RESOURCES
Find definitions, extra sources and examples of popular tennis terms and plays!
Have questions about the terms you keep seeing across our site? Our intention is to always make tennis as accessible as possible, so here is your one stop shop for additional resources and definitions of popular tennis terms. Learning a new sport or activity should be approachable and fun, these resources can help!
USTA Developing Tennis Players – Ages 4-11
USTA Junior Team Tennis
Adult Tournaments
USTA NTRP Ratings Q&A
USTA Webinars for Parents
Juniors Tennis Rankings
USTA Adult leagues
Health Benefits of Tennis
What is a tennis ladder?
A tennis ladder is a system to rank a group of tennis players of similar abilities. Players are ranked sequentially. Each step in the ladder corresponds to a ranking. The number of steps in the ladder is the total number of players. When the tennis ladder starts, players are given an initial ranking. As players challenge each other, and play matches, their rankings are adjusted accordingly. The goal is to move up in ranking and climb the ladder. Ladders are a great way to meet new players and improve match playing skills. If you haven't played in a tennis ladder, then you have been missing out.
What does round robin mean?
A round-robin schedule is a competition in which every participant plays against the other participants. This means that each competitor has an equal opportunity to face off against all of their opponents, creating a fair and equitable playing field for participants. Unlike other tournament formats, such as single or double-elimination brackets, where a loss can result in elimination from the tournament, round robins allow competitors to accumulate points throughout the tournament based on their performance in each match. These points are then tallied at the end of the tournament to determine the overall winner.
