Frequently Asked Questions

As per the Rules of the Court, it is prohibited for any person to obtain, transmit, store or distribure any video recordings of players without the express permission of all players involved. In the case of Junior players (18 years of age and  under), such permission must be given by the players' parent, legal guardian or coach.

No. A competitor cannot compete in two simultaneously occurring events. Thus, if found to be signed up for two or more tournaments at the same time, the participant will be removed from each one of the entry lists. For more information visit our Tournament Overlap page.

• FIRST OFFENSE… WARNING.
• SECOND OFFENSE … POINT PENALTY.
• THIRD AND SUBSEQUENT OFFENSE… GAME PENALTY.
• In doubles, the Point Penalty Schedule applies to the team rather than to the individual members of the team.
• However after the third Code Violation, the Referee shall determine whether each subsequent offense shall constitute a default.

Six (6) infractions accumulated during the course of one (1) tournament will result in an immediate default. The player will be assessed the Suspension Points according to the infractions received.

• FIRST OFFENSE….. SOFT WARNING.
• SECOND OFFENSE… WARNING.
• THIRD OFFENSE… POINT PENALTY.
• FOURTH OFFENSE… GAME PENALTY.
• FIFTH OFFENSE… GAME PENALTY.
• SIXTH OFFENSE… DEFAULT.

Incorrect Line Call Violations, like Time Violations, are accumulated separately from the Point Penalty System used for Code of Conduct violations. On the other hand, while they constitute a separate penalty scale, Incorrect Line Call Violations combine with the Point Penalty System in the tabulation of Suspension Points, possibly leading to the suspension of a player.

View the Coach Certification page for a detailed list of the course schedule and fees.

Violations of the Code of Conduct include but are not limited to: ball abuse, racquet or environment abuse, physical abuse, verbal abuse, audible and or visible obscenity, unreasonable delay, coaching and coaches, “best efforts”, unsportsmanlike conduct, improper attire, withdrawing from a tournament or failing to complete a match, bribes and/or guarantees and more. For more information visit the Rules of the Court.

Please refer to our tournament timeline for more information regarding this.(Page in progress)

- Tournaments may be posted as early as a few months in advance and as late as 2 weeks prior to the tournament star date.

- Registration for tournaments opens up 4 weeks prior to the tournament start date with the entry deadline being the week prior to the tournament week.

New members can register online HERE. 

More resources for new players can be found on our website under the Players tab.

One year from the time you register; i.e. if you reigster on January 5th, 2023, your membership will expire January 5th, 2024.

U8, U9, U10, U12, U14, U16, U18. Only the U12-U18 divisions have sanctioned events eligible for rank points.

Tournament registration can be completed online. Click Players > Find a Tournament to view the calendar of events. Click on the name of any tournament to view specific details and contact info.

No - each tournament charges a separate entry fee.

If you are from outside Ontario, you can enter OTA tournaments if you have an active membership with another Provincial Association in Canada.

A digital version of Tennis Canada's Rules of the Court is available for download HERE (www.tennisontario.com > Players > Rules & Regulations.

OTA tournaments range from the Nike Transition Tour Circuit, Rogers First Set Tour - Rookie to 2-5 star level (5 being the highest level of competition in the province):

• NIKE Transition Tour Circuit: a tour designed for players ages U12 and U14 wishing to compete beyond the Future Stars and Rogers Rookie Tours. In order to compete in this circuit, players must be ranked 31st or lower in the registered age group in Ontario.
• Rogers First Set Tour - Rookie Tour: a fun entry-level competition for starter junior tennis players from ages 6 to 18. No ranking points are accrued.
• Rogers First Tour - Rising Stars: a competitive option for the more advanced U9/U10 junior player who has competed in at least three to five Rogers First Set Tour - Rookie events. Rising Stars has a separate points race.
• 2 star**: The next level of competition where players can now attain Rogers Ranking points (i.e. Transition Tour). Player's ranked in the top 24 of the designated tournament category will not be eligible to participate.
• 3 star***: Tournaments oriented towards more competitive and experienced players (i.e. Provincial Circuit)
• 3.5 star***+: Tournaments oriented to high performance and experienced players (i.e Provincial Circuit Plus)
• 4 star****: High-level events, usually requiring players to qualify or have a high provincial ranking (i.e. National Selections)
• 5 star*****: Provincial Championships- 1 Indoor & 1 Outdoor, players can qualify via high ranking or the qualifying tournament

Note: For 3.5 star events and lower, acceptance is granted on a first come first serve basis when registering online at ota.tournamentsoftware.com.
Note: Acceptance for 4 star and 5 star events are based on rank. All players not receiving direct acceptance automatically go into the qualifying event if offered.

In 2023, the annual OTA membership fee is $88.

Click HERE, then select your desired tournament. You will be taken to ota.tournamentsoftware.com where you can register for the tournament. Please note that players are required to have an up to date provincial membership in order to enter tournaments.

Click HERE to access the provincial rankings (under Players > National Bank Rankings).

Players can only earn points when they have a valid membership with their provincial tennis association. Ranking points expire after a year. Players will appear on the rankings as long as they have points which have not expired.

The ranking system awards points for progress in sanctioned tournament play. The further a player progresses, the more points they build up. Points are accumulated from a player's top 5 results over the past 52 weeks (top 3 results for adults). Results from each new week will be added and the results from the corresponding week of the previous year will be dropped.

Players receive a ranking by playing at least one of the specified ranking events. Point awards for tournaments are based on draw size and the strength of the tournament.

Typically, the rankings are updated weekly each Thursday evening. However, other provinces may update their rankings on Tuesday and because of that, a tournament from the year prior might "fall off" prior to the update Thursday.

Juniors are treated the same as other Open players and can build an Open ranking. Results from junior tournaments do not count towards their Open ranking as not all Open players are allowed to participate in junior events. A junior must reach the quarterfinals of an Open 1000 event to gain points toward their junior ranking (no other Open results will be considered towards a junior ranking).

Yes. Many international results are used for the provincial rankings.

Junior Rankings: ITF main draw results without a first round loss will be added to your match history. Adult ATP/WTA events will only be added by the same guideline or if a pro point is earned at a higher level event, via ranking or the qualifying process.

Open Rankings: 1000 rank points will be added for each professional point received.

As there is sometimes a delay in international results being added to a player profile please allow up to 3 weeks for points to be included in provincial rankings. Results are updated weekly with the Thursday night rankings.

Tennis Canada sends a player ranking list to the ITF 4 times a year. This is used by the ITF for determining acceptance lists for entry into professional events or ITF junior events for players that do not have any Jr. ITF or professional ranking. For more information on these lists, please contact Tennis Canada (tournaments@tenniscanada.com). Once a new ranking list has been sent, this list will only be used for events in which the entry deadline has not closed. It is recommended players monitor their ranking regularly to make sure all results are up to date prior to each list being submitted.

The OTA office is open - however, it is closed to the public and in-person meetings are strictly by APPOINTMENT ONLY. Meetings via video/phone are preferred at this time. We highly recommend that you contact the staff member in question prior to arriving on the premises.

Players playing in their own age group in domestic events are awarded points for first round losses, which amounts to a recognition of participation. In general, players playing out of their age group domestically or players playing international events are not awarded points for a first round loss. In this case, a first round bye is not treated as a win.

A player receiving a walkover in the first round of a tournament is treated the same as a first round bye. If a player's opponent retires after play has commenced, the match is treated as having been played.

A player receiving a default, walkover, or withdrawal in the second round or later of a tournament is treated as having won the match.

SPIN Newsletter is released weekly. Click HERE to subscribe and to view past issues.

Players who withdraw late or fail to complete all required events in a tournament will receive penalty points which can lead to a player being suspended. Once a player accumulates three (3) failure to play points, they will be suspended for 3 months pending appeal.

Once activated, players can login to their player profile at ota.tournamentsoftware.com.

To cancel your subscription or change your mailing address, please call or email us at: 416.514.1100 | ota@tennisontario.com

Ontario Tennis Magazine has gone digital and is only mailed to registered competitors.

Please visit www.ontennis.ca to see new articles and online releases. Back issues of Ontario Tennis Magazine can be viewed online here (under Media > ONTennis Magazine).

Many events involve players from multiple age groups. Normally such events are rated for the age group of the oldest participants. However, some such events are notably weaker. This can happen when events are combined or there are simply not enough players to run events in each age category. We must avoid the lower age group players building a strong ranking simply by playing in such events. Therefore, multi age-group events will be downgraded (by one age group) when all of the following conditions apply: less than 25% of the players are in the age category of the event; or less than 50% of the players are in the age group of the event; or the age group below or fewer than 8 players in total are in the age group of the event or the age group below.

Professional Liability policy covers certain lawsuits alleging purely economic damages arising out of the performance of member services with no accompanying bodily injury or property damage. The following are examples of exposures that make a Professional Liability policy beneficial for a sports and recreation organization:

• A player alleges that improper instruction by a coach resulted in the loss of an athletic scholarship or professional sports career.
• A player alleges that mistakes made in his/her recruiting service profile resulted in the loss of an athletic scholarship or professional sports career. Sports organizations that publish player statistics or strengths and weaknesses may have this exposure.

Please contact the OTA Tournament Manager, Brian Jaimees for any inquires relating to rankings bjaimes@tennisontario

PLEASE NOTE: All ranking inquiries such as changes in results or rank points must be made within 6 months of the tournaments completions. Beyond this time period, the OTA will not alter a player’s record.

Yes, in order to play OTA sanction events, players must have a current membership with the OTA to register for tournaments.

To sign up for a new membership, click HERE.

Please note that junior players must also send proof of age to otatournaments@tennisontario.com once they have registered and paid the annual fee. Once verified, you will be able to register for tournaments.

Some events will ask that entry fee be paid as part of the online registration process. If online registration does not ask for the entry fee upfront, players should expect to provide payment when checking in for their first match to the host club. 

If a player is placed in the draw and withdrawal occurs prior to the first match of the event, then an alternate will be sought. If no alternate is available, the withdrawing player will remain liable for the entry fees, regardless of the circumstances leading to their withdrawal.

A player is not permitted to enter and play two concurrent Tennis Canada and/or OTA sanctioned tournaments. The OTA Player Development Manager may consider written requests for exemption to this rule in unusual circumstances, prior to the entry deadlines of both events. Players who are on two reserve lists for the same weekend and are promoted to the main draw of both events should notify the OTA upon entry notification – this is the only instance in which the OTA will work with the player to ensure penalties are not assessed.

Draws are typically posted on Tuesday evening. Visit the tournament posting at ota.tournamentsoftware.com to view draws. Start times are posted online by the club by Wednesday evening.

Tournaments are scheduled by the host club.

Weekdays: as early as 4:30pm (highly ranked & summer events may be scheduled earlier)

Weekends: as early as 8:00am Last matches scheduled to begin as late as 9:00pm.

All players are expected to be available during the entirety of the event. Time requests can be submitted; however due to draw size, court availability, etc. it is not always possible for the Tournament Director to accommodate all requests.

All draws are generated at random by the VR Tournament Planner Program.

All junior tournament seedings are based solely off the Rogers Rankings. Seedings for our four-star and five-star junior events may take into account other significant information when determining the order of merit.

Adult tournament seedings are based primarily off the Rogers Rankings. For bigger tournaments, where registered competitors do not have current ranking points in the designated category, other significant information may be used when determining seeds for the event. For example, historic results from the past tournaments, other ranking points attained in other categories, different rating tools used internationally (UTR).

The above seeding process is subject to change should the OTA ranking system be altered.

Please review the Rules of the Court for the Procedures regarding Lucky Loser positions.

Acceptance lists for Rogers First Set Tour - Rising Stars, 2 star, and 3 star events are based off OTA procedures as outlined in the OTA Code of Conduct (Summary of General Tournament Regulations). Acceptance lists for 3.5 star, 4 star, and Provincial closed events are soley based off the Rogers Rankings.

Players must normally be prepared to play two complete main draw matches per day, regardless of the length of such matches. In the case of significant weather delays, or when permitted to play in more than one event, they must be prepared to play three complete matches in total.

Where a player is entered in a consolation draw, the maximum total number of matches in all events (singles and doubles, main draw and consolations) shall not exceed four matches per day. Players may , of their own volition, play more than the maximum.

In OTA sanctioned events the latest scheduled start time for a match should normally be 9:00pm, and the earliest 8:00am. Due to the modified scoring and tournament formats, players are required to play a maximum of 3 preliminary matches in a row with modified short sets. Player's advancing to elimination flights will be required to play additional matches following the completion of round robin play.

Between singles matches, players should be entitled to a rest period of at least 45 minutes. Between a singles and doubles match, or between two doubles matches, players shall be entitled to a rest period of at least 30 minutes.

Players competing in multiple singles events may not be guaranteed the allocated rest times and should be willing to compete in a maximum of 4 matches per day with limited to no rest. Rest times are not guaranteed at progressive tennis events (i.e.: Rogers First Set Tour - Rookie & Rising Stars tournaments). Due to the modified scoring and tournament formats, players are required to play a maximum of 3 preliminary matches in a row with modified short sets. Players advancing to the elimination flight may be granted a half an hour rest time at the discretion of the tournament director.