DRAFT
The system by which team rosters are determined. Players enter by signing a professional league letter of intent. There are four or five rounds to the World TeamTennis draft. Returning franchises have the right to protect players from the previous year's roster. Each player that a team protects reduces the number of available draft selections for that team. Teams draft in reverse order of the previous year's final team standings, based on overall match won/loss record. The team that wins the WTT Championship match will draft in the last position. In the case of a tied record, order is determined using the WTT tiebreaking system. That order continues throughout the draft.
FRANCHISES
11 teams will compete from July 5-25 during the 2010 season. The franchises include Boston Lobsters, Delaware Smash, Kansas City Explorers, New York Buzz, New York Sportimes, Newport Beach Breakers, Philadelphia Freedoms, Sacramento Capitals, St. Louis Aces, Springfield Lasers and Washington Kastles.
GAME
Game scoring is no-ad (first team to win four points wins the game). Should the game reach deuce (3 points each), the receiver chooses the side from which he/she will receive serve. In mixed doubles, the serve is always gender to gender at deuce. Each game counts as one point in the team's cumulative match score. Players change sides after every four games. Lets are played and either partner may return the let serve.
MATCH
A match is a contest between two World TeamTennis teams and consists of five sets plus overtime, if any, and Supertiebreaker, if necessary. The events/sets are men's and women's singles, men's and women's doubles and mixed doubles.
OFFICIALS
Seven roving linespersons and a head umpire comprise the officials corps at a WTT Pro League match. The head umpire, who calls the match from a ground-level umpire's box, is in charge of the match. His/her decisions are final.
ORDER OF EVENTS
The coach of the home team chooses the order of events/sets.
OVERTIME
Overtime eliminates the possibility of the final sets becoming exhibitions. If the team ahead in the cumulative score wins the final game of the last set, then that team is the winner. If, however, the trailing team wins the final set, the match is sent into overtime and continues until, a) the leading team wins one game, or b) the trailing team ties the match score. If the score becomes tied, the match is decided by a Supertiebreaker.
REGULAR SEASON
The 2010 WTT regular season runs July 5-25. There will be 77 regular season matches.
SCORING
All games, sets and supertiebreakers are won by a margin of one point.
EVENT
Each event is won by the first team to reach five games. Should a set be tied at 4-4, a nine-point tiebreaker is played.
SUBSTITUTION
A coach may substitute one player, per event, per gender at the conclusion of a point. If a player is substituted for, he/she may not return to the match in that same set.
SUPERTIEBREAKER
In the event of a tied match at the conclusion of five sets or if the trailing team ties the score in overtime, a 13-point Supertiebreaker, involving the same fifth set event, decides the outcome of the entire match. A coin toss determines the choice of side, server and receiver. Players change sides after six points. The first team to win seven points is awarded a single game and the match.
TEAM
Each team has a coach and four players; two men and two women (five players if there is a marquee player on the team). Teams may name local alternates and substitute those players should a regular team member become injured during a match. Players are permitted to play in three sets per match.
TIEBREAKER
If a set reaches 4-4, a nine-point tiebreaker is played to decide the winner of the set. A tiebreaker is won by the first team to reach five points. Players change sides after four points. The tiebreaker counts as one game and decides the outcome of the set.
|