Captains’ Letter

Captain Information for the 2024 League Season

Thank you for being a team captain! We appreciate your efforts very much and hope you and your teammates have a great season!

Exciting News!
Be sure to look for USTA Colorado Staff throughout the league season at your weekly matches. We will be out taking photos and video to post on USTA Colorado’s various social media channels. Be sure to say hello if you see us out there! If you prefer not to be photographed, please politely let us know.

Why read all of this?
Whether this is your first year as captain or you have been a captain for many years, there are changes to rules, regulations and procedures each year. This information is being provided to make your duties as captain go as smoothly as possible this league season.  Please read this information in its entirety and Contact Us if you have any questions.

2024 League Changes
Click here to view a list of league changes for the 2024 season. There are some important changes to be aware of, so please look through all of the regulations.

League Regulations
Click here for CO District League Regulations and USTA National League Regulations. Changes for the 2024 season are underlined and in red font.

Frequently Asked Questions
We have many frequently asked league questions answered on our FAQ page.

Communications
Our communications with captains are almost entirely done via email, so it is really important that you list a good email on your USTA membership and read over the information we send out. We routinely provide you with all of the important information you will need regarding schedules, playoff announcements, and deadlines.

As a team captain, please be sure to communicate well with opposing team captains. It is best to list a cell phone for your contact number, as there are times when captains need to reach each other urgently.

If you have the need to communicate with USTA Colorado, our contact information is available here.

Important Dates and Deadlines
The calendar with important dates and deadlines is located on this page of our website

Pay close attention to the score entry deadline. Please make arrangements ahead of time if your match is important for standings since there is always the possibility of inclement weather. Regardless of inclement weather, the deadline for entering scores will not be extended.

Score Entry
Always print a copy of the scorecard to take with you to the match.  It is the responsibility of both team captains to ensure that match scores are accurately reported within 48 hours of the completed scheduled match. This responsibility should be discussed when lineups are exchanged. Both captains should retain a copy of the match lineup and scores throughout the entire season in case of a dispute.

If something is incorrect with the match as entered, please dispute the match and submit a scorecard correction form to identify what needs to be corrected.

All league matches throughout Colorado must play a 10-point match tiebreak in lieu of the 3rd set (The Standard Tiebreak Procedure is used for all Tiebreaks – Coman is NO LONGER USED for league play in Colorado. More Info).  Scores for 3rd set tiebreak must be entered as 1-0 in TennisLink.

Sportsmanship
Tennis has always been a sport that requires etiquette and sportsmanship. We expect all players in USTA leagues to follow The Code of Tennis. Please discuss behavior with your teammates and ensure that everyone on your own team conducts themselves with a high level of sportsmanship in every match.

If you experience any sportsmanship issues, we are only able to address them if we know about them. We have a new form on our website to allow you to submit any “Formal Complaints” or “Grievances”. Please use this form if you need to file a formal complaint or a grievance. Note: there are USTA National timelines for filing a grievance. Other information about the difference between a formal complaint and a grievance is available on the form.

Advancing / Non-advancing Leagues
District Championship and Flight Playoff Information

USTA National Championship Advancement (Districts / Sectionals / Nationals)
USTA Mixed 18 & Over
USTA Mixed 40 & Over
USTA Adult 18 & Over
USTA Adult 40 & Over
USTA Adult 55 & Over

Invitational Advancement (Districts / Sectional Invitational / National Invitational)
USTA Adult 65 & Over
USTA Tri-Level

Intermountain Sectional Advancement (Districts / Sectionals)
ITA Mixed

No Advancement (Local League Only)
Trio
CTA Women’s Daytime Doubles
CTA Women’s Summer Daytime
CTA Women’s 2.5
CTA Adult 18-39
CTA Twilight

Find A Team/Find A Player
USTA CO has a program to better assist teams looking for players or players looking for teams. Click here if you need assistance finding a player for your team.

Directions to Courts
We recommend that all players use our Court Locator for directions if they do not know where they’re going.  It is extremely important to note that the address for facilities that is provided in TennisLink is often NOT the address to the tennis courts, so players should never search for directions using the address they see in TennisLink.  We have provided a link to the court locator on your team’s stats and standings page for easy access to it.

Rainouts / Rescheduled matches
Any rained out or otherwise rescheduled matches are to be played within three (3) weeks of the originally scheduled match date or by the score entry deadline, whichever comes first. There will be no extensions for any reason. Scores not reported within that time will be input as double defaults. See the Colorado District League Regulations section 11.00 for more information.

Weather Information
We are often asked when it is too hot, too cold, or too windy to play league matches outdoors. If teams reschedule a match due to these conditions, it would be viewed the same as if they rescheduled for any number of other situations that are not covered under Mandatory Reschedules, and therefore, this type of reschedule would fall under the Non-Mandatory Reschedule section of the regulations (9.00). While USTA Colorado regulations suggest that all non-mandatory requests to reschedule are declined, the regulations include no penalties for situations in which teams reschedule and play a match in the required timeframe without issue. However, if the teams do not get the match played within the required timeframe or if any issues arise with a Non-Mandatory rescheduled match, the match will be considered a double default.

A few additional notes that are important for captains to know

  • Communicate with opposing team captains each week prior to the match date. During this call/email, discuss the match location, site specifics such as water and bathrooms, plan if there is inclement weather, how many courts will be used (3 or more), etc.
  • If matches need to be staggered (see Colorado Regulations for which leagues are allowed to stagger), please agree on which matches will be played first prior to the start of play. If no agreement can be reached, then the doubles matches are to be played first.
  • If teams agree, and if there are courts available, the teams can agree to start the match a little early. This can help avoid darkness issues for sites that do not have lights or indoor courts. Home team captains must discuss this with their facility coordinator first to make sure the courts are available prior to 6pm for the teams to use.
  • When communicating with opposing captains, do not rely on voicemail messages. Make sure you actually speak to the opposing captain or have an email string that indicates that both captains have been involved in the discussion.
  • While everyone wants to win, make sure you and your teammates are always following The Code of Tennis. We want league matches to be an enjoyable experience for everyone involved and team captains have the ability to encourage and enforce good behavior by all of their teammates.
  • Both captains should keep record of the lineups and match scores for the entire season. At the conclusion of the match, agree on which captain will input the scores and which captain will confirm the scores. Scores must be reported within 48 hours of match completion. If a score is disputed for any reason, the disputing captain should email the USTA Colorado league coordinator (or area league coordinator) to inform them of the reason for the dispute.

Dynamic NTRP
Dynamic NTRP ratings will be run by the computer to determine if any players are “clearly above level” using the current Disqualification Procedure Guidelines. Players will be disqualified if they achieve the currently established “clearly above level” status three times based on all matches reported in the national database for the Adult Divisions (18 & Over, 40 & Over, 55 & Over). This includes all match play in the Adult divisions in all sections. Remember, you must reach this disqualification level three times during the championship league year in order to be disqualified. More information is available under the NTRP section of this website (Adult Leagues tab).