Rules

Brisbane Tennis League Rules

  1. General

    1. The Brisbane Tennis League (BTL) and Brisbane Junior Tennis League (BJTL) is centrally governed by Tennis Brisbane (TB).
    2. All participants in the BTL, including players, coaches and officials (Participants) are bound by these rules and regulations, ITF Rules of Play and TA’s national Policies including, without limitations, the Uniform Tennis Anti-Corruption Program, the TA Code of Behaviour (including its reference to spectator behaviour and interference), the TA Member Protection Policy and the TA Anti-Doping Policy (each a Policy).
    3. In addition all Participants must at all times act in the best interested of the BTL, BJTL and TB and not at any time engage in conduct which brings or has the potential to bring a participant, the BTL, BJTL, TB or the sport of tennis into disrepute or which is or would have the tendency to be contrary to or prejudicial to the best interests, image or values of the BTL, BJTL or TB.
  2. Team Entry in an BTL or BJTL Conference

    1. A team wishing to enter the BTL or BJTL conference must submit a nomination form to TB. The form must include the names of the proposed players and specify a team captain, a team coach and a team manager. Once a team list has been submitted it cannot be changed.
    2. The BTL nomination form must also specify a contact person who will be responsible for communicating with TB on all related issues including payments of funds to teams winning.
    3. Teams must be comprised of one coach and at least four (4) players. One player must be female. Players are only permitted to play in one team per season.
    4. A team may not be accepted if a team’s member club has outstanding fines or owes other monies to TB.

    TB has the sole discretion in the final selection of teams for each BTL Conference.

  3. Match Formalities

    1. Each BTL Conference Match is comprised of four (4) singles and two (2) doubles rubbers.
    2. A maximum of eight (8) players can play in a Match, meaning that four (4) players that have not played any of the singles rubbers may be brought in to play doubles. A player is only permitted to play in a maximum of one (1) singles rubber and one (1) doubles rubber in each match.
    3. Team coaches/managers are required to fill in the official Match nomination form and hand it to the Match referee no later than five (5) minutes prior to the to the singles Rubbers commencing. All singles players must be nominated in their order for the round, with no change to this order permitted during that round. All potential reserves or doubles players must also be nominated on the Match Nomination Form although there is no obligation for these players to play that round. All players must be onsite at the time of nomination.
    4. There is no restriction in the order of singles players and doubles pairing. Once the team order has been nominated to the Referee, it may not be altered for the Match.
    5. Doubles pairings do not have to be nominated until the conclusion of the singles rubbers but must have been nominated on the Match Nomination Form. Teams will have a maximum of five (5) minutes from the conclusion of the final singles rubber to nominate doubles pairings and their order.
  4. Match Format

    1. Each Match will be played in the following order:

      Rubber Court 1 Court 2
      No. 1 No. 1 Singles No. 3 Singles (Ladies Match)
      No. 2 No. 2 Singles No. 4 Singles
      No. 3 No. 1 Doubles (Male) No. 2 Doubles (Mixed)
    2. Singles rubbers will be played as the best of 3 short sets (first to 4 games) with a ‘traditional’ tiebreak (first to 5 points, sudden death at 4 point all) played at 3 games all.
    3. Doubles rubbers will be played as the ‘best of 2 short sets (first to 4 games) with a 9 point tiebreak (first to 5 points, sudden death at 4 point all) played at 3 games all. If sets are even at the conclusion of the second set, a Match Tiebreak (first to 10 with an advantage of 2 points) will be played to determine the outcome of the rubber.
    4. If due to inclement weather or any other reason deemed appropriate by the BTL Conference referee or BTL Conference management, the referee has the power to reduce the scoring format to one that is more conducive to the amount of time available.
    5. All rubbers will be played using no-ad scoring, with the receiver choosing the service side.
    6. When the players change ends at the end of a game and during a tiebreak game, play shall be continuous and the players shall change ends with players having to be ready to play within 60 seconds of the previous games completion. Players are not permitted to sit down during the change of ends.
    7. At the end of each set there shall be a set break of a maximum of ninety seconds. The maximum time starts from the moment that one point finishes until the first service is struck for the next point. Players are permitted to sit down at the end of a set.
    8. There is no restriction in the order of doubles pairings.
    9. No break is permitted between the conclusion of the first singles rubbers and the following singles rubbers. A maximum of five minutes is permitted between the conclusion of the second singles rubber and the commencement of the warm-up of the doubles rubbers. A player will receive one warning for any time violation. Following this warning, each time violation caused by that player will be issued with a point penalty.
    10. If a code violation is issued after the final point of the match has concluded, this penalty (point, game, set or match) will be transferred to the adjacent court and team member or the following match for the offenders team (whichever is closer).
    11. If a player is injured and subsequently forced to retire, the team has the option of a lower ranked player in the order of merit coming in to complete the match; however, the injured retiring player cannot come back in and play any rubber (including doubles) for the remainder of that fixtured team match. The match will be credited to the retiring player for results records and consequently all statistics and ratings impacts.
  5. Method of scoring complete and incomplete matches

    1. For each rubber win, one (1) point will be awarded to the team winning the rubber. At the conclusion of the Match, the winning team will be awarded with four (4) bonus points. There is a mamimum of ten (10) points available for each match.
    2. If at the conclusion of the team match, teams are equal on points, the winner will be the team with the greater number of:
    3. Completed rubbers; however, if the number of rubbers won be equal, then
    4. Sets; however, if the number of sets won be equal, then
    5. Games; however, if the number of games won be equal, then the match shall be a draw and all outstanding points will be shared equally
    6. Where, prior to match day in the opinion of the BTL Conference management or on the match day in the opinion of the Referee by reason of weather or other good and sufficient reason a match cannot be commenced, each team shall be awarded four points.
    7. Where, in the opinion of the Referee, by reason of weather or other good and sufficient reason a match after being commenced cannot be completed then:
    8. For each singles rubber win, 2 points will be awarded to the team winning the rubber. For each doubles rubber win, 2 points will be awarded to the team winning the rubber.
    9. For any incomplete singles rubber, 1 point will be awarded to each team and for any incomplete doubles rubber, 1 points will be awarded to each team.
    10. At the completion of the round robin matches, the top two ranked teams will be determined. If teams have the same number of points then the higher placed team shall be decided on the percentage of rubbers won over rubbers played, if equal on rubbers percentage, then it shall be decided on the percentage of sets won over sets played, if equal on sets percentage, then it shall be decided on the percentage of games won over games played, if equal on games percentage, then it shall be decided on the team with higher number of games won. If still equal, the team that won the match between the two teams in the round robin pool match shall be placed higher. If still equal, the Referee will arrange for a coin toss to take place to determine the higher team placing. A representative of each team may be present at the coin toss if they wish.
  6. Results of matches

    1. Immediately after the completion of all rubbers whether or not a result is determined, the Tennis Brisbane approved score sheet shall be completed and signed by the Captains of each team.
    2. In the event of a match not being commenced or being incomplete, the score sheet shall as far as practicable be completed and must include each nominated player’s name and the score (if any) of each completed or incomplete rubber and state the reasons for the match not being commenced or completed. In the event of a match not being commenced, the Referee will be responsible for the score sheet administration.
  7. Match time and location

    1. All matches will be played at the time and court specified in the BTL Conference fixture. No alteration will be made to this without the approval of the BTL Conference management and Referee.
  8. Match times

    1. Matches shall be commenced and completed, unless otherwise approved by the Referee, as follows:
    2. In order for teams to achieve a match result, the Referee may change the courts
    3. Any player of a team not in attendance within ten minutes of being called to play, shall have his/her rubber defaulted but the remaining rubbers of the match must be played and shall be commenced as soon as practicable.
    4. In the event that a match cannot commence or continue by reason of inclement weather, the Referee has the power to reschedule the match time and/or reduce the format to one that is more conducive for the time available. In the event that the match cannot be completed in the remaining time in the event as decided by the BTL Conference referee, the referee shall declare a draw. All players must attend at the courts unless the Referee has declared a draw prior to the match. However the Referee shall have the power to abandon play earlier than this if in their opinion the courts will not become playable in the available time and there are no other courts available to transfer to. This power is only to be used as a last resort where all reasonable efforts would be unlikely to make the courts playable. In the event a player fails to arrive at the venue as required, that player’s rubbers shall be in default, even though the courts are not ready for play.
  9. Rubber warm up

    1. The maximum time permitted for a hit-up before commencement of each rubber is three minutes, including serves from each player. Following the rubber warm up, players are not permitted to sit down. They may go back to their chair for a drink and conference with their coach; however, the player must be ready to play within 30 seconds of the conclusion of the warm-up.
  10. Defaults by teams/players

    1. Where a team fails to appear for a match, it shall be deemed defaulted and the team not in default shall be awarded all rubbers, sets and games and all the points for the match.
    2. Where a player is defaulted during a rubber for reasons other than punctuality that player shall also be defaulted from any further rubbers that he/she was originally nominated to play in that match, the result shall be recorded in the same way as a retirement due to injury where all games played shall be retained and the remaining games will be forfeited.
  11. Match Balls

    1. Three (3) new Head ATP Tennis Balls will be made available for each rubber.
  12. Player eligibility

    1. To be eligible to play in the BTL Conference Final, the player must have participated in at least one BTL conference match for the same team unless otherwise approved by BTL Conference management for the greater good of the competition.
  13. Players uniform

    1. Each team must have a tennis uniform for the following clothing items – playing tennis shirt, shorts, skirt, dress, skort.
    2. All squad members must be in team uniform when in attendance of their teams match.
    3. No player, coach or team manager is permitted on-court if they are not in team uniform
    4. Team uniforms are not allowed to be predominantly white, as judged by the respective BTL Conference management.
    5. All team uniforms must be approved by the respective BTL Conference management.
  14. On-court coach

    1. Each team can have one on court coach courtside for each singles and doubles rubber. The on court coach must be nominated on the team entry form and approved by the respective BTL Conference Management.
    2. As only one official on court coach is permitted, a separate player from that team may act as the on court coach for the second court. All coaches must be in team uniform.
    3. There can only be one on court coach for each team courtside for each rubber in progress.
    4. Once courtside, an on court coach may do the following:
      1. Enter the court during a rubber either before the commencement of the rubber, at a change of ends or at the completion of a set;
      2. Provide support and mentoring to his/her player(s);
      3. Sit courtside next to the player’s chair or as directed by an official on a chair or similar whilst a rubber is in progress;
      4. Only talk directly to his/her player(s) at the change of ends or the completion of a set (communication at other times shall be subject to the provisions of the Tennis Australia Code of Behaviour);
      5. While courtside, coaches must comply with the player uniform conditions
    5. The on court coach cannot under any circumstances communicate with the opposing team player(s) or the opposing player’s on court coach or any official. Any dispute in relation to a question of fact or question of law may only be made to the chair umpire and/or Referee (as permitted by the rules of tennis) by the players involved in the rubber in question and the on-court coach may not participate in these discussions.
    6. The Referee and the Chair Umpire shall have the power to give the on-court coach two formal warnings and thereafter the Referee may remove him/her from the rubber in progress and/or from further rubbers of the match. The Referee may also remove an on-court coach without formal warning for a single incident of misconduct.
    7. If an on-court coach is removed from a rubber they may be replaced by another on-court coach from the squad nomination form.
    8. On-court coaches will remain subject to the Tennis Australia Code of Behaviour and may also be awarded an on-site code violation if their behaviour breaches the code. Any violation of the Tennis Australia code of behaviour will result in the penalty being applied to the player on court.
  15. Protests

    1. The Referee will act as final on-site authority ensuring that the BTL Conference is conducted fairly in accordance with the BTL Conference Rules and Regulations as to all matters arising that require immediate resolution at the league site. No protests will be accepted for on-court or result issues.
  16. Powers of the BTL Conference Commission

    1. The BTL Conference Commission shall have the widest and most absolute power and discretion relating to their respective BTL Conference or any matter or thing arising from or in connection with the BTL Conference and without limiting the foregoing it shall have the power and discretion at any time without giving or assigning any reasons therefore to:
      1. Demand from any team any information of any nature relating to any matter or thing arising from any match.
      2. Demand the replay of any match wholly or in part, and to alter or extend the place, day or time for the playing of any match.
      3. Suspend or disqualify a player from the BTL as a result of a player’s conduct or behaviour arising from or in connection with a match.
      4. Impose penalties whether by fine, suspension or disqualification or by forfeiture of points for any non-compliance or breach of any of these By Laws and Conditions.
  17. Interpretation of by-laws and conditions

    1. Any question arising from or in connection with the respective BTL Conference or as to the interpretation or construction of these Conditions shall be determined by the relevant Member Association and their BTL Conference Commission in their absolute discretion.
  18. Conditions of play – TA Code of Behaviour policy

    1. All matches shall be played under the ITF Rules of Tennis as adopted by Tennis Australia's and the Tennis Australia Code of Behaviour Policy as applicable to weekly competitions.