Manhattan Tennis Ladder Rules

1. Ladder Location:

• Country: United States

• State: New York

• City: New York City

2. Player Eligibility:

• Level: Two divisions: NTRP 3.0-4.0 and 4.0+

• Format: Singles

• Gender: All

3. Season Dates:

• The Ladder runs annually from April 20 to September 30

• It is followed by a 3 week Round Robin Tournament for the Top 16 players to determine the final four Semifinalists.

• The Semifinal and Final both take place on the last Sunday in October at the Billie Jean King National Tennis Center.

4. Challenge Acceptance Window:

• Players have 4 days to accept or decline a challenge. After that, it is automatically declined. A decline is always considered a forfeit. Unless its a wildcard challenge.

5. Forfeits:

• Declining a challenge counts as a forfeit.

• Forfeits are treated as losses and affect your ranking.

• You cannot advance on a wildcard if your opponent forfeits.

• Challenges are accepted in good faith that the match will be played within the 14 day window.

6. Match Deadline:

• Once accepted, players have 14 days to complete the match.

• If not played, the challenge is simply cancelled, not forfeited.

• A cancelled match is not a forfeit and as such, rankings remain unchanged.

7. Challenge Limits:

• Outgoing Challenges: Up to 2 pending at a time.

• Incoming Challenges: Only 2 pending at a time.

• Challenges must be resolved before issuing or accepting new ones.

8. Wildcard Challenges:

• Each player is awarded 3 wildcards per season.

• A wildcard lets you challenge a player more than 5 spots above your rank.

• You move into their position if you win; they drop one spot.

9. The 3 Rematch Rule:

• You may only play the same opponent a maximum of 3 times during the season.

10. Match Format:

• Matches are self-organized, with flexible formats. If time allows, play best of 3 sets.

• If limited to 1 hour (common on NYC public courts), you may choose from these options:

  • Fast4 Best of 3 Sets (Tiebreak at 3-3)

  • Fast4 with 3rd Set Tiebreak

  • Best of 3 Regular Sets (submit final score as Anything Goes at time cap winner has the most games)

  • Single Set (Regular 6, Pro 8 or 10 )

11. Ball Policy:

• Each player brings a new can of balls.

• Winner takes home the unused can, loser takes the used balls (or recycles them).

12. Match Frequency:

• There is no penalty for inactivity, but players must complete 10 matches (not including forfeits) to qualify for end of season tournament inclusion and prizes.

13. Challenge Eligibility:

• You may challenge up to 5 positions above your current rank (unless using a wildcard).

14. Ranking System – Leap Frog:

• When a lower ranked player beats someone ranked above, they leapfrog into that position.

• The defeated player, and all between them, move down one spot.

• If the higher ranked player wins, no change occurs.

15. Score Reporting:

• The winner is responsible for entering the match score on GTN.

16. Player Contact Info:

• All players must maintain updated contact info (email + phone) on their Global Tennis Network (GTN) profile to coordinate matches and receive notifications.

17. Terms and Conditions:

• All ladder registrations are final and nonrefundable.

• For a full list of Manhattan Tennis Association Terms and Conditions please see our T&C page.