Tennis Tour - Tennis Social Network and Tennis Leagues

	Welcome to the Tennis Tour! The Tour is a Social Network and League that allows you to connect to tennis players all over the US. There are two components: 1. Always FREE Players Gallery and Exhibition match play 2. Tennis Tour Leagues - many FREE More Info Overview - About the Tour Players Gallery Exhibition Match Play TennisTour Points Levels Peer Ratings 5 List Instructors Events Leagues League Schedule League Benefits Sign Up - New Tennis Tour Members Overview The original concept of the Tennis Tour was created around 1995 by myself, Brent Weyer. I didn't like the fact that the only way to find players to play was to join a tennis club. I wanted a way to find players to play at local public courts. So I created the Puget Sound Tennis Tour originally for Seattle players. This has been a hobby of mine that I've enjoyed doing for the past 15+ years. Around 2007 the Tennis Tour expanded Nation wide and has quickly grown to over 7000 players. The goal of the Tennis Tour is to make setting up and playing tennis as easy as possible by providing multiple player connection tools with a bit of friendly competition mixed in. The majority of the website will always be free with the goal of making everything free. The only charges are for the leagues/events that require someone to specifically review scores, manage events, or pay for courts, prizes etc. Take a look around and check back often. New features and upgrades are always being added. Enjoy the tennis Sincerely, Brent FREE Players Gallery - Find Players to Play Today - example page Set up your own network of tennis friends Receive friendly invitations to play matches from the automated match scheduler Search and contact players based on match time and location preferences FREE Exhibition Match Play Players start with 1000 Tour Points. Play a match against any player then visit their page to submit an exhibition match win. Earn TennisTour ranking points for each win. Points are based on the Elo points system with additional points awarded for winning in straight sets and winning more games. Every league match win also counts for TennisTour ranking points in addition to league ranking points. TennisTour Points Levels 2200+ \| Elite-Master 2000-2199 \| Master 1900-1999 \| Elite 1700-1899 \| Veteran 1500-1699 \| Pro 1300-1499 \| Semi-Pro 1100-1299 \| Amateur Below 1100 \| Rookie The point levels will be used increasingly to match players up. This feature was added Jan 2010. See Exhibition play section for more information on the point system. Peer Ratings Players rate their opponents after each match using a form that is emailed out automatically after the winner reports the score. The rating system uses the previous 10 ratings. This is a good way to find out if an opponent is rated fun to play and the level their opponents have rated their game. 5 List The 5 closest players sorted by last login near you. This is a great list to start with when trying to find someone to play. This shows up at the players gallery. Instructors Near You See the instructors near you. Players are invited to identify them as instructors for FREE. Tennis Tour players are always looking for instructors. This is a great way to make yourself available. TennisTour Events Players can create Tennis Tour events and signup for events. Tennis Tour Leagues - Track your Rankings and Play Competitive Tennis in every major city Sign Up You can add on a tennis tour league membership to your basic tennis tour account from your Players Gallery profile page. Format The first months of the league sessions are open challenge play. You challenge players to earn points and move up in the rankings. The final month and a half include round robin playoffs in masters cup format, just like the pros. The league works great for active players because it provides the best flexibility to schedule and play as many matches as you like at locations you agree to play. You set up the matches convenient to you by using one of the many website tools like Challenge Mail, Match Finder, Player's Message Boards, and Direct Email. I think you find this league style format works great for singles competition because it provides you with complete control of your tennis schedule and competition. Time Commitment You can play as much or as little as you like. You might play once a week or every day. You set the schedule. If you are away on vacation, no problem, just set your status to UNAVAILABLE to avoid challenge mail and match requests. You will want to play at least once very two weeks to stay at the top of the rankings in the most active leagues to avoid dropping due to the two week rule. Commitment to Play If you sign up be ready to play and also be ready to respond to email requests to play. Locations You choose where you play because you set up the matches. If you challenge someone it's typical to play at a location most convenient to the person you challenge. Skill Levels We break the league into three levels. A (4.0+) High School Varsity to College Level B (3.0-3.5) Intermediate C (below 3.0) Beginner Always FREE Tiers As you can see the levels are fairly broad. That's why we have Tiers which are groups of eight players. As the season progresses the players move into the appropriate levels by playing matches. You will find that competition is very close within a Tier by the end of the season. The playoffs are set up based on the Tiers. Ranking System The ranking system combines simple ladder ranking with a points based system. Your Tour Rank is the average of your ladder rank and your point ranking. Here is a detailed look at the ranking system and rules. Masters Cup Playoffs Finish it off like the pros. Eight person draws are set up for everyone based on the current tour rankings. Play three round robin matches to qualify for the semi finals rounds. Tour Features: Automated Match Scheduler to send invitations to players matching your match location and time preferences Challenge Email - Encourages response to your challenges. Players have one week to respond or drop three spots :) Weekly Newsletter Detailed Player Stats - Compare player performance by Tier. Great for Scouting. Masters Cup Format Championship Tournament Play anyone in your division - You might start at the bottom of the rankings but you can play the top players. Unlimited Tennis Players show up to play - Because players agree to the match time and location no-shows are rare. Schedule Aussie Session Feb-Aprill Feb-March 15th: Challenge Matches April: Playoffs in Master Cup Format Sign up anytime prior to April 1st French Session May-September May-August 15th: Challenge Matches September: Playoffs in Master Cup Format Sign up anytime prior to August 1st US Open Session Oct-Jan October-Dec 15th: Challenge Matches January: Playoffs in Master Cup Format Sign up anytime prior to Dec 1st League Benefits Stay Tournament Sharp Tour players routinely finish at the top of local tournaments because playing competitive tennis every week keeps them sharp. Improve your Game Fast Playing different players each week with different styles is an excellent way to raise your game. Many of the top players in the A divisions started out in the B's in previous seasons. Flexible Scheduling and Locations *The Tour is the easiest way to set up competitive tennis matches around.* You decide how much tennis you want to play. Once a week? Twice a week? Every other week? Away on vacation? No problem. You are able to choose when you play. To maintain your ranking you only need to play one match every two weeks. There are no hassles if you don't play, you will simply drop in the rankings a few spots. (Tour match record 66 matches in a four month season!) You decide where you play. People that challenge you try to play where it's convenient for you. It's easy to find someone to play. The Tour Match Scheduler Program e-mails other players who are looking to play matches at times and places convenient to you. You are under no obligation to play. Simply respond to the request if it fits your schedule. Use the challenge email program to send direct challenges to players. They have one week to respond to avoid dropping three spots. Example League Join one of our actively managed leagues or just set up a profile to find players to play today