ITA Dual Meet & Fall Scoring Format: Frequently Asked Questions (FOR DIVISION I ONLY)
Q: What is the new ITA Division I Dual Meet Format?
A:
Division I Dual Meet Format:
• No-ad scoring in singles and doubles. • Three doubles matches played with no-ad scoring, each match one set to 6, with a tie-break at 6-all. • Followed (after a 10 minute intermission) by six singles matches with no-ad scoring, each match 2 out of 3 sets, with tie-breaks at 6-all. • No Warm-up with opponents (in doubles and in singles) • Clinch/Clinch: Once the doubles point has been clinched, the remaining doubles match shall be stopped. And in singles, once the team match has been clinched, any remaining singles matches shall be stopped (unless otherwise agreed upon by both coaches prior to the start of the dual meet match).
Fall scoring format:
No-ad scoring will be used in all ITA singles and doubles matches in the fall season. In all ITA Regional Championship events a doubles match must consist of a minimum of an 8-game pro set (tiebreak at 7- all), with the semifinals and finals doubles matches consisting of two out of three sets, with a Match Tiebreak in lieu of the third set. In the fall ITA National Championship events (All-American and USTA/ITA National Indoor Intercollegiate Championships) all doubles matches must be two out of three sets, with a Match Tiebreak in lieu of the third set.
NCAA Singles & Doubles Championships scoring format:
NCAA Division I Tennis Committee is recommended to the Championships Cabinet that the 2015 NCAA Division I Singles and Doubles Championships adopt the following scoring format: No-ad scoring in all singles and doubles matches. In doubles, matches will consist of two out of three sets, with a Match Tiebreak in lieu of the third set.
Q: Why are we modifying the format of the team match?
A: The ITA Division I Operating Committee felt it was very important to take a proactive approach on the hot-button issue of team match length, given the continuing concern of many Division I coaches, athletic department administrators, the NCAA Tennis Committee, and the USTA. Long team matches have been seen as problematic for spectator attendance, physical stress on the student-athletes, and TV opportunities (cable and streaming).
As Larry Scott, Pac-12 Commissioner and one of the most respected voices in tennis has said, “Change is in the air. You can either lead, or wait to be led.”
Q: What was the process in exploring dual meet format?
A: Recommendations concerning experimentation with dual meet format were based on discussions in the fall months at the ITA coaches meetings at the ITA National and Regional Championships, and the ITA Division I membership meeting at the ITA Coaches Convention. At its meeting in December, the ITA Division I Operating Committee mandated extensive experimentation with team format in matches played in January and February, including the ITA Kick-Off Weekend and ITA Men’s and Women’s National Team Indoor Championships. The ITA followed up with online surveys of Division I coaches and student-athletes, and with compilation and analysis of all match length data from these events. The ITA Steering and ITA Operating Committees reviewed these findings in a series of conference calls in April and May, with summary notes of the calls and preliminary format recommendations e-mailed to all ITA Division I coaches and posted on the ITA Website. The format recommendations of the ITA Operating Committee were presented and discussed in person at the ITA Division I Annex Membership meeting in Athens in May, and input from the coaches was reviewed by the ITA Operating Committee in a final follow up conference call in early June, with the final recommendations shared in a letter to all ITA Division I coaches and also posted on the ITA Website.
Q: Who made the decision about the new format?
A: The ITA Division I Operating Committee delivered an almost unanimous decision (21 in favor, 1 opposed) to support the ITA dual meet format proposal. As Princeton head men’s tennis coach and Operating Committee member Billy Pate said in a letter to the ITA men’s tennis coaches, the Operating Committee format decision, “was forged with the intention of maintaining the integrity of the game, yet striving to keep our sport thriving and relevant, more exciting and with the prospect of again growing our sport and gaining new fans.”
The ITA Division I Operating Committee makes all playing rules and dual meet format decisions for ITA Division I tennis. The committee, elected by the Division I membership, is comprised of 36 men’s and women’s head coaches, and represents every ITA region and 13 conferences across the country.
Q: What is no-ad scoring and what are the benefits?
A: No-ad tennis matches are played as follows:
If a game during a singles or doubles match reaches 40-all (3 points each), the returner decides which side the point will be started on (deuce or ad court) and the winner of that point wins the game. It’s a winner-take-all point, which simplifies the scoring to reward the first person to win four points during a game. This eliminates the possibility of lengthy games and keeps the flow of the match going. And the “red flags” going up on each court at the 3-all points creates a steady stream of exciting moments within each of the team matches.
Q: What do collegiate coaches believe will be achieved by adopting this new format?
A: A number of top and former collegiate coaches have weighed in during the process of adopting the new Dual Meet Format, and believe the change will make the matches more exciting for fans:
Manny Diaz, Head Men’s Tennis Coach, University of Georgia: “I think we had a good many years where tennis went to no-ad scoring in college and we produced many great players during that time. We also attracted many new fans that are still fans of college tennis today. I think college tennis was exciting with no-ad. Our attendance improved during those years and playing no-ad did not hurt our players once they went into the professional tour. They easily adjusted to regular scoring on the tour and maybe even excelled because their experience with no-ad in college.”
Roland Thornqvist, Head Women’s Tennis Coach, University of Florida: "As we continue in our quest to enhance the status and attendance of college tennis, I am excited to try new formats this year. I expect them to be both shorter as well as more exciting for the fans. I'm encouraged by the college tennis community's commitment to increase market share in what is a very competitive sports landscape and am convinced format change is paramount.”
Peter Smith, Head Men’s Tennis Coach, University of Southern California: “We are trying to find a balance between developing great tennis players, protecting the traditions of our college with great doubles play and putting an exciting sport on the tennis court that will attract fans. Many of the coaches played college tennis when it was no-ad scoring and we remember how it exhilarating it was.”
Dick Gould, Legendary Former Head Men’s Tennis Coach, Stanford University “How exciting to see no-ad scoring return to the collegiate scene. Our fans loved to see the umpire raise the red flag at 3-3, and all attention diverted to that court – the excitement it created it a close match was electric! As a coach, I was convinced our players were better for having competed under this scoring system, which was a little radical at the time (as opposed to now, where it is used not only in the pros, but in junior events). There was no point they could take for granted, and a 3-3 score made them better players under pressure. I’ll never forget the NCAA Finals with John Sadri battling John McEnroe – 4 sets, and only one service break at 5-5 in one of the sets. Incredible tennis . . . I cherish tradition as much as anyone, and I fought the 8-game pro set and doubles first to the end. But I soon learned that this change saved doubles in college and in fact proven to be a great move. Likewise, in spite of tradition, the time to return to no-ad for both men and women has come!”
Q: Will no-ad scoring be a problem for player development?
A: The ITA has looked back at the impact of no-ad scoring on player development when it was played in men’s Division I tennis for 15 seasons (1973-1988). This was a very exciting time for American college tennis, and student-athletes who played no-ad during their college years had a great deal of success on the pro tour.
Collegiate players who played no-ad scoring include John McEnroe, Jim Grabb, Brad Gilbert, Paul Annacone, Mikael Pernfors, Tim Mayotte, Rick Leach and Kevin Curren, among others. McEnroe reached No. 1 in the ATP Singles Rankings and was an iconic figure for American tennis, and seven collegiate players reached No. 1 in the ATP Doubles Rankings. In total, 104 players reached the Top 150 in singles and/or doubles during the no-ad era.
Pernfors was an ITA All-American at the University of Georgia and was a two-time NCAA Singles Champion in 1984 and 1985. He reached the French Open final in 1986, beating Boris Becker along the way. Pernfors said, “I feel that the no-ad point was truly beneficial for my development as a ‘big point’ player. It made you focus in a different way. I felt that it helped me have less unforced errors on any points. I also feel that it has a tremendous impact on the excitement of college tennis.”
Steve Denton, Head Men’s Tennis Coach, Texas A&M University, played college tennis during the no-ad era while at the University of Texas and went on to play on the ATP World Tour for nine years. He reached the men’s singles final at the Australian Open in both 1981 and 1982, and won the 1982 US Open doubles championship with Curren, reaching career-high rankings of No. 12 in singles and No. 2 in doubles. Denton said he felt playing no-ad aided his development.
“Change is always disconcerting in the beginning, but the sooner everyone embraces it the better off we will be,” he said. “I believe no-ad scoring sharpened my skills as a tennis player. Heightened concentration and focus was developed knowing the greater importance of playing every point. Additionally, no-ad scoring taught me to be more clutch as a player by raising the level of intensity in the key moments of a match.”