Whether you play for your middle school, high school or college, your tennis practices and matches will be governed by rules set by your state athletic association, conference, the NCAA or the Intercollegiate Tennis Association. The rules for playing your matches will most likely follow those set by the U.S. Tennis Association, with some variations for scoring possible, based on your league's need to keep team matches on a tight schedule.
Training, Practice and Recruiting
There is no national governing body for high school or middle school tennis. Each state has its own state athletic association that sets rules for all sports, such as when a coach can have official contact with players during the course of the year, when teams may begin practices, how many nonconference matches a team may play and other guidelines. If you are a coach, you will want to familiarize yourself with your state's rules for practice and player contact dates. For example, in Texas, the University Interscholastic League limits tennis practices to three hours during the preseason. The ITA is the governing body of collegiate tennis and has rules for preseason player/coach contact and practices based on the division of play.
Prizes and Equipment
If you are a player who plays in tournaments throughout the year, you will want to check your state high school athletic association's rules about playing tournaments, including accepting prizes. If you play in a tournament sponsored by a camera company, for example, and the winner of the tournament gets a trophy and a new camera, that player may be ruled ineligible for high school play. You should also know the rules for accepting free rackets, shoes, strings or other items from a sponsor. In Texas, high school players may not accept a racket as a prize for winning a tournament but may receive free rackets based on a state or national ranking. The NCAA has set rules for athletes regarding participation in professional leagues prior to and during their collegiate careers, and accepting prize money or expense reimbursements.
Lineups
Some states and districts set restrictions on how lineups are made for matches to prevent cheating. In some conferences, a coach may only switch players one or two spots after they have played a match. In other leagues, players may only switch positions in a lineup if the players have played a challenge match and the match is witnessed by a third party and recorded by a coach. In some states, once a set deadline has past, teams may not change lineups for the rest of the season. If you coach high school, make sure you review a copy of both your state athletic association rules and your conference or district rules. If you coach at the collegiate levels, check the ITA rules for your division of play.
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