The Baseline - USTA Florida

Our Mission

Tennis players depend heavily on the involvement, support, and encouragement of their providers and parents. Within our communities, we can work together to grow this game while making it an inclusive and welcoming place for everyone.

We want to provide Florida tennis parents, players and coaches with all the knowledge, resources, and help they need to be their best.

Rankings and Ratings

USTA is committed to bettering and improving the competitive experience.

Learn about the ITF World Tennis Number, the most advanced and accurate rating system, designed to make playing and competing more fun.

Check out the links below for more information on the ITF and other notable ranking measures.

ITF World Tennis Number

Tennis Recruiting Network

Universal Tennis

USTA Junior Tournament Rankings

Resources

Friend at Court Handbook

2022 rules and regulations handbook for your review!

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Junior Levels

Take a look at the different junior levels explained!

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USTA Player Development

Check out these helpful resources and videos from USTA Player Development staff and guests!

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Ultimate Sports Parent Workbook

Check out this external workbook by Peak Performance Sports!

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Competitive Pathway Webinars and Q&A's

For Tennis Parents. Learn more about physical wellness and enhancing your child’s well being through competition.

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Wayne Bryan - Raising the Bryan Bros

Check out this external article by For The Win with USA Today!

View Here

Junior Team Tennis (JTT)

A program for players ages 6 – 18 that allows kids to play on compatible teams of similar age and skill levels.

Join our leagues and tournaments!

Check out resources geared to making tennis accessible, competitive and fun.

Click Here

Tournament Parent Guide

Ensure your child has all their equipment including a racket, suitable clothing (shorts, t-shirts, and a hat if they are playing outside) and non-marking trainers.
Allow enough time for your journey including allowances for delays. If you are going to be delayed let the Tournament Referee know as soon as possible.
Always arrive by the time your child has been asked to sign in. Many tournaments require players to sign in each day at least 15 minutes prior to your scheduled match time and your child should do this in person.
Talk to your child about the importance of fair play, enjoyment, ensuring they try their best and to focus on any goals they have worked on with their coach in training sessions.
Remember that tennis matches vary in length, so be prepared for a wait, particularly if a tournament has been affected by bad weather.
Don’t expect the tournament to wait for you if you are running late. Depending on the tournament schedule the referee may or may not be able to delay the match.
Your child should avoid playing if they are injured or ill. It’s important for them to give their body time to recover properly from injury or illness.

Help your child to stay calm and relaxed before a match – Check that they take everything that they need onto the court. They should not leave the court for any reason during a match other than to seek the services of the referee.
A toilet break should only be taken at the end of a set and is not to be used to fill up a water bottle, so make sure your child has plenty of water before they go onto court to play.
Players should avoid walking across the back of other courts whilst play is in progress and should wait until a suitable break in play.
Warm-ups shouldn’t exceed the five minute period allowed. In a busy tournament this will delay other people waiting to play.
Make sure your child knows what scoring format they are playing. If in doubt make sure that they ask the referee or court supervisor before the match starts.

Make sure they enjoy playing tennis! It’s a great game and whilst there has to be a winner and a loser, they can learn something from every match that they play.
If your child is serving make sure they know to call the score after every point. They are responsible for calling all out-balls on their side of the net clearly and fairly even if it costs them the point. Such calls must be clearly audible. They are also responsible for calling “not-up” when they fail to hit the ball before it has bounced twice (if their match is umpired then they will take care of all calls and scoring).
Teach your child to always treat their opponent with respect. Good sportsmanship and honesty is extremely important regardless of whether they win or lose.
Please ensure your child avoids swearing or throwing their rackets/balls in temper or behaving in an unsportsmanlike manner. This is discourteous and can result in them being penalized.
Remember that if your child has a problem during the match the referee or court supervisor is there to help. Encourage them to raise their racket and the referee will come to help.
Avoid communicating with your child during their match, it is against the rules and it will encourage them to learn to play the match without any involvement from the sidelines. However, do show your support by smiling and clapping.
If you can, make sure you watch their whole match regardless of their performance.

Make sure your child shakes their opponent’s hand even if they have had a difficult match.
Check that your child reports their result to the referee even if they lost the match.
Make sure your child finds out when they’re playing next. In some circumstances the match losers take part in consolation rounds, which are sometimes compulsory and an important part of the tournament. If in doubt – check with the referee.
Be prepared to wait between matches and be patient with the tournament referee who will always try and get matches on court as soon as possible.
Make sure they respect the level of ability of some of the other children in the tournament, every match and opponent brings a new challenge.
Never worry if your child has lost a match, this is something they can work on with their coach afterwards.
Try and encourage consistent behavior from your child regardless of the result.
Remember to thank the tournament officials. They are hardworking, dedicated people and many are volunteers