Facility and Programming Recommendations

 

 


USTA Southwest Statement on Programming (updated 6:20 pm, April 13)

Due to the continued situation surrounding the COVID-19 virus, and after discussions with the USTA Medical Advisory Committee, effective immediately the USTA and all 17 USTA Sections will extend the suspension of USTA sanctioned products and events through May 31.

The full USTA statement can be viewed here.

Recognizing the evolving and fast-changing nature of this situation, the USTA will continue to monitor and assess conditions to make future determinations about events and activities taking place after May 31.

Key updates from the most recent USTA announcement include:
 

  • All USTA League National Championships, USTA Junior Team Tennis National Championships and USTA Junior Intersectional Team Championships are canceled through the remainder of 2020. This is done with the intent of allowing local flexibility for USTA programming, meaning once appropriate, USTA Southwest can determine the best way to move forward with USTA League Tennis programming for 2020.

  • All Category 1 and Super Category 2 National Adult Tournaments with an ITF status, all ITF Junior events, all Junior, Adult and Wheelchair L1-L3 events, and all USTA Pro Circuit and professional events will be suspended through July 12 (in alignment with ITF / ATP / WTA). The exception to this is the National Clay Court Championships, currently slated to begin July 11, which at this time is set to proceed as scheduled.

For more information on the cancellation of the USTA League National Championships and USTA Junior Team Tennis National Championships, Membership information and other USTA-related information - please visit thUSTA FAQ.

 

USTA SOUTHWEST LEAGUE PROGRAM

The USTA Southwest Section League Committee's Mission and priority is to provide  play opportunities at the local level and plan to do so as soon as play resumes.  
 

USTA Southwest hopes to host our 2020 Section League Championships in this calendar year.

Updates on Sectional Event dates will be posted on our USTA Southwest Section website and Facebook page as soon as they are available. 

Due to the suspension extension, the USTA Southwest Adult 40 & Over Sectionals will be rescheduled.  Current date is TBA. For those players who are already registered for that championship will not have to register again, we will make adjustments in the program to reflect the correct dates once they have been determined.
 

OTHER LEAGUE NOTES:

- Teams advancing to the 2020 Southwest Section League Championships may stay together and compete as a team in their local leagues for the 2021 League Championship year. 

- Players must compete in the 2021 USTA Southwest Local Leagues to be eligible to advance to any 2021 Championship.

- Once play resumes, your Local League Coordinators will communicate with captains and players on new local league seasons and schedules.  We will also be sharing any league regulation changes regarding Southwest Sectional Eligibility at that time.

For more information on USTA Leagues, contact Lori Therrien at therrien@southwest.usta.com 

 

JUNIOR PROGRAMS

Southwest Junior Closed

Though the Southwest Junior Closed was previously scheduled outside the current May 31st suspension of play date, our :
Southwest Junior Competition Committee has decided to postpone the event until a more stable date for potential play is known. The committee is exploring the possibility of rescheduling for a later summer date, or, retagging an already existing event with an L3 status so our players have an L3 points opportunity event when we are able to return to play.

Future notifications on the status of this event will come soon, so stayup to date through our Facebook pages, or contact Nicole Fintell at nfintell@southwest.usta.com


Junior Team Tennis Championships

We still plan on hosting some type of season-ending Junior Team Tennis event. It is unknown at this time if we will continue with the already scheduled July date, or choose a date later in the fall. Our Junior Team Tennis Committee will take into consideration all factors when choosing the date/location of this event. 

For more info, contact Ashley Portwood at portwood@southwest.usta.com 
 

Again, please be assured we are actively monitoring this situation and will provide additional updates as needed.
 

For questions or specific concerns regarding this topic, please contact info@southwest.usta.com.

We will make every effort to respond as quickly as possible to your message.

Thank you for your patience and understanding.

 

Sincerely,
The USTA Southwest Board of Directors and Staff

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