Dear Southern Junior Competitive Player and Parents,
On behalf of USTA Southern Junior Competitive Committee and Junior Department staff, we want to thank you for your continued support through these trying times in 2020. We are very happy to say that Southern junior tournaments are back and ready to go.
USTA Southern recognizes that the COVID-19 pandemic has affected different parts of the section in different ways and with different timing. Because of that, it is possible for people to return to tournaments safely in some cities and states sooner than others.
The safety and well-being of all players and tournament personnel remains the first and foremost consideration of USTA Southern. All players should check the USTA Southern tournament page (which has links to six state websites) or your state’s website home page for guidelines and updates. USTA Southern highly recommends that all players and facilities adhere to the Playing Tennis Safety guidelines, as well as all local and safety regulations.
Some Southern states have already resumed their state tournament schedule on June 4. Due to the nine states experiencing different openings, please check your USTA state association’s website for the most up-to-date state schedules.
Southern level tournaments will resume July 18 with the Level 2 (no doubles) followed by the rescheduling of the Southern Closed Championships July 30-August 5 (no doubles). The Southern Closed this year will count for National Level 4 points for 2020 and 2021 shadow ranking (not Level 3) and Southern Level 1 points for this year. All registrations are open and ready for players to apply. All the information is on the USTA Southern tournament page.
The two Level 1A tournaments that were postponed from March and April have been merged and rescheduled into one tournament for September 18-21. They are all Level 4 national points for 2020 and 2021 shadow ranking.
The USTA Southern standings were published June 9. In the June 9-July 14 standings, results from mid-March of 2019 to each new standing date list will be included to compensate for the lack of play opportunities that resulted from the suspension of play due to COVID-19. These dates are set up to align with results from the Southern Level 2 in Alabama in July.
Beginning July 21, 2020, weekly standings will include results from late-March of 2019 and then scale back each week by two weeks. July 28, 2020, standings will include results from mid-April of 2019. August 4, 2020, standings will include results from late April 2019 and so forth until standing are back to a 52-week result time frame by mid-November.
Please be aware that the ranking will not be adjusted until July 14 and that the Level 2 in Alabama will not be included in the ranking for the endorsement list for the Boys’ and Girls’ 18-16s national championships in August.
Once again, thank you for your patience during these unprecedented times. If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to reach out to the Southern Junior Department. Hope to see you out on the courts!
Maria Cercone
USTA Southern Director, Junior Tennis & Player Development