Rules for LRTA Tournaments
LRTA Tournaments are run according to the Laws of Tennis. The LRTA Rules below are specific to LRTA Tournaments. Click here to download a printable version.
Click here for the Rules for the LRTA International Invitation tournament
Click here for the Rules for LRTA British Handicap tournaments
Click here for the Rules for the LRTA High/Low Ladies Handicap doubles tournament
Click here for the Rules for the LRTA International Invitation tournament
Click here for the Rules for LRTA British Handicap tournaments
Click here for the Rules for the LRTA High/Low Ladies Handicap doubles tournament
LRTA Rules for LRTA Tournaments
1. All entrants shall be members of the LRTA if based in the UK.
2. Entries shall not be accepted without a written form filled in and a full entry fee paid. Recognised professionals are not required to pay entry fees.
3. Predominantly white clothing shall be worn during a match, although coloured track suits are permissible during the warm- up.
4. Local rules of Tennis in use at the court where the tournament takes place (for example, whether balls hit over the roof beams are still in play or not) and any rules specific to the tournament will govern play. Rules specific to the tournament shall be made available to all competitors with information about the draw and shall be on display at the court during the tournament.
5. Play shall be continuous; players may only leave the court during a match with the permission of the marker.
6. Seeds will be determined by Singles handicap as shown on the RTO (Real Tennis Online) handicap system on the date of the draw. If there are insufficient recent results recorded to justify the current handicap or there is any other suspected anomaly or discrepancy, the matter will be dealt with as per the T&RA Tournament Rules re Handicaps.
7. Once the draw has taken place, it cannot be re-framed to accommodate late entries, whatever the standard of the late entrants. If one or more seeded players scratches before the start of the event, the Tournament Committee shall, if practicable, revise the seeding list and replace the seeds in the draw appropriately, the number of seeds being made up by the highest ranked previously unseeded competitor.
8. It is not permissible to make changes to tournament draws once the first ball has been struck.
9. Players entering a tournament must be prepared to play during the week if necessary. In order to try to avoid serious inconvenience, space shall be provided on the entry forms for players to state times which are particularly inconvenient. Though not bound to consider these times, the Tournament Committee will try to comply with reasonable requests.
10. Where applicable, players shall play at times allocated by the Tournament Committee and shall be ready to play 15 minutes before the scheduled match time. In a “continuous play” tournament with no set match start times, players must be ready to play as soon as the
court is free from the preceding match, even if a previous match is scratched or curtailed for some reason. The time at which the court becomes free shall be used as the “scheduled match time” for the purposes of judging late arrivals.
11. No player may use a court for practice in the hour immediately preceding a match in which they are playing. Apart from in round robin
format, no player shall commence a match within one hour of completing her previous one.
12. Late arrivals shall be scratched if not on court by 10 minutes after the scheduled match time or, in the case of a match delayed for
more than 10 minutes, if not ready to go on court immediately the previous match has finished. In the case of round robin matches, in fairness to other group players, the scratched player shall have to forfeit all matches in the group, but, if so requested by the Tournament Committee, shall play the remaining group matches (although the results cannot count). Where there is a plate competition, a player who has been scratched under this rule may only play in it at the discretion of the Tournament Committee.
13. When a player is unable to play at the scheduled match time as a result of totally unforeseen circumstances, the Tournament Committee is empowered to alter the time of play, provided it receives at least 48 hours’ notice, but it is not obliged to do so. A player who thus cannot play at the scheduled match time must first get the consent of her opponents/other players involved to any alteration and agree a possible alternative time before requesting the Tournament Committee to make the desired change. If the Tournament Committee consents to the alteration, it shall make the necessary arrangements.
14. If a player is repeatedly late for matches or repeatedly scratches, the LRTA Executive Committee reserves the right to refuse future entries from that player to LRTA Tournaments.
15. The T&RA Match Regulations, Section E of the T&RA Tennis Tournament Rules and Procedures (https://tennisandrackets.com/real-tennis/tournament-rules) shall apply to the extent that they do not conflict with the LRTA Rules.
16. These rules may be amended by the LRTA Executive Committee.
Revised: April 2019
2. Entries shall not be accepted without a written form filled in and a full entry fee paid. Recognised professionals are not required to pay entry fees.
3. Predominantly white clothing shall be worn during a match, although coloured track suits are permissible during the warm- up.
4. Local rules of Tennis in use at the court where the tournament takes place (for example, whether balls hit over the roof beams are still in play or not) and any rules specific to the tournament will govern play. Rules specific to the tournament shall be made available to all competitors with information about the draw and shall be on display at the court during the tournament.
5. Play shall be continuous; players may only leave the court during a match with the permission of the marker.
6. Seeds will be determined by Singles handicap as shown on the RTO (Real Tennis Online) handicap system on the date of the draw. If there are insufficient recent results recorded to justify the current handicap or there is any other suspected anomaly or discrepancy, the matter will be dealt with as per the T&RA Tournament Rules re Handicaps.
7. Once the draw has taken place, it cannot be re-framed to accommodate late entries, whatever the standard of the late entrants. If one or more seeded players scratches before the start of the event, the Tournament Committee shall, if practicable, revise the seeding list and replace the seeds in the draw appropriately, the number of seeds being made up by the highest ranked previously unseeded competitor.
8. It is not permissible to make changes to tournament draws once the first ball has been struck.
9. Players entering a tournament must be prepared to play during the week if necessary. In order to try to avoid serious inconvenience, space shall be provided on the entry forms for players to state times which are particularly inconvenient. Though not bound to consider these times, the Tournament Committee will try to comply with reasonable requests.
10. Where applicable, players shall play at times allocated by the Tournament Committee and shall be ready to play 15 minutes before the scheduled match time. In a “continuous play” tournament with no set match start times, players must be ready to play as soon as the
court is free from the preceding match, even if a previous match is scratched or curtailed for some reason. The time at which the court becomes free shall be used as the “scheduled match time” for the purposes of judging late arrivals.
11. No player may use a court for practice in the hour immediately preceding a match in which they are playing. Apart from in round robin
format, no player shall commence a match within one hour of completing her previous one.
12. Late arrivals shall be scratched if not on court by 10 minutes after the scheduled match time or, in the case of a match delayed for
more than 10 minutes, if not ready to go on court immediately the previous match has finished. In the case of round robin matches, in fairness to other group players, the scratched player shall have to forfeit all matches in the group, but, if so requested by the Tournament Committee, shall play the remaining group matches (although the results cannot count). Where there is a plate competition, a player who has been scratched under this rule may only play in it at the discretion of the Tournament Committee.
13. When a player is unable to play at the scheduled match time as a result of totally unforeseen circumstances, the Tournament Committee is empowered to alter the time of play, provided it receives at least 48 hours’ notice, but it is not obliged to do so. A player who thus cannot play at the scheduled match time must first get the consent of her opponents/other players involved to any alteration and agree a possible alternative time before requesting the Tournament Committee to make the desired change. If the Tournament Committee consents to the alteration, it shall make the necessary arrangements.
14. If a player is repeatedly late for matches or repeatedly scratches, the LRTA Executive Committee reserves the right to refuse future entries from that player to LRTA Tournaments.
15. The T&RA Match Regulations, Section E of the T&RA Tennis Tournament Rules and Procedures (https://tennisandrackets.com/real-tennis/tournament-rules) shall apply to the extent that they do not conflict with the LRTA Rules.
16. These rules may be amended by the LRTA Executive Committee.
Revised: April 2019