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.
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.
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.
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.
- 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.
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.
All tournament postings can here (under Players > Find a Tournament). Players are required to have a current membership with the OTA (or other Provincial Tennis Association) to enter events. Players should register online prior to the entry deadline (typically the Sunday before the tournament). Tournament withdrawals should also be completed online prior to the withdrawal deadline.
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.