Too Many Defaults?
Please explain “excessive defaults.”
David Rowe, ALTA First Vice President
Absolutely! This question comes up every season. According to ALTA Adult Rules:
- PENALTIES AND FORFEITURES
- A team having excessive defaults shall have all its matches to date nullified and shall be treated as a bye for the remainder of the season. Excessive defaults shall be defined as defaulting all points of any given dual meet or averaging more than one default per dual meet.
- If a team has excessive defaults as defined in rule V. D., the team and/or its members may be suspended for the next season. The penalty will also apply to any team withdrawing after roster deadline and may apply to any team withdrawing from the playoffs after the online playoff draw is posted.
If you find yourself in a situation where you think you might be close to having too many defaults, PLEASE CONTACT YOUR COORDINATOR. We understand injuries, illnesses, and other things happen. We do not want teams to ‘default out,’ so please contact your coordinator before it is too late!
Helping the kids?
As a Team Manager, I understand that there should be little input or interference from outside the court during matches. Would you please give me an example of when it would be appropriate and who should or shouldn’t be the one to interject?
Kim Freeman, Junior League Vice President
Yes, it is essential that the juniors learn to play and work out most situations that arise during their matches on their own. However, it is acceptable on occasion for only the Team Manager or Designated Match Captain to remind the juniors of certain rules such as foot faulting, double bounces, how to play a tiebreaker, etc. In these instances, it is important that the Team Manager or Designated Match Captain address all the players involved as a group and not single out one individual. Afterwards, the manager or captain will leave the court and play will resume.
Ooops! Who played who?
We found out after our match that we played the wrong players. Our Line 1 players played the opponents’ Line 2 players, and our Line 2 players played the opponents’ Line 1 players. Do we need to replay the match?
Siobhan Schaeffer, Thursday Women’s League Vice President
No, the match will not be replayed. The match stands as played in good faith. The team captain or acting team captain should discuss with their flight coordinator before entering this scorecard online. Normal tracking rules apply. All players/pairs are tracked as they are listed on their scorecard.
Senior Leagues Rule Changes
For 2025 are there any changes to the rules of play for the Senior and Senior Day Leagues?
Seth Appelbaum, Senior Leagues Vice President
Yes! They are:
- Playoff and City Final matches will no longer play in reverse order.
- The third set default in all Senior and Senior Day leagues for the regular season, playoffs, and City Finals will be a 10-point tiebreak unless all four players agree to play a full third set.
- In a four-line league, if necessary, the last players on the court will play a 10-point tiebreak to determine the outcome of the match during the playoffs and City Finals.
