Officials' Guide to USTA Junior Tennis Tournaments Ages 18 and Under 2026

Time limits (ITF Rule 29): 25 seconds between points; 90 seconds at a changeover; 120 seconds at a set break; warm-up 5 minutes unless the event decides otherwise. When practical with a certified official directly observing the match, the 25 seconds runs from the moment the ball goes out of play until it's struck (USTA Reg. IV.D.5). The 25-second limit doesn't apply when a player has to chase a stray ball (USTA Comment 29.1).

Penalties (Table 15), for delay between points or after warm-up, and for exceeding the changeover, set break or 3-minute rest:

1. First violation: warning
2. Each additional violation: one point

• Don't assess two consecutive time violations unless an actual point has been played in between.
• Continued delay after a time violation, such as not playing within 25 seconds of being told to resume, is a code violation under Table 14, not another time violation.

Players with a medical condition may "buy time" with penalties, except during the warm-up (Reg. IV.D.12).

• Certainty: impose a penalty only when you've seen, heard or otherwise observed enough to determine with reasonable certainty that a violation happened. The Referee may also act on a report from a court monitor or official, or on the player's own admission (USTA Reg. IV.D.6).
• Who: the Chair Umpire in a chaired match; Roving Umpires in matches without a chair umpire.
• Timing: an official on court must impose the penalty before the next point starts. An official arriving from off court has reasonable time to get there, and any points played in between stand (Reg. IV.D.15).
• Scoring: a point penalty is scored as if the player lost the next point. A penalty imposed between games or before the match applies to the first point of the next game (Reg. IV.D.13, IV.D.14). Penalties count as played for serving order, ends and ball changes.
• Tiebreaks: a game penalty during a set tiebreak loses the set; during a match tiebreak, it loses the match (Table 14).
• Doubles: a penalty on one partner counts against the team.
• The opponent can't decline a penalty (Reg. IV.D.16). If both sides equally cause a delay, penalize the server (Reg. IV.D.11).

When a player is late and any court is available, the Referee starts the lateness clock; a court doesn't have to be held open. A player hasn't arrived until checked in at the designated place, properly dressed, equipped and ready; a doubles team hasn't arrived until both partners have (Table 16).

• If both sides are equally late up to 15 minutes, there's no penalty. If they arrive at different times, penalize based on the difference.
• A penalized player chooses an option on the toss only after the opponent has chosen (Reg. IV.D.10).
• The Referee may decide not to default, or reverse a default, after considering all circumstances; lateness penalties already assessed still stand unless an official caused the delay (Reg. IV.D.21).

A player may request a medical time-out from any official at any time during the match or warm-up (USTA Reg. III.F.5). Under Table 13:

• One time-out per treatable condition, and no more than two during one stoppage. Cramping and heat illness: one in the warm-up and one in the match.
• Not treatable: general fatigue, conditions that can't be helped by on-court treatment, and anything needing an injection (other than insulin), IV or oxygen. Receiving those means an immediate default (Reg. III.F.4).
• Exceeding the time limit is penalized under the Point Penalty System. Not resuming within 30 seconds after the time-out ends is a code violation (Table 14).
• No coaching during a medical time-out (Reg. III.F.7).

Bleeding time-out (USTA Reg. III.F.2; Table 13):

• Mandatory; it starts when the player notifies you or acknowledges there's visible bleeding.
• Up to 15 minutes to stop the bleeding, clean up the court and dispose of contaminated items.
• If the bleeding hasn't stopped, the player must retire. If it has stopped but the court isn't clean, the Referee may move the match or continue the cleanup.
• One in the warm-up and one in the match, plus another if bleeding occurs in a different part of the body.

Toilet/change of attire break (Reg. III.G; Table 13):

• Granted only when you decide the need is genuine and not general fatigue; if not granted, play continues.
• Reasonable time is allowed. Prefer set breaks, then odd-game changeovers (FAC Comment III.G-1). Change of attire is limited to set breaks unless clothing malfunctions.
• Stomach problems are medical conditions, not toilet breaks (FAC Comment III.G-2).

No coaching during either type of break.

In USTA sanctioned play, outside of specified team events, coaching is not allowed (USTA Comment 30.2; Reg. IV.C.10):

• Between points or during a change of ends
• During a 2-minute set break or any warm-up
• During a toilet or change of attire break, medical time-out, bleeding time-out, or equipment problem
• While a player is seeking an official's assistance

Coaching is allowed during a 3- or 10-minute rest period, and during a suspension of play in which players leave the playing area. A temporary interruption where players stay on court isn't a suspension for this purpose.

Players may read notes prepared before the match, but may not receive information on phones, smartwatches or similar devices on court (Comment 30.1).

"Audible or visible coaching" is a code violation under the Point Penalty System (Table 14), charged to the player: point, game, default.

• The Referee or Deputy Referee in charge of the site may suspend or postpone play for weather, light, surface, health or safety. If you think conditions justify it, advise the Referee and, when possible, get approval before suspending (USTA Reg. III.E).
• Suspend for darkness at the end of an even number of games in a set, or at the end of a set.
• Players may not leave the tournament area until the Referee gives them their next match time or clearance to leave.
• After a suspension of more than 15 minutes, players get a re-warm-up equal to the original warm-up (USTA Comment 29.4). Where balls are changed after a set number of games, re-warm-up should use other balls; if the match balls are used, the next change comes two games sooner (Reg. III.J.4).
• Coaching is allowed during a suspension when players leave the playing area (Reg. IV.C.10).
• In the 12 and 14 divisions, a suspended match should not resume after 8 p.m.; 10 p.m. for the 16 and 18 divisions (Reg. II.D.9).
• Lateness for resumption is penalized like lateness for the start, without loss of toss (Table 16B).

The Referee, Deputy Referee, Chair Umpire or Roving Umpire may default a player for cause, including tardiness and misconduct (such as failing to follow an official's instructions) (USTA Reg. IV.E.1).

Appeals:

• A default issued by an official other than the Referee is appealed to the Referee. If issued on court, the player must tell the official, before leaving the playing area, that they're appealing. Otherwise, the player has 15 minutes from learning of the decision. The Referee's decision is final (Reg. IV.E.4).
• A default issued by the Referee goes to the Tournament Appeals Committee, whose decision is final, under the same time limits (Reg. IV.E.3).
• No player may leave the playing area while an on-court appeal is pending (Reg. IV.E.5).
• Appeals of penalties are limited to questions of law, not judgment (Reg. IV.D.8).
• After a penalty that ends the match, delay announcing the score until you know whether the player will appeal (Reg. IV.D.19).
• A player who bets on any match is defaulted from all events immediately (Reg. IV.E.6).

• When feasible, notify the Referee promptly when you assess a code violation. After the match, report every code violation to the Referee (USTA Reg. IV.D.17).
• Code violations feed the USTA Suspension Point System: 2 suspension points per code violation, except those for delay right after a medical time-out or for obvious cramping (Table 17A).
• Defaults carry additional points: late arrival 1, no-show 5, refusal to play 5, flagrant unsportsmanlike conduct 8 to 10 (Table 17B).
• Suspension points can only be assessed by someone who saw or heard the violation, or has enough documentation to determine with reasonable certainty that it happened (Reg. IV.F.7).
• Anyone who observes misconduct should report it to the Referee (Reg. IV.F.6).

Nothing in the Point Penalty System prevents later fines, suspensions or other discipline by the governing body (Reg. IV.D.18).

Boys' and Girls' 12 to 16 divisions (USTA Table 12):

Other set breaks are a maximum of 2 minutes.

• No practice: junior players may not practice on any court during a rest period, and practice with the match balls is never allowed (Reg. IV.C.7).
• Coaching: allowed in the 3- or 10-minute rest, not in the 2-minute set break. For a 3-minute rest before a match tiebreak, coaching must be on court or in a designated area near the court where you can time it (FAC Comment III.E-2).
• Toilet break before a match tiebreak: taken after the 3-minute rest. A player who takes it during the rest waives further coaching; a player who doesn't take one stays on court or in the designated area (FAC Comment III.E-1).
• Overrunning the 3-minute rest is a time violation (Table 15). Lateness after a 10-minute rest: up to 5 minutes is a game penalty; more than 5 minutes is a default (Table 16C).