Player's Guide to ITF World Tennis Masters Tour 30+ in South Africa 2026

At any Masters Tour tournament or World Individual Championships:

• You may enter a maximum of three events (for example singles, doubles and mixed doubles).
• You may play only one singles event, either in your own age group or a younger one.
• During a year (but not at the same tournament) you can play singles in more than one age group, so you can appear on more than one singles ranking.
• In doubles and mixed you may play more than one age group at the same tournament if the tournament allows it.
• Tournaments can set tighter limits on the number and type of events, published on the fact sheet.

You can never play in an older age group than the one you qualify for.

There are six grades, from entry level up:

1. MT100
2. MT200
3. MT400
4. MT700
5. MT1000
6. World Championships (WC)

• The ITF Masters Committee allocates grades, and can upgrade or downgrade a tournament based on its delivery standards and referee report.
• MT1000 events must not clash with the World Team and Individual Championships for the same age groups.
• National Closed Championships can be graded up to MT700.
• Higher grades earn more ranking points for each round reached.

1. Register for an ITF Masters IPIN membership. You can't compete or earn ranking points until it's complete.
2. Enter singles (and withdraw) online at itftennis.com/ipin. Doubles can sometimes also be entered on site, depending on the tournament type shown on the fact sheet.
3. Pay the Tournament IPIN Fee: USD 12 per tournament (singles, doubles or both) for your first five tournaments in a calendar year, to a maximum of USD 60; after that it's waived. It's refunded in full if you withdraw before the Withdrawal Deadline. At MT400, MT700 and MT1000 events it's paid online when you enter; at other grades it's collected with the entry fee.
4. Pay the tournament's entry fee. No ranking points are given where IPIN or entry fees are outstanding.

You must be under the jurisdiction of an ITF-affiliated national association (Tennis South Africa for South African players), and your nationality is taken from your passport at IPIN registration.

• Rankings are kept separately for singles, doubles and mixed doubles in each age group, on a 52-week rolling basis, and published every Monday.
• Your ranking is your best four results from MT100, MT200, MT400, MT700, MT1000 and World Championships tournaments and sanctioned ITF Masters team competitions.
• Only the latest edition of each MT1000, World Individual and World Team Championships counts.
• You only score points by reaching a round where points are available, and only if your IPIN and entry fees are paid.
• Ties are broken by points from World Championships, then MT1000, then MT700, and so on down to MT100 (team competitions excluded).
• Moving up an age group: your points carry over into your new age group, and you're marked "bis" on ranking lists until the points from your old age group stop counting.
• Singles points stay in the age group you played. If you play down in a younger group, the points count there, not in your own age group.
• Doubles and mixed points from your best result go to your actual age group only.

The tournament committee chooses the format for each event from the ITF's permitted list and must publish it on the fact sheet before the entry deadline.

Singles

Usually one singles match a day; up to two a day is allowed in some formats and grades for 30+ to 60+ events.

Doubles at MT700, MT1000 and World Championships: best of three tie-break sets (except 80+ to 90+) or two sets plus a 10-point match tie-break, with up to two doubles a day.

Age groups can be amalgamated (combined):

• An age group with two or fewer players or teams must be combined with the age group immediately above or below. More than two groups can be combined if needed.
• The ITF recommends considering amalgamation when an event has three or fewer entries, combining no more than two age groups.
• The organiser must tell all entered players as soon as their group is amalgamated, and it must be confirmed before the draw is made.
• If your event has three or fewer entries at the entry deadline and you don't want to play in a draw combined with a younger age group, contact the Referee within 24 hours of the entry deadline.

The ITF discourages cancelling an age group; if one is cancelled, the players and the ITF must be told immediately.

The ITF World Team Championships are played in cups for each age group, from the Men's 30 and Women's 30 Cups up to 85+ (for example the Italia Cup for men 35+, the Young Cup for women 40+, the Von Cramm Cup for men 60+ and the Alice Marble Cup for women 60+).

• Age: you must have reached, or will reach, the cup's age by 31 December of the year of the competition.
• Team: three or four players, one of whom is captain, or a nation can add a non-playing captain.
• Nomination: your national association (Tennis South Africa) nominates the players in order of merit, with the strongest player at No. 1 regardless of national or ITF rankings. For 30+ to 45+, a player's World Tennis Number and past ATP/WTA rankings should be considered. You must be in good standing with your national association to be nominated.
• Changes to the team can be made up to 14 days before the first day of play.
• Format: each tie is two singles and one doubles; round robin first, then knock-out.
• Fees: USD 650 per team (up to four players) plus USD 12 IPIN fee per player; USD 125 for a non-playing captain.

How Tennis South Africa chooses who to nominate is set by the association, not the ITF.

A National Closed Championships is a Masters Tour event hosted by a national association (for South Africa, Tennis South Africa) and open only to players eligible under that association's own rules.

Under Appendix I of the 2026 ITF Masters Tour Regulations:

• It can run under the national association's own rules for acceptance, entry and withdrawal deadlines, seeding and referee appointment.
• It can't be graded higher than MT700, and still earns ITF ranking points on the normal points tables.
• Tournament IPIN fee: USD 5 per entry at MT100 and MT200 closed events; USD 12 at MT400 and MT700 closed events. Refunded only if you withdraw before the Withdrawal Deadline.
• You still need a Masters IPIN membership to receive ITF ranking points.
• Each national association is normally allowed one National Closed Championships on the calendar per year.