Play

Club ladder

Autumn Winter Singles Ladder
Monday 22 April - Sunday 4 August

Who: Open to all senior club members (not just those who play interclub) and juniors who have played senior interclub this year

When: Commencing Monday 22 April and ending Sunday 4 August (104 days)

Why: This is a fantastic opportunity to continue playing singles competitively over autumn and winter, to challenge yourself by playing members who may be ranked higher than you and to meet members who you may not have played before. It will also help club captains when selecting and ranking teams.

Ladder rules

A club ladder is a great format for those who can’t commit to playing at a set time each week.

When challenged, players organise a time to play that suits them both and you can challenge as little or as often as you like.

Here’s how it works:

  1. There are up to 30 spots on the ladder
  2. The initial order of players on the ladder will be based on player knowledge of the club captains, Match Hub rankings, ITF World Tennis Number or recent results on Match Hub. It will be best guess in some cases, but the ladder will certainly sort itself out over time – that’s the whole idea of it!
  3. Players who join the ladder after the start date will be added to the bottom of the ladder
  4. All matches will be the best of 3 sets, short deuces, a tie break to 7 (2-point lead) at 6 games all and if a third set decider is needed this will be a super tiebreaker to 10 (2-point lead)
  5. Matches stopped for bad weather or similar reasons must be completed within 1 week or the leading player wins the tie
  6. Players move up the ladder by challenging higher ranked players and winning the match
  7. When you’ve won a match, you swap places with the player you won against
  8. Players can challenge other players a maximum of 3 places above them
  9. Players ranked 1-5 can challenge any other players ranked 1-5
  10. Each player will have 1 wildcard challenge. This allows players to challenge another player anywhere in the ladder. If they lose, they move to the bottom of the ladder. 
  11. Your wildcard challenge is indicated by an orange sticker on your card. Once you've used it, it will be removed.
  12. Challenges must be accepted and played within 10 days of the challenge, unless both players agree to an extension or there is a good reason, such as having challenged a player who is out of town or injured. Failure to respond to the challenge, may result in a win for the challenger
  13. In the case where a challenger loses a match, they must challenge 2 other players before challenging the same player to a rematch
  14. If you don't play a match within 30 days, you will be moved to the bottom of the ladder
  15. It is the challenger’s responsibility to book a court and to supply new balls for the match
  16. The challenger must inform the ladder administrator of the results and report the score within 24 hours of the match, preferably by text
  17. The ladder administrator will adjust the ladder weekly and post the results on the noticeboard by the court gate. 
  18. Please inform the ladder administrator if you are unavailable eg, your're injured and they will turn your card around until you are available for challenges again

FAQs

What is the little orange dot on my card for?
The orange dot signifies that you still hold your wildcard. It will be removed when you have played the card to challenge someone outside of the three places in your reach.

What if the player I want to challenge doesn’t have time for a match?
You cannot refuse a challenge. You have ten days to arrange the match, which always includes at least one weekend. The refusal leads to an automatic forfeit, unless the challenger agrees to withdraw and perhaps challenge another player instead.

What if I am unavailable because of injury or I am away on holiday?
Inform the ladder administrator of your unavailability. Your absence will be noted on your card and potential challengers will skip your rank until you are available again.

What happens when I challenge someone, who has already accepted a challenge from another player?
You wait until the first challenge has been played and try again, or challenge another player in the meantime.

How long can I hold my position on the ladder for, if I can’t play eg. because of injury?
If you haven’t played a match in 30 days, you will be moved to the bottom of the ladder. You will have to play your way up again.