USTA Northern California offers a variety of junior tournament levels to meet your short and long term goals. You will probably find that having a strategy will help you choose tournaments more effectively. Whether you plan to improve your game for high school play/team tennis or to eventually play college and/or professional tennis, understanding the information below will help you make sound tournament decisions. Please consult with your parents and coach to finalize your plans.

The six different types of tournaments offered in USTA NorCal are tiered so that as you improve you will be encouraged to enter increasingly competitive events. If you experience competition that is too tough, you can easily find a tournament with players who are closer to your own level.

You will also find that some of our tournaments offer doubles events, while others focus on singles. We HIGHLY recommend you play doubles. Even if you are most interested in singles, we're sure you will find it fun to be out on the court with a partner. Experts often say that if you're a good doubles player who can serve and volley and come to the net during a point, you will be an EVEN BETTER singles player in the long run.

Entry Level. If you are new to the game and would like to try a tournament, definitely start at the Novice level. As you experience success, try the Challenger level. The Novice and Challenger levels are also the perfect place for players who enjoy other sports and are not focusing most of their time on tennis.

Intermediate. Players who consider themselves in the intermediate range should consider entering Challenger and Open Tournaments. If you experience success, consider competing regularly at the Open level and try out a few Championship tournaments as well. If you are having limited success at the Open level, try the Challenger or Novice levels to build your skills.

Advanced. You will find the most difficult competition at our Championship, Excellence, and Sectional Championship Tournaments. Each year, eight Championship Tournaments, three Excellence Tournaments and one Sectional Championship is held in the 12 - 18 age divisions. The Championship tournaments and Sectional Championship tournaments do not have limited draws so everyone who enters will be accepted; however, Excellence Tournaments are limited to 32 players, so only the highest ranked of those entering will be accepted. All of these tournaments count for both sectional and national rankings and players who win matches earn ranking points in NorCal and nationally. Don't be afraid to give a Championship tournament a try, but if you don't experience success, go back to the Open and Challenger Levels to work on your game.

Planning Your Tournament Schedule. If you are in the intermediate to advanced rage you need to make smart decisions about the types of tournaments to enter, especially if your tennis goals include playing in national tournaments, many of which depend on a strong sectional ranking. It is important to know your goal and map out a pathway to achieve it. For example, if you are aging up from the 14 to 16 age divisions, you will begin competing in the 16 age division with zero ranking points. It may be wise to play some 16s tournaments to start building your ranking before you actually age up. Also, once you have met your tennis goals in an age division, it might be time to age up to the next division, even if you aren't that age yet, to optimize your chances of achieving your goals in the next division.

Use the Tournament Schedule in this Handbook, along with the online Tournament Schedule at norcal.usta.com, to plan your schedule. This is very important for advanced players wishing to play in national tournaments, but it can also be helpful if you are an entry or intermediate level player. When planning your schedule, be flexible as you may be experiencing more success than you anticipated and may want to enter higher level tournaments than you originally thought. On the other hand, you may have an injury or something that will take you away from the game for a period of time and you may need to adjust your schedule to ease yourself back onto the courts.

Most of all, have fun on the courts. Tennis is a sport you will be able to enjoy for many years to come (even into your 80's!) and the skills you are learning as a junior will last a lifetime.