What tournament level should I play?
Have you ever wondered what level tournament you should enter - is L5 right or L6? Are you just starting out and curious where you should start or maybe you have been competing for a little while and wondering whether you should move up?Well, you are in luck because in this article we will offer some perspective on these issues.
First, USTA junior tennis tournaments begin with L7 as the entry level. These events are open to anyone but if there is excess demand for limited spots, USTA states, “a bottom-up selection process will be used for this level, which means players with no ranking will be selected first.” Essentially, players with worse rankings will be selected ahead of those with better rankings. These events are typically one-day tournaments and are the place to start if your are new to competing in USTA junior tennis tournaments.
How do you know when you should move up to the harder levels such L6? Experts that we interviewed say that if you are winning most of your matches - say 60% - you should move to a higher level of competition. L6 tournaments may be one day or up to three days though in our experience that is relatively rare. Players compete in at least two matches and as many as four matches. For 12 & under, UTR rankings (a nationally recognized skill metric) typically range from 2-4+ with boys a bit higher than girls. For 14 & under, UTR rankings typically range from 3-5+.
More competitive levels such as L4 & L5 are typically multi-day tournaments that may involve more travel. L5 is for advanced players ranked in the top 4000 nationally while L4 is for the top 2000 ranked players. L4 tournaments may be open or closed meaning that they may be limited to a particular Section or geographic area.
No matter what your skill level, there is always a level of competitive play that will keep you challenged so sign up and compete because there is no better feeling than the satisfaction of giving your best effort in tennis.
For more information, please visit the USTA.
