ABOUT CORTA
Frequently Asked Questions
View the list below for all the answers for adult tennis, junior tennis, and technical questions about rules and regulations. Any further questions should be directed to the CORTA office at 706-317-4136 or [email protected]
Adults
REFER TO CORTA RULES & REGULATIONS
If you know in advance of the match that you will be short players, you must forfeit from the bottom up (#3 doubles or #2 singles). If you do not know in advance and your players are not present when line-ups are exchanged you need to decide whether you will change your line-up to reflect them in the #3 doubles or #2 singles position. Teams defaulting a match, other than from the lowest position, may have one individual point deducted from the final standings for each position forfeited.
15 minutes after there scheduled time of the match if a court is available.
NO. The match is a defaulted when a player is 15 minutes late.
Once the rained out match has been rescheduled, the day and time stand. The teams are expected to play that position at that time with any eligible player(s). If a team cannot play the position on the agreed rescheduled date, they forfeit that individual match. Both captains should contact the Local League Coordinator with the agreed upon date and time to prevent problems.
No, team captains and players do not have the authority to allow this.
Yes, if it is obviously raining and the facility manager has canceled play, the match may be rescheduled via a phone call.
Yes. Forfeits given prior to the actual line up being exchanged are considered a courtesy and are not binding.
You are entitled to a 10-minute warm-up, including serves.
Unrestricted substitutions from the team roster may be made in any individual matches tha have not begun. This includes moving a player from one position to another. Points awarded for forfeits during the original written line-up exchange will stand. Forfeits offered verbally prior to the original written line-up exchange are nullified when the match is rescheduled due to inclement weather.
No. Coaching is not allowed at any time. A player may not use electronic devices such as cell phones or digital messaging systems at anytime during a match.
Consult your rules & regulations. Refer to documents provided in the captain’s packet. Contact our Local League Coordinator at [email protected]
Juniors
REFER TO CORTA RULES & REGULATIONS
We welcome all players from beginner players to advanced players. To play Jr. Team Tennis a player must be able to serve, rally and keep score in order to compete successfully in JTT. CORTA offers many clinics to teach and train players of all levels.
Any child between the ages of 11 – 18 is eligible to participate in JTT. In an advancing season, such as the Spring JTT season, players are required to be age eligible in their age division through August 31 of the current year.
Click on the USTA Membership link at the bottom of the CORTA homepage under Helpful Tennis Links or call 1-800-990-8782 (usta).
Call USTA at 1-800-990-8782 to get this info. The JTT coordinator can also look this up for you.
Teams are made up of at least (6) players – 3 boys and 3 girls. The players must self-report their age and skill level when they register. The recommended maximum number of players on a team is twelve – 6 boys and 6 girls. Each match requires 4 boys and 4 girls to play.
The season will usually last 6 – 8 weeks and players will have at least 6 or more matches, according to the number of teams in each flight.
Beginners (1.5 – 2.0)
To be eligible to play in the Beginner Division, all players must be rated according to the NTRP guidelines at 2.0 or below. After a player has been rated, they must also meet the following criteria:
Players with 150 points in any age group on the posted Georgia Standing List as of the end of July 2017 may not play Beginner level. Point totals include both singles and doubles division from which points were acquired. There is a link on the CORTA website to access the USTA Georgia Points Per Round Search as of July 2017.
Intermediates (2.5 – 3.0)
To be eligible to play in the Intermediate Division, all players must be rated according to the NTRP guidelines at 3.0 or below, and may not have a July 31, 2017 Southern Standing of 1 – 300 in the 12’s – 18’s, and/or 1 – 100 in the 10’s, regardless of the age division of the team. If 10’s are playing in the 12’s – 18’s, they cannot have a rating between 1 – 300 in the 12’s – 18’s and play intermediate.
2.5 Division – This flight is for the player that is coming up from the Beginner division into the intermediate division. Although this player is no longer in the beginner division, they may not have the skills of the high level intermediate player. This will give that player the chance to play against other players of the same ability. However, this is a NON-ADVANCING division. After the local season, this level is over.
3.0 Division – This flight is for the experienced intermediate player. This player has usually played Intermediate previously and has some tournament experience. This is the only division of Intermediate that WILL ADVANCE to the State Championships.
Advanced ( 3.5 and up)
Any player with a July 31, 2017 Southern standing of 1 – 300 in the 12’s – 18’s age divisions, regardless of the age division of the team, must play in the advanced division. Any player with a 1 -100 in the 10’s, must play Advanced in the 10’s division.
We ask that you use three tools to determine your level: 1) NTRP rating scale, 2) The Southern Standings or USTA Georgia Points per round, 3) The results of the Player Experience Scorecard.
The National Tennis Rating Program (NTRP) offers guidelines in order to assess and group players of similar skill levels. A separate link on this site will take you to the NTRP descriptions. Ask your tennis coach to help you assess your skill level. To keep this in perspective, note that most teach pros are 4.5 – 5.0 players; most top-notch junior tournament players are 4.0 – 4.5. The vast majority of experienced recreational players are 3.0 – 3.5, even those who have been playing for many year
Southern Standings or USTA Georgia Points Per Round – These ratings/points are generated by USTA sanctioned tournament play. A link on the CORTA website is provided for you to access this criteria. Click on the link and enter your child’s USTA membership number.
Player Experience Scorecard – This scorecard has been developed with a series of 7 questions for players to answer, which will assist in determining the level. The experience scorecard is to help determine the child’s skill level based on the NRRP guidelines so that the player is placed at the appropriate level for JTT. After answering these 7 questions, it will give you a recommended division for your child to play. This link is provided on the CORTA website.
For every 4 teams, one team may advance to state. So the number of teams in a division determines the number of teams that may advance. Teams that advance are: Beginner, 3.0 Intermediate and Advanced.
Team play five individual matches per team match. Singles (boy/girl), doubles (boy/girl) and Mixed doubles.
Coaching is not required for the local Jr. Team Tennis season. However, we encourage all interested players to take advantage of the many opportunities for junior lessons and drills. CORTA has many instructional programs, as do many of the clubs. Many teams who advance to the State Championships will arrange to work with a coach during June and July to better prepare for that event.
Matches will be played at Cooper Creek, Lakebottom Park, Country Club of Columbus and Green Island Country Club.
For more information call the CORTA office at 706-317-4136 or email Junior League and Recreation Coordinator Wanda Morpeth at [email protected].
GENERAL TENNIS RULES YOU SHOULD KNOW. REFER TO FRIEND AT COURT OR USTA RULES OF TENNIS:
Yes, on both sides of your court. You may not call lets on adjoining courts even if your ball rolls onto another court. Exception: You may not call a let if the ball falls out of your own or your partner’s pocket.
A medical timeout shall begin when a player states the need for one. A maximum of three minutes is allowed for a medical timeout. His/her opponent(s) may begin timing the three minutes after which play must resume immediately or the match must be retired. A player may not take more than one medical timeout for the same condition.
If no one has a tape measure, the court is deemed playable. The correct height is 36 inches.
When practical, this time should not exceed 20 seconds. This limit does not apply if a player has to chase a stray ball.
The server is entitled to two serves.
Yes, this would count as a serve. The service is a fault if the server misses the ball when trying to hit it.
True. The receiver is not ready until the receiver is in the ready position and has a second or two to make eye contact with the server.
When the players change ends at the end of a game, a maximum of ninety (90) seconds are allowed. However, after the first game of each set and during a tie-break game, play shall be continuous and the players shall change ends without a rest.
At the end of each set there shall be a set break of a maximum of one hundred and twenty (120) seconds.
When there is a dispute in the score, the players involved in the match are to discuss each point in the game that has been played and play from a score mutually agreeable to all players.
If a player serves out of turn during a standard game, the player who was originally due to serve shall serve as soon as the error is discovered. However, if a game is completed before the error is discovered the order of service shall remain as altered.
NOTE: The general guiding philosophy regarding any mistakes made by players in failing to change ends, serving from wrong ends, serving to the wrong court, receiving from the wrong court, etc., is this: Any such error shall be rectified as soon as discovered but not while the ball is in play, and any points completed under the erroneous condition shall be counted. There are two exceptions to the “rectify immediately” requirement. One is in the case of a doubles match where the players of one team happened to reverse their left court/right court receiving lineup in the middle of a set, and the switch is discovered in the middle of a game. In this case, the players finish that game in the “new” positions, but resume their original lineup in all receiving games thereafter in that set. The third occurs in a Tiebreak, either singles or doubles, in various situations.
The player who hit the ball loses the point because it hit a permanent fixture before landing in the court. If the ball in play touches a permanent fixture after it has hit the correct court, the player who hit the ball wins the point (for example, the fence surrounding the courts).