Rankings

2009 Alabama Junior Ranking Requirements

We will continue to use the combined rankings/standings in which Doubles results of your 8 best events will be added to your 8 best singles results in singles at a percentage of 15% of the doubles points earned. We are excited about the turn out and growth of our Level 5 our Challenger or Novice events, they will continue to be able to use 4 game, 6 game or 8 game prosets and they may use the short court Quick Start format as well, play in these events will be included in challenger standings/rankings only and will not count toward our other standings/rankings or that of Southern or National.

Level 1: Alabama Junior Qualifier, Alabama Junior Closed, Southern Closed, National Clay courts and the Summer National Hard courts and Junior Southern Cup(New ATA Level for 2009).

Level 2: Alabama Junior State Spring Clay court Open(Huntsville), Alabama Junior State Spring Hard-court Open(Birmingham), Alabama Junior State Fall Hard-court Open(Mobile), National Opens, Other National Championships, Southern Opens, Southern Spring Championship, the Alabama Summer Junior Open (Auburn), the Alabama Doubles Open Championship, Fall Southern Closed, Winter Southern Closed,  Alabama 10’s Team Championship(Auburn), National Zonal and Junior Davis Cup events, Bull Frog's and Blue/Gray Junior.

Level 3: Designed to be Alabama's regional level circuit. Level will be shown in tournament title on usta.com

Level 4: Is Alabama's general events throughout the State. Level will be shown in tournament title on usta.com

Level 5: Designed to be for the entry level circuit and these events will be included in a separate Challenger Ranking/Standing results and not in the regular standings/rankings. Play in this level event is designed for players who did not have a year end ranking in our regular ranked list in the previous year.

Alabama Junior Spring Clay court Open: (Huntsville) is open to any junior player from the Southern Section who is a current member of the USTA. It is a level 2 event for Alabama ranking/standing and level 3for Southern Rankings. This event follows the STA guidelines for STA Level 3 events.

Alabama Junior Doubles Open (Birmingham) New event for 2009 This is a Doubles only event that is open to all Southern Players, it is an Alabama Level 2 and a Southern Level 4 event.

Alabama Junior Spring Hard-court Open: (Birmingham) is open to any junior player from the Southern Section who is a current member of the USTA. It is a level 2 event for Alabama ranking/standing and level 3 for Southern Rankings. This event follows the STA guidelines for STA Level 3 events.

Alabama Junior Qualifying Championships: (Montgomery) This event is the Qualifying Tournament to determine who will represent Alabama in the Southern Closed Championships play in this event is restricted to Alabama residents. It is mandatory that players play in the Alabama Junior State Qualifying Championships to be considered for the Southern Closed. To be on Alabama’s list of endorsed players does not guarantee entry into the Closed.  It is all players’ responsibility to enter the Southern Closed prior to the deadline to be considered. (In special circumstances, the Alabama Junior Competition Committee may grant a waiver, said waiver request must be made at the earliest time possible and let it be known in advance that the Committee has a long history of not granting said waivers, as it feels the importance of participating in our Qualifier is top priority.). With that said it is Alabama's responsibility to send the strongest quota of players in each age division, based on the results in the qualifier we will select players on the following criteria; for the B/G 14-18's the 4 semi finalist in the main and the 4 semi finalist in the back draw are selected automatically, for the B/G 12's the 4 Semi Finalist in the main draw and the 2 finalist in the back draw are automatically selected, for the B/G 10's the 2 Finalist in the main draw are automatically selected and the remaining quota spots in each age division will be determined by the Alabama Junior Competition Committee based on all USTA National, Sectional and District ranking/standing information available, as well as recent head to head results.

Alabama's quota is based on the number of junior USTA memberships in the state and will vary from year to year. It is a level 1 event for Alabama ranking/standing and level 3(NEW STA level for 2009) for Southern Rankings.

Alabama Junior State Closed Championships: (Montgomery) is open to any Alabama Junior player who is a current member of the USTA. It is a level 1 event for Alabama ranking/standing and level 4 for Southern Rankings.

Alabama Summer Junior Open: (Auburn)New for 2009 is open to any Southern junior player who is a current member of the USTA. It is a level 2 event for Alabama ranking/standing and level 4 for Southern Rankings.

Alabama Junior Fall Hard-court Open: (Mobile) is open to any Southern junior player who is a current member of the USTA. It is a level 2 event for Alabama ranking/standing and level 3 for Southern Rankings. This event follows the STA guidelines for STA Level 3 events.

Junior Southern Cup: (NEW ATA level for 2009)The Junior Southern Cup is a team competition. The strongest players from Alabama team up to compete against the 8 other states in the Southern section. Each team consists of the 3 players in the age groups Girl's and Boy's 14, 16 and 18's. The 12’s will play in a separate event on a different weekend that combines players from different states. The winner of the Alabama Qualifying Championships in the appropriate age group is an automatic member of the team in that age division, the other 2 players are selected by the USTA Alabama Junior Competition Committee based on all USTA ranking/standing information as well as recent head to head wins.  It is a level 1 event for Alabama ranking/standing. Players must have exhibited good sportsmanship during the current year.

Alabama 10’s Indoor Team Competition is a team event for our younger players. Players will be selected by the Director of Junior Development based on most current standings in the Southern and Alabama 10’s and Alabama 8’s and under, recent head to head results and good sportsmanship.

Players must have a minimum 100 points to show up on the standings and 200 points to be included in the Final rankings, only exception is the Challenger Standings and a player must have 1 point minimum. Play in all higher age division will be included in the rolling standings only and will not be included in the year end rankings or any endorsement list used during the year.

USTA Player Development Programs:  The Player Development Program began in 1987 and was initiated by a special committee appointed by the USTA Board of Directors. Three goals of the program are:
(1) Attract more young people from every background to tennis and keep them playing.
(2) Help good players reach their maximum potential.
(3) Help out players win the Grand Slam events, the Davis Cup, Federation Cup and the Olympics. To achieve the second goal, USTA Competitive Training Centers have been established. The goal of the Alabama program is to help the players selected for each of the Area Training Centers to focus on achieving skills that will enable them to reach their maximum potential. The centers are to supplement the player's current programs and complement already acquired mental and physical skills. Being selected for any player development program is an honor. If a player chooses not to attend, with no explanation, then he or she jeopardizes their chances of being invited in the future.

Competitive Training Centers:  Competitive Training Center is located in Birmingham. The Head Coach will select the best players to attend the training center. Criteria include: player ranking and record, sportsmanship, attitude and all-court game.

The Challengers Circuit Tournaments:  A challenger tennis player should be a player not ranked in the previous year’s regular ranked list. The Challenger Circuit is currently offered in various cities in Alabama. It is a sanctioned level 5 event designed to introduce players 6 - 18 to "real match play". The goal of this "challenger" series of tournaments is to encourage and give opportunity to junior tennis players who have an interest and potential to play and enjoy the game. The Challenger series has its own separate standings/rankings calculated; these series will not count toward regular ranked players standings/rankings. USTA membership is required to participate.

Schools Program:  The USTA Schools Program helps schools introduce students K - 12 to the lifetime sport of tennis through their physical education curriculum. School systems have received free in-service training and curriculum materials. Many schools have kicked off their "tennis unit" with a fun-filled motivational assembly, conducted by a State Recreation Director.  School systems are being encouraged to develop after school programs to give every child an opportunity for a low-key competition.

National Junior Tennis League (NJTL):  NJTL provides entry-level tennis opportunities, which will capture the interest of all young athletes. Starting with beginners, ages 8 - 18, everyone belongs to a team, enjoying the fun of instant tennis and developing tennis skills. There are a number of chapters in Alabama offering free or low-cost summer programs. Equipment is provided to anyone who does not have a racket.

Junior Competition Committee:  The Junior Competition Committee is one branch of USTA Alabama. Its purpose is to propose policies to the USTA Alabama Board of Directors regarding any and all junior programs and to be of service to all Alabama junior tennis players. The Committee is in place to tackle all concerns of junior tennis, to answer questions regarding the Alabama junior programs, and to propose and adjust rules and guidelines, with approval of the USTA Alabama board.