Does my child need LTA membership, a World Tennis Number or a ranking to compete?
Rule- Great Britain
- LTA
- LTA Competition Regulations
- LTA Youth
- 8 and under
- 9 and under
- 10 and under
- Red, orange and green ball
- 2026
- Parents
LTA Membership: yes. Every player in an LTA sanctioned competition must hold LTA Membership (Regulation 15.2), and your child's membership number is needed to enter.
ITF World Tennis Number: issued to players aged 10 or older, or in the calendar year they turn 10 (Regulation 33). Juniors start at 40.9 on a scale from 40 to 1, with separate singles and doubles numbers, and the number comes down as results improve. Results from grade 1 to 7 competitions count towards it.
Rankings and Recent Form:
- LTA Rankings start at 11U (Combined Rankings cover 11U, 12U, 14U, 16U, 18U and Open).
- For ball-colour (mini) events, the LTA uses Recent Form instead: your child's best three tournament performances at that ball colour in the last six months. It's used to decide entries and seedings in busier events.
So a younger child doesn't need a ranking to start. Membership is what they need to enter.
Added 21 Oct 2026