GLTA President’s Address: With Record Number of Tournaments, Everyone Can Play This Summer

As the weather gets warmer in the Northern Hemisphere, our GLTA events are really ramping up. For the next 4 months, we have between 2 and up to 5 events each weekend around the world (we have 5 events over the weekend 12-16 of July for those wondering). It’s really a great time for players to experience the joy of competition and meeting new and old friends alike.

I have previously mentioned that the average number of players per event is greater post-pandemic and this trend continues. More tournaments are filling quickly (often within minutes) and because events can only accept a fixed number of players, waitlists have become commonplace. Our hard-working volunteer Tournament teams do an amazing job of managing the surge of players but can’t accommodate everyone, so please be mindful of this if you miss out on getting a confirmed spot in the main draw of an event you really want to play in.

For tournament teams, please reach out to us on the board and we are happy to go over some strategies for managing these situations. Often, it’s also a good time to refresh the knowledge of the software (and sometimes learn a new trick). We can arrange a 30-minute Zoom call which I have found great to connect with teams.

For players, we know it can be frustrating but please be patient with teams as they work through the incredibly complex tasks it takes to run a GLTA event. Once again you can reach out to us if you experience any problems along the way.

One of the troubling practices that is becoming increasingly popular among GLTA players is “Place holding”. This is a practice of entering an event to keep the options open but without committing to play. While it may seem like a good idea from a player’s perspective, it is extremely unfair and damaging for the tournaments.

Many players withdrawing from tournaments just before the withdrawal deadline often results in financial losses for the tournaments. It also means that other people who would have liked to participate will miss out completely as there is not enough time to make travel arrangements.

Please don’t “place hold” and only register if you are genuinely committed to play, it makes for a better experience for all GLTA players. If you do miss out on your preferred event, there is usually another tournament that has available spots on the same weekend. It’s an opportunity to experience something different.

This year we have had some fantastic feedback from players about the amazing experiences they have had at GLTA events, and I genuinely hope that all of you will continue to enjoy playing tennis and participating in the tournaments. The board will be meeting in London just before the Crown in early August and shortly after that will be announcing the Masters events for next year (Tournament Directors, look out for the call for expressions of interest). We will also announce an exciting location in the Americas for the GLTA Championships in Feb 2025.

Kindest regards for the summer,
Rowen D’Souza