Pro Circuit 2016
Pro Circuit 2016
2016
2016
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ITF
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CONTENTS
Please note that where amendments have been made in these Regulations the text is
underlined.
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APPENDICES
A
B
C
D
E
F
G
H
I
J
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CODE OF CONDUCT
Article I
:
Article II
:
Article III
:
Article IV
:
Article V
:
Article VI
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Article VII
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Article VIII :
Article IX
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Article X
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Article XI
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Article XII
:
Article XIII :
APPENDICES
Appendix A :
Appendix B :
General
Mens Player Entry Offences
Womens Player Entry Offences
Player On-Site Offences
Tennis Anti-Corruption Program
Player Major Offences
Medical Control Anti-Doping Policy
Tournament Offences
Welfare Policy
Reciprocity
Interpretations
Notice
Amendments
91
92
95
99
112
129
131
131
133
133
134
134
135
Welfare Policy
Fines Guidelines
136
140
ITF
MENS CIRCUIT
RULES & REGULATIONS
2016
General
ITF Limited trading as the International Tennis Federation promulgates these
Tournament Regulations for the purpose of providing fair and reasonable
rules for the orderly and uniform conduct of international professional tennis
tournaments sanctioned by the ITF. All references to the International Tennis
Federation or ITF in these Regulations shall mean ITF Limited. These
Regulations shall be applicable to all Futures Tournaments known as the ITF
Mens Circuit.
Each player entrant in an ITF Mens Circuit tournament agrees as a condition
of such entry to abide by and be subject to these Regulations which
hereinafter include the Code of Conduct as amended from time to time by the
ITF Mens Circuit Committee.
Any Applicant awarded a one (1) year sanction on the ITF Mens Circuit
Calendar shall be subject to, and the Applicant shall be bound by and comply
with the ITF Rules of Tennis, all of the applicable provisions of the ITF
Mens Circuit Regulations, the ITF Pro Circuit Organisational Requirements
and the Guide to Recommended Health Care Standards documents, each of
which may be amended from time to time.
ITF reserves the right to refuse approval of or cancel any previously
sanctioned tournament or series of tournaments for reasons of health, safety,
security or any other potential threat to any persons attending the
tournament(s) or to the successful running of the tournament(s), with no
liability to the Applicant, National Association, Tournament Organiser or
ITF.
B.
Related Regulations
The ITF Rules of Tennis shall apply in all ITF Mens Circuit tournament
matches.
To the extent not covered herein The Constitution of ITF Limited 2016 and
the 2016 ITF Duties and Procedures for Officials shall be applicable to all
Futures Tournaments. Such applicability shall not affect the right of Futures
Tournaments to promulgate and enforce their own special regulations insofar
as they are consistent with the applicable provisions of these Rules and
Regulations and have been approved by the ITF.
C.
Enforcement of Regulations
These Regulations shall be binding. It is the responsibility of the ITF
Supervisor on site to enforce these Regulations on behalf of the ITF.
D.
Amendements
These ITF Mens Circuit Tournaments Rules and Regulations may only be
amended, repealed or otherwise modified, in whole or in part, by the ITF
Mens Circuit Committee.
II.
A.
Player Eligibility
1. Open Competition / No Discrimination
Futures Tournaments are open to all male (please refer to Appendix B)
tennis players based on merit and without discrimination subject only to
the conditions herein set forth and provided, however, that minors under
the age of fourteen (14) shall not be eligible for entry. For purposes of
this Rule, the players age as of the first day of the tournament Qualifying
shall be used.
All players entering into ITF Pro Circuit tournaments agree, as a
condition of entry, to submit upon request to the medical controls as
specifiend in Appendix B.
If requested, a player must provide a proof of identity and/or age through
photo identification (passport or drivers licence) to the ITF Supervisor
on site.
2. International Player Identification Number (IPIN) Membership and
Tennis Integrity Protection Programme (TIPP)
In order to enter ITF Futures Tournaments all players must first register
for annual Pro Circuit IPIN Membership (and pay the appropriate fee)
and agree, as a condition of their registration, to accept the related terms
and conditions and to complete the TIPP. Failure by a player (a) to
register for Pro Circuit IPIN Membership and to accept the related terms
and conditions and/or (b) to complete the TIPP will render a player
ineligible to enter and/or compete in Futures tournaments.
3. Play-Down (for Singles only)
Players ranked 1-100 in singles twenty-one (21) days prior to the Monday
of the tournament week are prohibited from entering, accepting a Wild
Card and/or competing in any Futures Tournament.
Players ranked 101-150 in singles twenty-one (21) days prior to the
Monday of the tournament week are prohibited from entering a Futures
Tournament but may receive a Wild Card into the Main Draw of a
Futures Tournament offering $10,000+H, $25,000 or $25,000+H in onsite prize money that is approved by the ITF Mens Circuit Committee in
order to compete in a Futures Tournament.
4
To be eligible for a Wild Card, such player must petition the ITF at least
four (4) days prior to the Monday of the tournament week. Upon receipt
of the petition the ITF shall evaluate the players eligibility to receive a
Wild Card.
Futures Tournaments offering $10,000 in on-site prize money may not
offer Wild Cards to players ranked 1-150 in singles.
Futures Tournaments offering $10,000+H, $25,000 or $25,000+H in onsite prize money may offer one Wild Card per tournament to players
ranked 101- 150 in singles.
B.
Categories of Tournaments
ITF Mens Circuit is comprised of two prize money categories: $10,000 and
$25,000 Futures tournaments, which must be scheduled in a minimum of
three consecutive weeks of $10,000 each or two consecutive weeks of
$25,000 each in prize money and shall be organised by a National
Association, unless otherwise approved by the ITF Mens Circuit Committee.
Individual $10,000 and $25,000 prize money tournaments may offer
hospitality (see section X. Computer Points and Prize Money).
For the purpose of this rule book, any Grand Slam Tournament, ATP World
Tour, ATP Challenger and ITF Mens Circuit Tournaments are considered
Professional Tournaments. Any tournament sanctioned by the ITF (ITF
Senior or ITF Junior tournaments) are considered ITF Sanctioned
Trournaments and ITF Team Competitions (Davis Cup, Junior Davis Cup,
Hopman Cup etc). Remaining tournaments (exhibition tournaments, national
league tournaments etc) are considered as Other Tournaments.
C.
Tournament Events
Each Futures tournament must consist of a Singles Main Draw, Doubles
Main Draw and Singles Qualifying (unless there are insufficient entries to run
the Qualifying). Each draw will be an elimination draw.
D.
Match Format
Each singles match shall be the best of three (3) tie-break sets, unless
otherwise approved by the ITF.
In each doubles match No-Ad scoring shall be used throughout the match and
when the score is one set all, one match tie-break (10 points) shall be played
to decide the match.
E.
Tournament Week
Each tournament is assigned a specific tournament week on the calendar
defined by the date of the Monday of that week. Except for indoor
tournaments with sufficient facilities, the Singles Main Draw must be
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scheduled to begin no later than Tuesday and to finish no later than Sunday of
the same week. Singles Qualifying must be scheduled on the appropriate days
immediately prior to the first day of Singles Main Draw, unless otherwise
approved by the ITF. In extraordinary circumstances, e.g. bad weather, the
ITF Supervisor, in consultation with the ITF, may cancel or adjust a
Tournaments schedule.
F.
Tournament Administrator
The National Association(s) organising the Futures Tournament shall
designate a Tournament Administrator to administer the event.
G.
Officials
1. ITF Supervisor
Each Futures Tournament must provide at its sole expense an official
certified as a Gold or Silver Badge ITF Supervisor. The ITF Supervisor
must be available throughout the tournament week, from the Qualifying
Sign-in, unless otherwise approved by the ITF.
Please see the Officiating Requirements provided in the ITF Pro Circuit
Organisational Requirements.
2. ITF Chair Umpire
The Officiating Requirements (see above) are the minimum standards for
Futures Tournaments. National Associations that wish to supply a higher
certification level of official, or more officials, than the minimum
requirements are encouraged to do so.
3. Approval of Officials
Each Futures Tournament shall submit a list of officials to fulfil the
requirements as set forth above to ITF Officiating at least 8 weeks (56
days) prior to the tournament. Any request for these officiating
requirements to be waived should be made to the ITF at least 8 weeks (56
days) prior to the tournament.
H.
I.
Balls
The balls to be used at Futures Tournaments must conform to the
specifications in the Rules of Tennis and must have been approved by the
ITF. Any Futures Tournament must apply to the ITF for approval at least 7
weeks (49 days) in advance of the tournament if it wishes to use Ball Types 1
or 3.
In the Qualifying a minimum of four (4) new balls of the same brand and type
must be provided for the first and third sets of a match. In the Main Draw, a
minimum of four (4) new balls of the same brand and type must be changed
at a maximum of eleven (11) and thereafter every thirteen (13) games in each
match.
A minimum of three (3) used balls of the same brand and type as the match
balls must be available for practice per day, free of charge, to each player
accepted into the Main and/or Qualifying Draw, from the day prior to the
commencement of the respective draw until he is eliminated from the
tournament. Players must return practice balls.
J.
Artificial Lighting
Play is allowed with artificial lighting provided there is a minimum of 500
lux evenly distributed over the court surface.
K.
Waiver of Claims
In submitting an entry into a Futures Tournament, all players agree, as a
condition of entry, that for themselves, their executors, administrators, heirs
and personal representatives, all claims of any kind, nature and description
are waived, including past, present or future claims and injuries, if any,
sustained in travelling to or from, or participating in a Futures Tournament
and/or any of its related activities and/or while in the location of a Futures
tournament, against the ITF, the National Association or Regional
Association sanctioning such events, promoters, sponsors, television or other
broadcast licensees, vendors, venues, local organisers and others connected
with such Futures tournaments, including its employees, officers, directors,
volunteers, and representatives.
L.
reproduce, in any and all media now known or hereafter devised, from time to
time and at their discretion, motion pictures, still pictures and live, taped or
filmed television and other reproduction of him during the event for
commercial and non-commercial purposes without compensation for him, his
heirs, devisees, executors, administrators or assigns. Such activities by the
ITF, the tournaments sanctioning National Association, the tournament or
their agents and assigns shall not be identified as or represented to be an
endorsement by the player of any product or company.
M.
III.
FINANCIAL
A.
Payments
The sanctioning National Association and/or where applicable the
Tournament Organiser (jointly the Applicant) shall be liable for and pay the
prize money to all players participating in the Tournament in accordance with
the breakdowns stated in section XIII. On-site Prize Money Distribution
Formulas. The Applicant shall also be liable for and pay the annual Sanction
Fee and any IPIN membership fees and fines collected during the tournament
due to the ITF in accordance with the notifications issued to the Applicant by
the ITF.
B.
C.
Tax Deductions
Any Government Income tax deductions from prize money must be stated on
the players fact sheet. No taxes other than the stated Income tax will be
deducted from prize money.
D.
of the six (6) months immediately preceding six (6) months prior to the
tournament. If, on the Monday, seven (7) days prior to the start of the
tournament, there is a fluctuation in the official ITF exchange rate of five
percent (5%) or more, up or down, then such exchange rate shall be adjusted,
up or down as follows:
Exchange Rate Fluctuation
Less than 5%
Between 5 and 10%
10% or greater
Amateur Expenses
Futures Tournaments may pay expenses to amateurs who are eligible to and
do compete. Such expenses are limited to the actual and reasonable expenses
of an amateur incurred pursuant to his participation in the tournament. The
payment of expenses cannot be conditioned on the success of the amateur in
the tournament.
F.
Entry Fees
There shall be no Entry Fee for Main Draw. The Entry Fee for Qualifying
will be a maximum of $40.
IV.
DEFINITIONS
A.
Direct Acceptances
Entered players accepted directly into the Main Draw or Qualifying Draw by
virtue of their rankings under the applicable System of Merit.
B.
Wild Cards
Players included in the draw at the sole discretion of the sanctioning National
Association. Wild Cards may be seeded. Wild Cards must be named at the
time the draw is made and Wild Cards who withdraw cannot be replaced with
new Wild Cards after the appropriate draw is made. Any such vacancies shall
be filled in accordance with Section V.H.Vacancies/Substitutions below.
Players and tournaments should retain written confirmation of the offer and
acceptance of a Wild Card. Players and tournaments may not offer and/or
receive any compensation for receiving or awarding a wild card. Acceptance
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Junior Exempt
A player who by virtue of his 2015 position on the ITF Junior Boys YearEnd Combined Rankings gains Direct Acceptance into a designated ITF
Mens Circuit tournament (see Appendix D).
D.
Alternates
Players who are ranked lower than the direct acceptances into Main Draw and
Qualifying under the applicable System of Merit, at any time after the Entry
Deadline.
E.
On-Site Alternates
Non-entered players who appear at the tournament site (prior to the
Qualifying sign-in deadline) to sign-in for the Qualifying. In order to be
eligible as an On-Site Alternate, a player must have valid IPIN Membership,
sign-in with the ITF Supervisor at the tournament site and have paid the Entry
Fee.
F.
Special Exempts
Entered players on the Qualifying Acceptance list who apply for and receive
exemption into the Singles Main Draw of the following weeks tournament
because they are still competing in singles at a Qualified Tournament on
the day the Qualifying event is scheduled to begin.
A Qualified Tournament is defined as follows:
1. $10,000 and $10,000+H Tournaments: the singles event of another
Futures or ATP Challenger Tournament within the same continent in the
preceding week.
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Qualifiers
Players who are included in the Main Draw as a result of their success in the
Qualifying competition.
H.
Lucky Losers
Players who have lost in the final round of the Qualifying competition and fill
a vacancy in the first round of the Main Draw. If more Lucky Losers are
required for substitutions, then those players who have lost in the previous
Qualifying round(s). To be eligible, such players must sign-in personally with
the ITF Supervisor in accordance with Section V.I.Sign-in Requirements for
Substitutes.
If a player is forced to retire from his final round of Qualifying due to illness
or injury, he will retain his Lucky Loser status provided he receives medical
clearance from the Tournament Doctor.
V.
All singles entries and withdrawals are subject to the Regulations and
Conditions stated in Appendix E Entry and Withdrawal Procedures. Unless
specified otherwise, this section V. applies for both Singles Main Draw and
Qualifying.
A.
Entry
A player applying for entry shall be deemed to apply for entry into the Main
Draw or the Qualifying depending on his ranking by the applicable System of
Merit.
A player may apply for entry into one (1) but not more than six (6) Futures
Tournaments for a specific tournament week, in which case he must indicate
a priority. If no priority is stated, the ITF will assign a priority. A player may
not apply for entry into a Futures Tournament if he is committed to another
tournament during that period.
B.
D.
Freeze Deadline
The Freeze Deadline is at 14:00 hours GMT on the Thursday preceding the
tournament week.
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After the Freeze Deadline players on the Qualifying Acceptance List will no
longer be moved into the Main Draw, and players on one or more Alternate
Lists will no longer be moved into a Qualifying Acceptance List. Such
Alternates are not committed to play the tournament.
A player who wishes to withdraw from the Main Draw or Qualifying after the
Freeze Deadline must submit an official withdrawal to both the ITF and ITF
Supervisor else he will be subject to the penalties provided for No Show.
E.
vi.
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ii.
iii.
Players found to have been accepted into two tournaments in one week after
the Withdrawal Deadline should not be allowed into any Tournament. Players
found to have competed in another tournament or in two Tournaments in one
week other than stated above should be immediately defaulted forfeiting all
prize money and computer points (where applicable).
In addition, any player found to have contravened any of the above rules will
be subject to penalties stated in Code of Conduct Article II.A.3.Playing
Another Event/One Tournament Per Week.
2. Grand Slam Tournaments and Multi-Week ATP World Tour
Tournaments
a. Participation during Qualifying and/or First Weeks
A player is allowed to play in two Professional tournaments (one of
which must be a Grand Slam Tournament or multi-week ATP World
Tour Tournament) during this two-week period, provided the player
has been eliminated from singles and doubles of the first tournament
prior to the Qualifying Sign-in Deadline of the second tournament.
Once a player has competed in two such tournaments, where
appropriate he must withdraw from any ITF Mens Circuit tournament
in the week following the Qualifying.
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Special Exempts
A player qualified to and who wishes to apply for Special Exempt status must
do so by personally notifying the ITF Supervisor, either verbally or in
writing, prior to the Qualifying Sign-in Deadline. If there are not sufficient
Special Exempt places in the Main Draw for all the applicants, the players
shall be selected in accordance with their rankings on Monday, seven (7) days
before the tournament week, or a players Protected Ranking if used to enter
the Tournament.
A player still competing at a Qualified Tournament at the time of the
Qualifying Sign-in deadline can request a Special Exempt place (as above)
however he must notify the ITF Supervisor of the result of his match no later
than one (1) hour following the completion of the match. If after the
completion of the match the player is not eligible for the Special Exempt
status, the Special Exempt place will be filled either by another player who
applied for Special Exempt status or in accordance with section
V.H.Vacancies/Substitutions below.
Unsuccessful applicants will not be penalised under the Late Withdrawal/ No
Show provisions of the Code of Conduct.
If there is no Qualifying competition, or if Special Exempts are not needed
prior to the time of the Qualifying Sign-in Deadline, then the places in the
Main Draw reserved for Special Exempts shall become places for Direct
Acceptances.
If prior to the Entry Deadline it is established that there will be no Special
Exempts into a Futures Tournament because there are no Qualified
Tournaments in the week preceding the Tournament, then the places
reserved in the Main Draw for Special Exempts shall become places for
Direct Acceptances and will be indicated as such on the Acceptance List.
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G.
Sign-In
1. Main Draw Sign-In
There will be no sign-in requirement for players accepted directly into the
Main Draw.
2. Qualifying Sign-In
a. General
The Qualifying Sign-In Deadline is at 18:00 hours local time at the site of
the Qualifying event on the day before the scheduled start of the
Qualifying event unless specified otherwise on the published Fact Sheet.
All players accepted directly into Qualifying must be present on-site and
personally sign-in with the ITF Supervisor. Any player may be signed-in
for the Qualifying Draw by the ITF Supervisor/Referee of a Professional
Tournament, ITF Sanctioned Tournament, or ITF Team Competition
event in the previous week if such player has competed and lost on the
last two days preceding the scheduled start of the Qualifying competition.
This player must be able to be on-site and play his first round match by
the end of the first round of Qualifying.
Alternates and On-site Alternates may sign-in in person for the
Qualifying of a second tournament during the same week provided:
i. the Qualifying Sign-in Deadline of the second tournament is on a
later day than the Qualifying Sign-in Deadline of the first
tournament; and
ii. the player was not accepted into the Qualifying draw of the first
tournament.
Nominated Wild Cards do not have to sign-in with the ITF Supervisor.
Players who cannot appear for the Qualifying sign-in because they are
still competing in a previous weeks related Futures Tournament may be
signed in for the Qualifying and may be permitted to compete in both
events subject to the approval of both ITF Supervisors and provided it
does not unfairly disrupt the Qualifying schedule.
Except as otherwise stated herein, players who fail to sign-in shall not be
included in the Qualifying Draw.
b. Preserving Eligibility
Players on the Qualifying Acceptance List can preserve their eligibility
for unused Special Exempt places or Main Draw vacancies (following
withdrawals after the Freeze Deadline) by personally contacting the ITF
Supervisor on-site prior to the Qualifying Sign-in Deadline.
If the Special Exempt places are used or there are no Main Draw
vacancies, these players are not eligible to play the Qualifying and are
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subject to the provisions set forth in Article II. B.1 Late Withdrawal/ No
Show of the Code of Conduct.
If an unused Special Exempt place or Main Draw vacancy is not so
preserved, such place(s) shall be filled by entered players who have
signed in for Qualifying, to be selected in accordance with the section
V.H.Vacancies/Substitutions below.
H.
Vacancies/Substitutions
Vacancies shall be filled with substitutes in accordance with the following:
1. From the Withdrawal Deadline until the Freeze Deadline:
Vacancies in the Qualifying and Main Draw shall be filled by entered
players selected in accordance with the applicable System of Merit.
2. From the Freeze Deadline until the Qualifying Sign-in Deadline:
Vacancies in the Qualifying or Main Draw shall be filled, at the time of
the Qualifying Sign-in Deadline, by players who have signed in for the
Qualifying event, or in the case of the Main Draw preserved their
eligibility by contacting the ITF Supervisor (see G.2.b. above), selected
in accordance with the applicable System of Merit.
3. From the Qualifying Sign-in Deadline until the commencement of the
Qualifying competition:
Any unused Special Exempt place(s) or vacancies in the Qualifying or
Main Draw shall be filled by players who have signed in for the
Qualifying event, selected in accordance with the applicable System of
Merit. The Qualifying competition commences when the first ball of the
first Qualifying match is struck.
4. After commencement of the Qualifying competition:
a. Vacancies in the Main Draw may only be filled by Lucky Losers,
which shall be selected as follows:
The order of the ranked players shall be randomly drawn, thereafter the
order of the unranked players shall be drawn.
Protected Ranking shall not be used. If players from previous rounds
are to be considered, they will be placed below all players who have
lost in the final round of Qualifying.
b. Vacancies in the Qualifying shall be filled by players who have signed
the Alternate list selected in accordance with the applicable System of
Merit.
I.
other Alternates and Lucky Losers of the same round. When the last
round of Qualifying and the first round of Main Draw are played on the
same day, Lucky Losers must sign-in no later than 30 minutes after the
completion of the last Qualifying match.
2. Alternates and Lucky Losers must be ready to play in proper tennis attire
within a total time of five (5) minutes after the announcement of a
vacancy. Matches must commence without delay after the selection of the
Alternate or Lucky Loser.
If the Alternate is not available to play, he shall be placed at the bottom of
the Alternate list for that day. If the eligible Lucky Loser is not available
to play, he shall be placed at the bottom of the Lucky Loser priority list
for that day corresponding to the Qualifying round in which he lost. Such
players will not be penalised under the Article II.B.1 Late Withdrawal/No
Show.
J.
VI.
A.
B.
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VII.
A.
SYSTEMS OF MERIT
Singles
1. Method A
Entered players with an approved singles computer ranking, including a
protected ranking, shall be selected in accordance with their positions on
the approved computer ranking list available on the Entry Deadline and
dated twenty-one (21) days prior to the Monday of the tournament week.
2. Method B
Entered players without an approved singles computer ranking but with a
current top 500 National Ranking will be drawn at the ITF Office at the
Entry Deadline.
These players will be sorted into groups of the same nationalities and
ranked within those groups. Ties between players within those groups
will be randomly drawn.
Each country represented will be allocated the same number of draw
chips as the number of players from that country. Each time a chip is
drawn the highest ranked player from the country represented by that chip
shall be selected.
Thereafter, all remaining entered players who are unranked and have no
National Ranking, shall be randomly drawn for a position on the
Qualifying/Alternate List.
3. Method C
On-Site Alternates with an approved singles computer ranking, including
a protected ranking, who have signed in for Qualifying shall be selected
in accordance with the computer rankings, on Monday, seven (7) days
before the tournament week.
4. Method D
On-Site Alternates without a computer ranking who have signed in for
Qualifying shall be selected on the basis of their current Top 500
National Rankings.
Players will be sorted into groups of the same nationalities and ranked
within those groups. Ties between players within those groups will be
randomly drawn.
Each country represented will be allocated the same number of draw
chips as the number of players from that country unless there are more
players from a particular country than places available in a draw. In that
case, the number of chips allocated to that country shall be limited to the
number of places available in the draw and any extra players are dropped
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from consideration. Each time a chip is drawn the highest ranked player
from the country represented by that chip shall be selected.
Further places will be filled by unranked players randomly drawn.
5. Ties
Ties on computer rankings between players for positions on the entry list
shall be randomly drawn.
On Acceptance Lists produced by the ITF ties have already been
randomly drawn and players are listed in priority order.
6. National Rankings
All National Rankings must be submitted to the ITF by the National
Association at least seven (7) days before the Entry Deadline if they are
to be used for acceptance purposes for a given tournament. Players
without a National Ranking, or an approved singles computer ranking,
will be considered unranked for that Futures Tournament.
If a National Association produces an updated National Ranking during
the year, the National Association may send quarterly updates to the ITF.
B.
Doubles
Teams selected in accordance with their relative rankings, including a
protected ranking, on the Monday, seven (7) days before the tournament
week, that are composed as follows in the Methods shown:
1. Method A
Combined ranking of two players with approved Singles or Doubles
Rankings. Best rankings (either singles or doubles) shall be added
together and the total used to determine direct acceptances.
Ties between teams for positions on the entry list shall be broken as
follows:
i.
If a team uses a Protected Ranking, the priority shall be given to
the other team(s) with non-Protected Rankings.
ii.
Teams selected by using two (2) Singles Rankings. If still tied,
priority shall be given to the team with the strongest individual
Singles Ranking used for the selection.
iii.
Teams selected by using one (1) Singles Ranking and one (1)
Doubles Ranking. If still tied, priority shall be given to the team
with the strongest individual Singles Ranking used for the
selection.
iv.
Teams selected by using two (2) Doubles Rankings. If still tied,
priority shall be given to the team with strongest Doubles
Ranking used for the selection.
v.
Any further ties shall be randomly drawn.
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2. Method B
One player with an approved Singles or Doubles Ranking (best of) and
one player without a Ranking
Ties between teams for positions on the entry list shall be broken as
follows:
i.
If a team uses a Protected Ranking, the priority shall be given to
the other team(s) with non-Protected Rankings.
ii.
If two or more teams are tied, priority shall be given to the team
with the strongest individual Singles Ranking used for the
selection.
iii.
Any further ties shall be randomly drawn.
3. Method C
Two players without approved Rankings (no selection based on National
Rankings). The order of the teams will be randomly drawn.
VIII.
DRAWS
The Singles Main Draw shall consist of 32 players. The Singles Qualifying
Draw shall be a minimum of a 32 Draw and a maximum of a 64 Draw. Open
Qualifying Draws are not permitted.
The Doubles Main Draw shall consist of 16 teams.
A.
COMPOSITION OF DRAWS
The draws shall be composed as detailed below. All Direct Acceptances will
be seleted in accordance with applicable System of Merit.
1. Singles
a. Main Draw
Draw Size
Direct Acceptances
Qualifiers
Wild Cards^
Special Exempts
Junior Exempt
32
20 17*
8
4
0/2
0/1
b. Qualifying
Draw Size
Direct Acceptances
Wild Cards^
32
26
6
21
48
41
7
64
56
8
128
117
11
2. Doubles
Main Draw
Draw Size
Direct Acceptances
Wild Cards^
16
13
3
* Number of Direct Acceptances in the Main Draw varies depending on the inclusion
of any Special and/or Junior Exempt places.
Only applicable at $10,000 Futures Tournaments subject to approval by the ITF
Mens Circuit Committee.
^ Wild Cards are awarded at the discretion of the sanctioning National Association.
Unused Wild Card places shall become Direct Acceptances and filled as defined
above.
B.
SEEDS
In singles, seeds shall be based on the singles computer ranking on Monday,
seven (7) days before the tournament week. Ties shall be randomly drawn.
Players without a computer ranking shall not be seeded.
In doubles, seeds shall be based on the combined doubles computer ranking
of two players on Monday, seven (7) days before the tournament week. Ties
shall be randomly drawn. Teams without a combined computer ranking shall
not be seeded.
Protected Ranking shall not be used.
C.
a. Seeding List
There is to be only one seeding list, and seeding will not be official
until the final draw is made.
b. Withdrawal and Replacement of Seeds
Any vacancy created by the withdrawal of a seed shall be filled by the
next highest ranked player eligible to be seeded. The position vacated
by that next highest ranked player shall then be filled in accordance
with Section V.H.Vacancies/Substitutions.
Any vacancy created by the withdrawal of a seed which occurs after
the release of the Order of Play for the first day of Qualifying shall be
filled by an eligible Alternate.
Any vacancy created by the withdrawal of a seed which occurs after
the release of the Order of Play for the first day of Main Draw shall be
filled by an eligible Lucky Loser.
c. Rules for the Qualifying Draw
i. Sections
The Qualifying Draw shall be made in sections, with one section
for each place allotted in the Main Draw. Each section shall have
no more than two (2) seeded players/teams.
ii.
- 8 seeds
- 4 seeds
23
IX.
A.
PLAYERS REST
Between Tournaments
If the ITF Supervisor receives notice from a player of the date and time of his
last match played in a previous weeks Professional Tournament, ITF
24
C.
Between Matches
In the Main Draw, except when weather or other unavoidable circumstances
causes schedule disruption, players shall be scheduled for a maximum of one
(1) singles match and one (1) doubles match per day, which shall not be
scheduled less than twelve (12) hours after the completion of the last match
of such player on the preceding day or round.
Whenever it is necessary to schedule more than one match in the same day
such player shall, unless he is in a singles and doubles finals to be played
consecutively, be given the following minimum rest periods:
If he has played less than 1 hour
If he has played between 1 hour and 1 hours
If he has played more than 1 hours
hour rest
1 hour rest
1 hours rest
X.
A.
25
B.
C.
26
D.
Uncompleted Tournaments
If the singles or doubles event of a tournament is cancelled before the
tournament is completed, e.g. due to poor weather, the following will apply:
- Players will be paid losers prize money for the individual round reached
- Prize Money shall be paid only for matches played. For purposes of this
section a match is played when it is won as a result of a retirement,
default, walkover or no show
- Players will receive losers computer points for the round reached
If a tournament is officially terminated and the final(s) have not been
completed, the finalists will each receive runner-up prize money and ranking
points.
E.
Hospitality
To qualify for computer points of the next (higher) prize money category , a
Futures Tournament must provide reasonable minimum hospitality which is
defined as: One (1) bed and breakfast to all Main Draw singles and doubles
players beginning two (2) days before the commencement of Main Draw until
the day following the players elimination from the tournament. Such
minimum shall be approved by the ITF.
XI.
A.
B.
C.
D.
Results
At the end of each day's play at ITF Men's Circuit Tournaments, including
the completion of the tournament, the Supervisor shall submit, using the ITF
Tournament Planner program, updated tournament results for Main Draw
and Qualifying, singles and doubles.
27
XII.
DATA RIGHTS
Scoring
The ITF will have the exclusive right to provide a scoring service at any ITF
Pro Circuit tournament as selected by the ITF. Each tournament will assist the
ITF in its efforts to produce the service.
B.
Data Protection
Each Tournament shall not allow or authorise the dissemination,
transmission, publication or release of any match score or related statistical
data from the grounds of the Tournament.
The continual use of laptop computers or other handheld electronic devices
within the confines of the tournament match courts (spectator areas) shall be
prohibited and each tournament shall take reasonable steps to enforce such
prohibition. The exception to this provision is tournament credentialed
personnel when used in the performance of their duties.
28
XIII.
75%
Singles
25%
Doubles
US$10,000
US$7,500
US$2,500
US$25,000
US$18,750
US$6,250
Singles
Tournament Prize Money
Singles Prize Money
32 Draw
Winner
Finalist
Semi-finalist
Quarter-finalist
Round of 16
Round of 32
US$10,000
US$25,000
75%
US$7,500
US$18,750
14.40%
8.48%
5.02%
2.92%
1.72%
1.04%
1,440
848
502
292
172
104
3,600
2,120
1,255
730
430
260
US$10,000
US$25,000
25%
US$2,500
US$6,250
6.2%
3.6%
2.16%
1.28%
0.72%
620
360
216
128
72
1,550
900
540
320
180
29
ITF
WOMENS CIRCUIT
RULES & REGULATIONS
2016
GENERAL
ITF Limited trading as the International Tennis Federation promulgates these
Tournament Regulations for the purpose of providing fair and reasonable
rules for the orderly and uniform conduct of international professional tennis
tournaments sanctioned by the ITF. All references to the International Tennis
Federation or ITF in these Regulations shall mean ITF Limited. These
Regulations shall be applicable to all ITF Womens Circuit Tournaments.
Each player entrant in an ITF Womens Circuit tournament agrees as a
condition of such entry to abide by and be subject to these ITF Womens
Circuit Regulations, which hereinafter include the ITF Womens Circuit Code
of Conduct, as amended from time to time by the ITF Womens Circuit
Committee.
Any Applicant awarded a one (1) year sanction on the ITF Womens Circuit
Calendar shall be subject to, and the Applicant shall be bound by and comply
with, the ITF Rules of Tennis, all of the applicable provisions of the ITF
Womens Circuit Regulations, the ITF Pro Circuit Organisational
Requirements and the Guide to Recommended Health Care Standards
documents, each of which may be amended from time to time.
ITF reserves the right to refuse approval of or cancel any previously
sanctioned tournament or series of tournaments on the grounds of health,
safety, security or any other potential threat to any persons attending the
tournament(s) or to the successful running of the tournament(s), with no
liability to the Applicant, National Association, Tournament Organiser or
ITF.
B.
RELATED REGULATIONS
The ITF Rules of Tennis shall apply in all ITF Womens Circuit tournament
matches.
To the extent not covered herein the Constitution of ITF Limited 2016 and
the 2016 ITF Duties and Procedures for Officials shall be applicable to all
ITF Womens Circuit Tournaments. Such applicability shall not affect the
right of the tournaments to promulgate and enforce their own special
regulations insofar as they are consistent with the applicable provisions of
these Rules and Regulations and have been approved by the ITF.
31
C.
ENFORCEMENT OF REGULATIONS
These Regulations shall be binding. It is the responsibility of the ITF
Supervisor on site to enforce these Regulations on behalf of the ITF.
D.
AMENDMENT OF REGULATIONS
These ITF Womens Circuit Tournaments Rules and Regulations may only
be amended, repealed or otherwise modified, in whole or in part, by the ITF
Womens Circuit Committee.
PLAYER ELIGIBILITY
1. Open Competition/No Discrimination
All Womens Circuit tournaments are open to all female (please refer to
Appendix B) tennis players based on merit and without discrimination
subject only to the conditions herein set forth and provided, however, that
minors under the age of fourteen (14) shall not be eligible for entry. For
the purposes of this Rule, the players age as of the first day of the
tournament Main Draw shall be used. If requested, a player must provide
a proof of identity and/or age through photo identification (passport or
drivers licence) to the ITF Supervisor on site.
2. Medical Control
All players entering into ITF Womens Circuit tournaments agree, as a
condition of entry, to submit upon request to the medical controls as
specified in Appendix B.
3. Age Eligibility Rules
Please refer to Appendix C for details of the Age Eligibility Rule
applicable to competition in all professional tennis tournaments
worldwide which offer prize money of $10,000 or more.
Players under 18 years of age may be requested to provide proof of their
date of birth.
4. International Player Identification Number (IPIN) Membership and
Tennis Integrity Protection Programme (TIPP)
In order to enter ITF Pro Circuit Tournaments all players must first
register for annual Pro Circuit IPIN Membership (and pay the appropriate
fee) and agree, as a condition of their registration, to accept the related
terms and conditions and to complete the TIPP. Failure by a player (a) to
register for Pro Circuit IPIN Membership and to accept the related terms
and conditions and/or (b) to complete the TIPP will render the player
ineligible to enter and/or compete in Pro Circuit tournaments.
32
5. Play-Down
Players ranked 1-10 in singles twenty-one (21) days prior to the Monday
of the tournament week cannot enter, accept a Wild Card and/or compete
in singles or doubles in ITF Womens Circuit Tournaments.
B.
CATEGORIES OF TOURNAMENTS
For the purpose of this rule book, any Grand Slam Tournaments, WTA
Tournaments and ITF Womens Circuit Tournaments are considered
Professional Tournaments. Any tournaments sanctioned by the ITF (ITF
Senior or ITF Junior tournaments) are considered ITF Sanctioned
Tournaments and ITF Team Competitions (Fed Cup, Junior Fed Cup,
Hopman Cup etc). Remaining tournaments (exhibition tournaments, national
and league tournaments etc) are considered as Other Tournaments.
ITF Womens Circuit Tournaments that comply with the criteria laid down in
these Regulations are eligible for inclusion of their results on the WTA
Rankings as specified in Section XIII.WTA Computer Rankings. Such
tournaments fall into the following groups:
1. ITF WOMENS CIRCUIT $10,000
Individual tournaments of $10,000 prize money
2. ITF WOMENS CIRCUIT $25,000
Individual tournaments of $25,000 prize money
3. ITF WOMENS CIRCUIT $50,000, $75,000 AND $100,000
Individual tournaments of $50,000, $75,000 and $100,000 prize money
4. ITF WOMENS CIRCUIT $10,000+H, $25,000+H, $50,000+H,
$75,000+H AND $100,000+H
Individual tournaments of $10,000, $25,000, $50,000, $75,000 and
$100,000 prize money which offer hospitality. (See Section XIII.C. for a
detailed explanation regarding hospitality).
Note: All references to $10,000, $25,000, $50,000, $75,000 and $100,000
tournaments in these Regulations (with the exception of Computer points)
also apply to $10,000+H, $25,000+H, $50,000+H, $75,000+H and
$100,000+H tournaments.
C.
TOURNAMENT EVENTS
Each tournament must consist of a Singles Main Draw, Doubles Main Draw
and Singles Qualifying (unless there are insufficient entries to run the
Qualifying). Tournaments may choose to play a Doubles Qualifying Draw.
Each draw will be an elimination draw.
33
D.
MATCH FORMAT
All singles matches shall be the best of three (3) tie-break sets, unless
otherwise approved by the ITF.
In each doubles match, No-Ad scoring shall be used throughout the match
and when the score is one set all, one match Tie-Break game (10 points) shall
be played to decide the match.
E.
TOURNAMENT WEEK
Each ITF Womens Circuit Tournament will be scheduled within a specific
tournament week on the calendar, defined by the date of the Monday of that
week. Except for indoor tournaments with sufficient facilities, the singles
Main Draw must be scheduled to begin no later than Tuesday and to finish no
later than Sunday of that week, while singles Qualifying must be scheduled
on the appropriate days immediately prior to the first day of singles Main
Draw, unless otherwise approved by the ITF. In extraordinary circumstances,
e.g. bad weather, the ITF Supervisor, in consultation with the ITF, may
cancel or adjust a Tournaments schedule.
F.
TOURNAMENT ADMINISTRATOR
The National Association(s) organising the ITF Womens Circuit Tournament
shall designate a Tournament Administrator to administer the event.
G.
OFFICIALS
1. ITF Supervisor
Each ITF Womens Circuit Tournament must provide at its sole expense
an official certified as a Gold or Silver Badge ITF Supervisor. The ITF
Supervisor must be available throughout the tournament week, from the
Qualifying Sign-in, unless otherwise approved by the ITF.
Please see the Officiating Requirements provided in the ITF Pro Circuit
Organisational Requirements.
2. ITF Chair Umpire
The Officiating Requirements (see above) are the minimum standards for
ITF Womens Circuit Tournaments. National Associations that wish to
supply a higher certification level of official, or more officials, than the
minimum requirements are encouraged to do so.
3.
Approval of Officials
Each ITF Womens Circuit Tournament shall submit a list of officials to
fulfil the requirements as set forth above to ITF Officiating at least 8
weeks (56 days) prior to the tournament. Any request for these
officiating requirements to be waived should be made to the ITF at least
8 weeks (56 days) prior to the tournament.
34
H.
I.
BALLS
The balls to be used at ITF Womens Circuit tournaments must conform to
the specifications in Rule 3 of the Rules of Tennis and must have been
approved by the ITF. Any Womens Circuit tournament must apply to the
ITF for approval at least seven (7) weeks (49 days) in advance of the
tournament if it wishes to use BALL TYPES 1 or 3.
1. $10,000 and $25,000 Tournaments
In the Qualifying, a minimum of four (4) new balls of the same brand and
type must be provided for the first and third sets of a match. In the Main
Draw, a minimum of four (4) new balls of the same brand and type are to
be changed at a maximum of eleven (11) games and thereafter every
thirteen (13) games in each match.
A minimum of three (3) once-used balls of the same type and brand as
the match balls must be available for practice per day, free of charge, to
any player accepted into the Main Draw and/or the Qualifying, from the
day prior to the commencement of the respective draw until she is
eliminated from the tournament.
35
ARTIFICAL LIGHTING
Play is allowed with artificial lighting provided there is a minimum of 500
lux evenly distributed over the court surface.
K.
WAIVER OF CLAIMS
In submitting an entry into an ITF Womens Circuit tournament, all players
agree, as a condition of entry, that for themselves, their executors,
administrators, heirs and personal representatives, all claims of any kind,
nature and description are waived, including past, present or future claims
and injuries, if any, sustained in traveling to or from, or participating in an
ITF Womens Circuit tournament and/or any of its related activities and/or
while in the location of an ITF Womens Circuit tournament, against the ITF,
the Regional Association or National Association sanctioning such
tournaments, promoters, sponsors, television or other broadcast licensees,
vendors, venues, local organisers and others connected with such
tournaments, including its employees, officers, directors, volunteers, and
representatives and the WTA.
L.
reproduce, in any and all media now known or hereafter devised, from time
to time and at their discretion, motion pictures, still pictures and live, taped or
filmed television and other reproduction of her during the tournament for
commercial and non-commercial purposes without compensation for herself,
her heirs, devisees, executors, administrators or assigns. Such activities by
the ITF, the tournaments sanctioning National Association, the tournament
or their agents and assigns shall not be identified as or represented to be an
endorsement by the player of any product or company.
M.
III. FINANCIAL
A.
PAYMENTS
The sanctioning National Association and/or where applicable the
Tournament Organiser (jointly the Applicant) shall be liable for and pay
the prize money to all players participating in the Tournament in accordance
with the breakdowns stated in section XII.A.Breakdowns. The Applicant
shall also be liable for and pay the annual Sanction Fee and any IPIN
membership fees and fines collected during the tournament and any PHCP
payment due to the ITF in accordance with the notifications issued to the
Applicant by the ITF.
B.
FINANCIAL GUARANTEE
In the case of $50,000, $75,000 and $100,000 ITF Womens Circuit
tournaments, at the absolute discretion of the ITF, the Applicant shall provide
a Financial Guarantee for the tournament prize money in such format and
according to the timescale as defined by the ITF.
If the Applicant fails to provide such Financial Guarantee then the ITF may
cancel the tournament without any liability to the Applicant.
C.
PRIZE MONEY
Prize money in cash or cheque shall be made available daily at the
Tournament Office for each days eligible players in accordance with the
criteria stated below.
D.
TAX DEDUCTIONS
Any Government Income tax deductions from prize money must be stated on
the players' fact sheet. No taxes other than the stated Income tax will be
deducted from Prize Money.
37
E.
AMATEUR EXPENSES
ITF Womens Circuit Tournaments may pay expenses to amateurs who are
eligible to and do compete. Such expenses are limited to the actual and
reasonable expenses of an amateur incurred pursuant to her participation in
the tournament. The payment of expenses cannot be conditioned on the
success of the amateur in the event.
G.
ENTRY FEES
Tournament Organisers may charge an entry fee of up to a maximum of
US$40 per player in Qualifying and US$40 per player in the Main Draw per
tournament to include both singles and doubles. No player may be charged
more than a total of US$40 for one tournament.
For doubles only, an entry fee may be charged up to a maximum of US$15
per player in the Qualifying and a maximum of US$20 per player in the Main
Draw per tournament. (Qualifiers and Lucky Losers in doubles may be
required to pay the difference between the entry fees for Qualifying and Main
Draw).
38
Any such entry fee must either be paid as directed by the Tournament
Director prior to the start of the tournament or deducted from prize money.
IV.
DEFINITIONS
A.
DIRECT ACCEPTANCES
Players accepted directly into the Main or Qualifying Draw by virtue of their
ranking under the applicable System of Merit.
B.
WILD CARDS
Players accepted directly into the Main Draw or Qualifying at the discretion
of the sanctioning National Association. Wild Cards may be seeded and for
singles must be named by the Wednesday before the tournament starts,
except in the case of $50,000, $75,000 and $100,000 tournaments, for which
two Wild Cards may be named at the time the Draw is made, subject to the
restrictions of the Age Eligibility Rule (see Appendix C).
The names, nationalities and dates of birth of the Wild Cards (and any
replacement Wild Cards) must be sent to the appropriate Service Bureau
immediately upon nomination. National Associations should confirm with
players their availability to take a Wild Card prior to sending nominations to
the Service Bureau or, if appropriate, the ITF Supervisor. Players and
tournaments should retain written confirmation of the offer and acceptance of
a Wild Card. Players and tournaments may not offer and/or receive any
compensation for receiving or awarding a wild card. Acceptance of the offer
of a Wild Card constitutes players commitment to the tournament.
A player who is committed by way of entry or Wild Card to a tournament
may only accept the offer of a Wild Card into another tournament in the same
week as stated in Section V.E. Playing Another Event/One Tournament Per
Week below.
An entered player who is nominated to receive a Wild Card into the
tournament will continue to be eligible, up to the start of the Qualifying
competition, to compete in the tournament as a Direct Acceptance or to fill
any Qualifying or Main Draw vacancies that arise, in accordance with the
System of Merit and Sign-in procedures set forth herein. Any such players or
Qualifying or Main Draw Wild Cards that move into the draw on merit before
the Freeze Deadline, will have their Wild Card nominations automatically
withdrawn and replacement Wild Cards may be nominated up until the time
the appropriate draw is made.
If a player has been accepted into the Main Draw of a Tournament using her
Special Ranking, she may not accept a Wild Card into the same event.
However, a player accepted into the Qualifying of a Tournament using her
Special Ranking may accept a Wild Card into the Main Draw up until the
time of the Qualifying Sign-in Deadline.
39
Wild Cards who withdraw or move into the draw on merit may not be
replaced with new Wild Cards after the appropriate Draw is made. Any such
vacancies shall be filled in accordance with Section V.I.
Vacancies/Substitutions.
No player who has signed in for and been accepted into the Qualifying of the
tournament may be named as a Wild Card after the Qualifying Competition
has commenced.
Please refer to Appendix C for Wild Card restrictions as applicable under the
Age Eligibility Rule. Players who are not subject to the Age Eligibility Rule
may receive during a calendar year a maximum number of:
1. six (6) wild cards into Singles events of the ITF Womens Circuit
tournaments, with a maximum of three (3) of these allowed in the Main
Draw; and
2. six (6) wild cards into Doubles events of the ITF Womens Circuit
tournaments, with a maximum of three (3) of these allowed in the Main
Draw
Each tournament in which a player earns ranking points (singles and/or
doubles) counts towards a players number of tournaments under the Wild
Card Rule. However, participation in the Draws of tournaments in which a
player does not earn ranking points does not constitute competition in an ITF
Womens Circuit tournament under this rule.
It is the players responsibility not to accept Wild Cards above the stated
limit. Players will forfeit any ranking points and prize money earned at ITF
Womens Circuit tournaments by the acceptance of Wild Cards above the
stated limit.
C.
JUNIOR EXEMPT
A player, who, by virtue of her 2015 year-end position on the ITF Junior
Girls Singles World Rankings, gains Direct Acceptance into a designated
ITF Womens Circuit tournament (see Appendix D).
D.
E.
ALTERNATES
Players who are ranked lower than the direct acceptances into Main Draw and
Qualifying under the System of Merit, at any time after the Entry Deadline.
F.
ON-SITE ALTERNATES
Non-entered players who appear at the tournament site at their own risk to
sign in for the Qualifying. In order to be eligible as an On-Site Alternate, a
player must have valid IPIN Membership, must personally sign-in with the
ITF Supervisor and have paid the entry fee.
G.
SPECIAL EXEMPTS
Entered players on the Qualifying Acceptance list who apply for and receive
exemption into the singles main draw of the following weeks tournament
because they are competing in singles at a Qualified Tournament on the
day the Qualifying event is scheduled to begin.
A Qualified Tournament is defined as follows:
1. For $10,000 and $10,000+H tournaments: the singles event of any ITF
Womens Circuit or any WTA tournament within the same continent in
the preceding week;
2. For $25,000 and $25,000+H tournaments: the singles event of any ITF
Womens Circuit tournament with prize money of $25,000 or higher or
any WTA tournament within the same continent in the preceding week;
3. For $50,000, $50,000+H, $75,000, $75,000+H, $100,000 and
$100,000+H tournaments: the singles event of any ITF Womens Circuit
tournament with prize money of $50,000 or higher or any WTA
tournament within the same continent in the preceding week.
H.
I.
Special Exempt status shall not be available for players competing in the
doubles event of the previous week
.
QUALIFIERS
Players included in the Main Draw as a result of their success in the
Qualifying competition.
LUCKY LOSERS
Players who have lost in the final round of the Qualifying competition and fill
a vacancy in the first round of the Main Draw. If more Lucky Losers are
required for substitutions, then those players who have lost in the previous
Qualifying rounds. To be eligible, such players must sign-in personally with
the ITF Supervisor in accordance with section V.J. Sign-in Requirements for
Substitutes below.
41
If a player is forced to retire from her final round of Qualifying, due to illness
or injury, she will retain her Lucky Loser status provided she receives
medical clearance from the Tournament Doctor.
V.
All singles entries and withdrawals are subject to the Regulations and
Conditions of Entry stated in Appendix E Entry Procedures. Unless
specified otherwise, this section V. applies for both Singles Main Draw and
Singles Qualfying.
A.
ENTRIES
A player applying for entry shall be deemed to apply for entry into the Main
Draw or the Qualifying depending on her ranking by the applicable System of
Merit.
A player may apply for entry into one (1) but not more than six (6)
tournaments in a given calendar week, in which case she must indicate a
priority. If no priority is stated, the ITF will assign a priority. A player may
not apply for entry into an ITF Womens Circuit tournament if she is
committed to another tournament during that period.
For $50,000, $75,000 and $100,000 tournaments any player may apply to
enter as Main Draw Only, in which case she will not be considered for the
Qualifying competition.
B.
C.
42
A player who applied for entry into more than one ITF Womens Circuit
tournament during the same week and is accepted into a Main Draw or
Qualifying at any time after the Withdrawal Deadline, will be withdrawn
from all ITF Womens Circuit tournaments except one in accordance with
Appendix E - Entry and Withdrawal Procedures.
3. Tournament Acceptance
A player who appears on a Main Draw or Qualifying Acceptance List at
any time after the Withdrawal Deadline is deemed to have been accepted
into and is committed to play the tournament. Prior to the Withdrawal
Deadline a players status on an Acceptance List is not confirmed.
No player may withdraw her entry from the Main Draw or Qualifying of
a ITF Womens Circuit tournament for any reason after the Withdrawal
Deadline. Any such withdrawal will be considered a late withdrawal and
will be subject to the Late Withdrawal/ No Show provisions set forth in
Article III. B.1 of the Code of Conduct, unless the provisions set forth in
Article III. B.2 and B.3 of the Code of Conduct and/or Section V.E.
Playing Another Event / One Tournament Per week apply.
Any player accepted into the Main Draw or Qualifying who fails to
appear for the Tournament without notifying the ITF and/or ITF
Supervisor of her withdrawal shall be subject to the penalties provided for
No Show.
4. Alternates
A player who appears on one or more Alternate List(s) is not committed
to play in any one tournament and may withdraw at any time, without
penalty, until she first moves into a Main Draw or Qualifying Acceptance
List, at which time she will be withdrawn from all other Acceptance Lists
by the ITF.
D.
FREEZE DEADLINE
The Freeze Deadline is at 14:00 hours GMT on the Thursday preceding the
Tournament Week.
After the Freeze Deadline players on the Qualifying Acceptance List will no
longer be moved into the Main Draw and players on the Alternate List will no
longer be moved into the Qualifying Acceptance List. Such Alternates are not
committed to play the tournament.
At the Freeze Deadline Main Draw Only entries which have not yet moved
into a Main Draw Acceptance list will be removed from all $50,000, $75,000
and $100,000 Acceptance Lists.
43
A player who wishes to withdraw from the Main Draw or Qualifying after the
Freeze Deadline must submit an official withdrawal to both the ITF and ITF
Supervisor else she will be subject to the penalties provided for No Show.
E.
v.
vi.
i.
permitted under these Rules. This rule does not apply to a player whose
partner in doubles has been forced to withdraw or retire from their match.
G.
SIGN-IN
1. Main Draw
Players accepted into the singles Main Draw of ITF Womens Circuit
tournaments are not required to sign-in with the ITF Supervisor.
2. Qualifying
a. General
The Qualifying Sign-in Deadline is at 18:00 hours local time at the site
of the Tournament on the day preceding scheduled start of the
Qualifying Draw.
i. $10,000, and $25,000 tournaments
All players must personally sign-in on-site with the ITF Supervisor.
Telephone sign-in is not accepted.
ii. $50,000, $75,000 and $100,000 tournaments
All players must sign-in with the ITF Supervisor. On-site Alternates
must sign-in in person on-site; entered players may sign-in by
telephone.
For all tournaments the Supervisor/Referee at a Professional
Tournament, ITF Sanctioned Tournament or ITF Team Competition
event in the preceding week may sign-in any player who has lost on
either of the last two days preceding the scheduled start of the
Qualifying competition.
In all circumstances of telephone sign-in, the player must be able to be
on-site and play her first round match by the end of the first round of
Qualifying.
Nominated Wild Cards do not have to sign-in with the ITF Supervisor.
Alternates and On-site Alternates may sign-in in person for the
Qualifying of a second tournament during the same week provided
that:
the Qualifying Sign-in Deadline of the second tournament is on a
later day than the Sign-in Deadline of the first tournament; and
the player was not accepted into the Qualifying draw of the first
tournament
Players who cannot appear for the Qualifying sign-in because they are
competing in a previous weeks related ITF sanctioned Tournament
may be signed in for the Qualifying and may be permitted to compete
47
SPECIAL EXEMPTS
Players eligible to and who wish to apply for Special Exempt status must do
so by personally notifying the ITF Supervisor, either verbally or in writing,
prior to the Qualifying Sign-in deadline.
If there are insufficient Special Exempt places in the Main Draw for all
applicants, the players shall be selected according to the ranking from
Monday seven (7) days before the tournament week or a players Special
Ranking if used to enter the Tournament.
A player still competing at a Qualified Tournament at the time of the
Qualifying Sign-in deadline can request a Special Exempt place (as above)
however she must notify the ITF Supervisor of the result of her match no
later than one (1) hour following the completion of the match. If, after the
completion of the match, the player is not be eligible for the Special Exempt,
the Special Exempt place will be filled either by another player who applied
for Special Exempt status or in accordance with section V.I.
Vacancies/Substitutions below.
48
VACANCIES/SUSBTITUTIONS
Vacancies shall be filled with substitutes in accordance with the following:
1. From the Withdrawal Deadline until the Freeze Deadline:
Vacancies in the Qualifying and Main Draw shall be filled by entered
players selected in accordance with the applicable System of Merit.
2. From the Freeze Deadline until the Qualifying Sign-in Deadline:
Vacancies in the Qualifying or Main Draw shall be filled, at the time of
the Qualifying Sign-in Deadline, by players who have signed in for the
Qualifying event, or, in the case of the Main Draw, preserved their
eligibility by contacting the ITF Supervisor (see section V.G.Sign-in
above), selected in accordance with the applicable System of Merit.
3. From the Qualifying Sign-in Deadline until the commencement of the
Qualifying competition:
Any unused Special Exempt places or vacancies in the Qualifying or
Main Draw shall be filled by players who have signed in for the
Qualifying event, selected in accordance with the applicable System of
Merit. The Qualifying competition commences when the first ball of the
first Qualifying match is struck.
4. After commencement of the Qualifying competition:
a. Vacancies in the Main Draw may only be filled by Lucky Losers,
which shall be selected as follows:
The order of the ranked players shall be randomly drawn, thereafter the
order of the unranked players shall be drawn.
Special Ranking shall not be used. If players from previous rounds are
to be considered, they will be placed below all players who have lost in
the final round of Qualifying.
49
K.
50
LATE CANCELLATIONS
In the event that a tournament cancels late, players who had entered that
tournament may be placed as next in on the Main Draw or Qualifying
Acceptance List, as appropriate, of another tournament taking place in the
same week.
VI.
A.
B.
C.
CONTACT DETAILS
Each player must ensure that a contact telephone number is left with the ITF
Supervisor where she may be reached during the tournament
51
VII.
SYSTEM OF MERIT
Players who wish to enter a tournament with a Special Ranking must contact the
WTA at least one week prior to the Entry Deadline requesting confirmation is sent
to the ITF. When two or more players are tied, the actual ranking supersedes the
Special Ranking for acceptance purposes.
The following shall be used as the basis for acceptances:
A.
52
Players will be sorted into groups of the same nationalities and ranked
within those groups. Ties between players within those groups will be
randomly drawn.
Each country represented will be allocated the same number of draw
chips as the number of players from that country unless there are more
players from a particular country than places available in a draw. In that
case, the number of chips allocated to that country shall be limited to the
number of places available in the draw and any extra players are dropped
from consideration. Each time a chip is drawn the highest ranked player
from the country represented by that chip shall be selected.
Further places will be filled by unranked players randomly drawn.
5. Ties
Ties on players computer rankings will be decided by a random draw.
6. National Rankings
All National Rankings must be submitted to the ITF by the National
Association at least seven (7) days before the Entry Deadline if they are
to be used for acceptance purposes for a given tournament week. Players
without a National Ranking, or an approved Singles Computer Ranking,
will be considered unranked for that Tournament.
If a National Association produces an updated National Ranking during
the year, the National Association may send quarterly updates to the ITF.
B.
53
VIII. DRAWS
A.
COMPOSITION OF DRAWS
The draws shall be composed as below. All Direct Acceptances will be
seleted in accordance with the applicable System of Merit.
1. Singles
a. Qualifying Draw
Each individual tournament must allow for a Qualifying draw equal to,
or greater than, the size of the Main Draw. The Qualifying draw size
must be stated on the application form and fact sheet and may not be
changed after the entry deadline has passed. At $10,000 tournaments
the Singles Qualifying draw must not exceed 128 players. At $25,000
tournaments the Singles Qualifying draw must not exceed 64 players.
At $50,000, $75,000 and $100,000 tournaments the Singles Qualifying
draw must not exceed 32 players.
The Singles Qualifying draws must be composed as follows:
Draw Size
32
48
64
128
Direct Acceptances
26
42
56
120
Wild Cards^
6
6
8
8
b. Pre-Qualifying
The Tournament Committee may hold a pre-Qualifying event to
determine the selection of Wild Cards for the Qualifying event.
c. Main Draw
The Singles Main Draws must be composed as follows:
ITF Womens Circuit $10,000 and $25,000
Draw Size
Direct Acceptances
Qualifiers
Wild Cards^
Special Exempts
Junior Exempt
32
20 17*
8
4
0/2
0/1
54
^ Wild Cards are awarded at the discretion of the sanctioning National Association.
Unused Wild Card places shall become Direct Acceptances and filled as defined
above.
2.
Doubles
The doubles Main Draw must consist of 16 teams. An optional doubles
Qualifying consisting of a maximum of 4 teams may be played. Such
doubles Qualifying must be announced no later than when the doubles
sign-in opens. Each Doubles Draw shall be composed as follows:
a. Qualifying Draw
Draw Size
Direct Acceptances
Wild Cards^
4
3
1
b. Main Draw
With Qualifying
Draw Size
Direct Acceptances
Qualifiers
Wild Cards^
16
11
2
3
Without Qualifying
Draw Size
Direct Acceptances
Wild Cards^
16
13
3
^ Wild Cards are awarded at the discretion of the sanctioning National Association.
Unused Wild Card places shall become Direct Acceptances and filled as defined
above.
SEEDS
Each tournament will have a seeded draw with seeds determined as follows:
1. Seedings List
Seedings will not be official until the draw is made.
In Singles, seeds shall be based on the singles ranking from Monday
seven (7) days before the tournament week Ties shall be randomly drawn.
Players without a singles computer ranking shall not be seeded.
In Doubles, seeds will be based on the combined doubles ranking from
Monday seven (7) days before the tournament week. Ties in doubles will
be randomly drawn. Teams without a combined doubles ranking shall not
be seeded.
55
56
5
12
Line
9
24
8
16
17
25
c. Byes
If there are not enough players to fill the Qualifying or Main Draw,
then after the seeds are placed in the draw, the required number of
byes shall be given to the highest seeds as a first priority and any
remaining byes will be randomly drawn for placement in the draw so
as to be distribute them as evenly as possible throughout the sections
of the draw.
d. Remaining Players
The remaining players (including Qualifiers, Lucky Losers etc.) are
drawn by lot to fill the vacancies starting at the top of the draw. If the
Qualifying competition is not completed at the time of the draw, then
the places for Qualifiers are designated as Qualifier. Successful
Qualifiers at the conclusion of the last round of Qualifying will be
randomly drawn to determine in which places they are to be entered in
the draw. The Lucky Losers shall be drawn together with the
Qualifiers.
e. Qualifiers/Lucky Losers
At the conclusion of the Qualifying competition, the successful
qualifiers will be randomly drawn for their places in the Main Draw.
There shall be no prior designation of which Qualifying section applies
to which Qualifying place in the Main Draw.
Likewise, when more than one eligible Lucky Loser is to be inserted
into the Main Draw, their positions shall be drawn.
57
If the Qualifying event is not completed at the time of the draw, then
the places for the qualifiers shall be designated as Qualifier with
their identity to be determined by draw at the conclusion of the
Qualifying event.
If a Lucky Loser position should become available during the
Qualifying competition, the position shall be treated the same as
Qualifying places for placement in the Draw and shall be drawn
together with the Qualifiers.
.
WITHEDRAWAL AND REPLACEMENT OF SEEDS
Any vacancy created by the withdrawal of a seed shall be filled by the next
highest ranked player eligible to be seeded. The position vacated by that next
highest ranked player shall be filled in accordance with Section V.I.
Vacancies/Substitutions. .
D.
Any vacancy created by the withdrawal of a seed which occurs after the
release of the order of play for the first day of Main Draw, shall be filled by
eligible Lucky Losers/Alternates.
The same principles shall be followed for the Qualifying Draws.
IX.
PLAYERS REST
If circumstances dictate that a player is scheduled for more than one match
per day, then she shall, unless she is in both the Singles and Doubles finals to
be played consecutively, be given the following minimum rest period:
- if played less than 1 hour
- hour rest
- if played between 1 and 1 hours - 1 hour rest
- if played more than 1 hours
- 1 hours rest
If a player is involved in the Singles and Doubles final she shall be allowed a
rest period of one half hour. Player may play before the end of the rest period
if all participants are in agreement.
X.
A.
Once officially released, the order of play shall not be amended unless the
Supervisor deems it necessary and/or appropriate.
3. Failure to complete tournament
If a tournament cannot be completed within the Tournament Week
because of bad weather, at the option of the tournament one extra day
shall be allowed. The ITF Supervisor shall approve the commencement
times for matches on the extra day, which shall then be scheduled during
the morning or early afternoon. No further extension of the tournament
shall be permitted without the approval of the ITF.
B.
RESULTS
At the end of each day's play at ITF Women's Circuit Tournaments, including
the completion of the tournament, the Supervisor shall submit, using the ITF
Tournament Planner program, updated tournament results for Main Draw and
Qualifying, singles and doubles.
XI.
DATA RIGHTS
SCORING
The ITF will have the exclusive right to provide a scoring service at any ITF
Pro Circuit tournament as selected by the ITF. Each tournament will assist the
ITF in its efforts to produce the service.
B.
DATA PROTECTION
Each Tournament shall not allow or authorise the dissemination, transmission,
publication or release of any match score or related statistical data from the
grounds of the Tournament.
The continual use of laptop computers or other handheld electronic devices
within the confines of the tournament match courts (spectator areas) shall be
prohibited and each tournament shall take reasonable steps to enforce such
prohibition. The exception to this provision is tournament credentialed
personnel when used in the performance of their duties.
59
XII.
A.
BREAKDOWNS
The prize money breakdowns detailed below shall apply to all ITF Womens
Circuit Tournaments. A proportion of prize money is deducted at every
tournament to contribute to the provision of healthcare services (Primary
Healthcare Programme PHCP) at each tournament and on the Circuit in
general.
1. Prize Money Category:
32 Draw
2% PHCP Fee = $200
$10,000
32 Singles
Winner
Finalist
Semi-finalist
Quarter-finalist
Round of 16
Round of 32
Total
16 Doubles
(per team)
$ 637
$ 343
$ 196
$
98
$
49
$ 2,156
$ 1,568
$ 980
$ 490
$ 245
$ 196
$
98
$ 7,644
$25,000
32 Singles
Winner
Finalist
Semi-finalist
Quarter-finalist
Round of 16
Round of 32
Total
$ 3,919
$ 2,091
$ 1,144
$ 654
$ 392
$ 228
$17,698
Qualifying
Final Round
Round of 32
Total
$ 126
$
68
$ 2,096
60
16 Doubles
(per team)
$ 1,437
$ 719
$ 359
$ 196
$ 131
$4,706
$50,000
32 Singles
Winner
Finalist
Semi-finalist
Quarter-finalist
Round of 16
Round of 32
Total
$ 7,600
$ 4,053
$ 2,216
$ 1,267
$ 760
$ 444
$ 34,337
Qualifying
Final Round
Round of 16
Round of 32
Total
$ 254
$ 158
$ 110
$ 4,040
16 Doubles
(per team)
$ 2,786
$ 1,393
$ 696
$ 380
$ 254
$ 9,123
$75,000
32 Singles
Winner
Finalist
Semi-finalist
Quarter-finalist
Round of 16
Round of 32
Total
$11,400
$ 6,080
$ 3,325
$ 1,900
$ 1,140
$ 665
$51,490
Qualifying
Final Round
Round of 16
Round of 32
Total
$ 382
$ 237
$ 166
$ 6,080
61
16 Doubles
(per team)
$ 4,180
$ 2,090
$ 1,045
$ 570
$ 380
$13,680
$100,000
32 Singles
B.
Winner
Finalist
Semi-finalist
Quarter-finalist
Round of 16
Round of 32
Total
$15,200
$ 8,108
$ 4,433
$ 2,533
$ 1,520
$ 887
$68,658
Qualifying
Final Round
Round of 16
Round of 32
Total
$ 509
$ 316
$ 221
$ 8,100
16 Doubles
(per team)
$ 5,573
$ 2,787
$ 1,393
$ 760
$ 507
$18,242
UNCOMPLETED MATCHES
If the singles or doubles event of a tournament is cancelled, e.g. due to poor
weather, and there has been no play, first round prize money will be paid out
to the players. If play has commenced and been terminated before the
tournament is concluded players will be paid losers prize money for the
individual round reached. Additionally, if the first round has been completed,
all players/teams will receive their Round Points earned through the last
completed round only and the tournament will count as a tournament played.
If a tournament is officially terminated and the final(s) have not been
completed, the finalists will each receive finalists prize money and ranking
points. The difference between the winner and finalist prize money will
revert back to the tournament.
C.
Any player who is defaulted shall lose all prize money, hospitality and
points earned for that event at that tournament, unless:
- The player was defaulted for a violation of the punctuality or dress and
equipment sections of the code of conduct
- The player was defaulted as a result of a medical condition
- A member of a doubles team did not cause any of the misconduct code
violations that resulted in the team being defaulted.
62
3.
A singles player withdrawing after the first round, or who retires, will
receive losers computer points and prize money for the round in which
she retired or withdrew.
4.
5.
6.
For a doubles team that withdraws after the first round, the nonwithdrawing player will receive losers computer points and prize
money for the round reached but the withdrawing player will receive
losers computer points and prize money for the previous round reached.
In addition, the player withdrawing or retiring will not be allowed to
play in any other ITF Pro Circuit tennis event until Monday of the next
tournament week (unless she is still playing in singles).
7.
8.
If a player or team receives one (1) or more consecutive byes and loses
her/their first match played, the player or team will only receive ranking
points from the round preceding their elimination and the player or team
shall receive prize money for the round reached.
9.
XIII.
A. INTRODUCTION
The WTA Rankings is the worldwide computer ranking for Womens
Professional Tennis. The Ranking System is a 52-week, cumulative system in
which the number of tournament results that comprise a players ranking is
capped at sixteen (16) tournament results for singles and eleven (11) tournament
results for doubles. The results used to determine the players ranking are the
tournaments that have yielded the players highest ranking points over the past
fifty-two (52) weeks including their ranking points from any mandatory
63
tournament and the WTA Championships plus the best two (2) Premier 5
Tournament results for Top 10 players. The rankings determine player
acceptance and seeding for all tournaments.
Rankings are computed and published weekly by the WTA from its U.S.
Headquarters in St. Petersburg, Florida. Note: ITF Womens Circuit
Tournaments with prize money of $25,000 or less are processed a minimum of
one (1) week following the conclusion of the Tournament.
B. SINGLES and DOUBLES ROUND POINTS (* +H indicates Hospitality is provided)
Category
$100,000+H*
Doubles
Singles
$100,000
Doubles
Singles
$75,000+H*
Doubles
Singles
$75,000
Doubles
Singles
$50,000+H*
Doubles
Singles
$50,000
Doubles
Singles
$25,000+H*
Doubles
Singles
$25,000
Doubles
Singles
10,000+H
Doubles
Singles
$10,000
Doubles
Singles
SF
QF
R16
R32
QLFR
Q3
Q2
Q1
150
150
90
90
55
55
28
28
1
14
140
140
85
85
50
50
25
25
1
13
130
130
80
80
48
48
24
24
1
12
115
115
70
70
42
42
21
21
1
10
100
100
60
60
36
36
18
18
1
9
80
80
48
48
29
29
15
15
1
8
60
60
36
36
22
22
11
11
1
6
50
50
30
30
18
18
9
9
1
5
25
25
15
15
9
9
1
5
0
1
12
12
7
7
4
4
1
2
With the exception of the Grand Slams and the WTA Championships, the
WTA Elite Trophy and the WTA Premier Mandatory events, all singles and
doubles 1st round losers in Tournaments with prize money of $25,000 or
greater receive one (1) Round Point regardless of draw size.
For the purposes of awarding Ranking Points, in all ITF Tournaments with
prize money of $50,000 or greater, the round of 32 will be considered to be
the first round of Qualifying and all Rules will apply as if that were the first
round of play. In these ITF Tournaments, the WTA will only award Round
Points in Qualifying starting in the Round of 32 and play in any round prior
64
to the round of 32 will not be considered as having taken place for ranking
purposes.
For a complete statement of the official rules and regulations regarding
WTA computer rankings, refer to the WTA Official Rule Book.
C.
D.
GENERAL RULES
Singles and Doubles Rankings - Players are ranked on the basis of their
total points.
Processing of Rankings WTA tournaments (Premier Mandatory through
International) plus ITF $100,000, $75,000 and $50,000 tournaments (as long
as completed by the Sunday of that week) are processed on a weekly basis.
ITF $10,000 and $25,000 tournaments are processed a minimum of one (1)
week following the completion of the Tournament. Points stay valid for
fifty-two (52) weeks from the week in which a Tournament is included in
the Ranking Totals.
Eligibility - Players must have earned ranking points in at least 3 valid
tournaments, or a minimum of 10 singles ranking points or 10 doubles
ranking points in one or more valid tournaments, in order to appear on the
65
rankings. Players under the age of fourteen (14) cannot obtain a computer
ranking. If a player under the age of fourteen (14) plays singles or doubles in
a Tournament, that Tournament and the points acquired during play will not
be counted for ranking purposes for that player. If a player plays singles or
doubles in a Tournament that exceeds the number permitted to be played
under the Age Eligibility Rule, that Tournament and the points acquired
during play will not be counted for ranking purposes for that player.
E.
66
ITF
PRO CIRCUIT
APPENDICES
2016
APPENDIX A
APPENDIX B
GENDER VERIFICATION
In any competition, a player may be required upon request to submit to gender
verification to determine sexual status.
In the event that the gender of a player is questioned, the medical delegate (or
equivalent) of the ITF shall have the authority to take all appropriate measures for
the determination of the gender of a competitor.
The results of any tests conducted will not be made public out of deference to the
human rights of the individual concerned but will be reported to the Chairman of the
ITF Sport Science and Medicine Commission who shall advise the Board of
Directors of the gender of the player concerned.
Failure by a player to submit to testing upon the request of the ITF shall subject the
player to immediate suspension from the competition until such time as the
appropriate testing is carried out in accordance with these Regulations/Bye-laws.
TRANSSEXUALS
Any individuals undergoing sex reassignment from male to female before puberty
are regarded as girls and women (female), while those undergoing reassignment
from female to male are regarded as boys and men (male).
Individuals undergoing sex reassignment from male to female after puberty (and the
converse) are eligible for participation in female or male competitions, respectively,
under the following conditions:
a.
b.
c.
d.
68
APPENDIX C
AGE ELIGIBILITY
(ITF Womens Circuit only)
For full details on the WTA Age Eligibility Rule and Player Development
requirements please refer to the following resources:
1.
2016 WTA Official Rulebook, either in hard copy or available on-line at:
http://www.wtatennis.com/scontent/article/2972830/title/wta-rules
2.
69
APPENDIX D
2016 JUNIOR EXEMPT PROJECT
The Junior Exempt position will be allocated according to the following criteria:
ITF Mens Circuit
The year-end number 1-2 ranked boys, according to the year-end ITF Junior
Ranking, will be offered direct entry into the Main Draw at three (3) ITF Mens
Circuit tournaments up to and including $25,000+H prize-money level.
The year-end number 3-5 ranked boys, according to the year-end ITF Junior
Ranking, will be offered direct entry into the Main Draw at three (3) ITF Mens
Circuit tournaments up to and including $25,000 prize-money level.
The year-end number 6-10 ranked boys, according to the year-end ITF Junior
Ranking, will be offered direct entry into the Main Draw at three (3) ITF Mens
Circuit tournaments of $10,000 prize-money level.
Should any boy(s) ranked 1-10 not wish to participate in the Junior Exempt Project,
their three (3) junior exempt places will be awarded to the next highest year-end
ranked player(s) ranked 11-15. Such player(s) will be offered direct entry into the
Main Draw at three (3) ITF Mens Circuit tournaments at the $10,000 prize-money
level.
ITF Womens Circuit
The year-end number 1 ranked girl will be offered direct entry into the Main Draw at
one (1) ITF Womens Circuit event up to and including $100,000 prize money level
and direct entry into the Main Draw at two (2) ITF Womens Circuit events up to
and including $75,000 prize-money level.
The year-end number 2 ranked girl will be offered direct entry into the Main Draw at
two (2) ITF Womens Circuit events up to and including $75,000 prize-money level
and direct entry into the Main Draw at one (1) ITF Womens Circuit event up to and
including $50,000 prize-money level.
The year-end number 3-5 ranked girls will be offered direct entry into the Main
Draw at two (2) ITF Womens Circuit events up to and including $50,000 prizemoney level and direct entry into the Main Draw at one (1) ITF Womens Circuit
event up to and including $25,000 prize-money level.
The year-end number 6-10 ranked girls will be offered direct entry into the Main
Draw at three (3) ITF Womens Circuit events up to and including $25,000 prizemoney level.
70
Should any girl(s) ranked 1-10 not wish to participate in the Junior Exempt Project,
their three (3) junior exempt places will be awarded to the next highest year-end
ranked player(s) ranked 11-15. Such player(s) will be offered direct entry into the
Main Draw at three (3) ITF Womens Circuit tournaments up to and including
$25,000 prize-money level.
THE PROVISIONS OF THE AGE ELIGIBILITY RULE WILL BE TAKEN
INTO ACCOUNT.
71
APPENDIX E
ENTRY AND WITHDRAWAL PROCEDURES
2016 ITF MENS AND WOMENS CIRCUIT TOURNAMENTS
Unless specified otherwise, all procedures below apply to Singles Main Draw and
Singles Qualifying at Mens and Womens Pro Circuit Tournaments.
Entry Deadline: 14:00 hours GMT on Thursday eighteen (18) days prior to the
Monday of the tournament week
Withdrawal Deadline: 14:00 hours GMT on Tuesday thirteen (13) days prior to the
Monday of the tournament week
Freeze Deadline: at 14:00 hours GMT on Thursday preceding the tournament week
It is the player's responsibility to make all entries and withdrawals and to check
his/her position on the Entry Lists.
ALL players (i.e. ranked, national ranked, unranked) subject only to Age
Eligibility and Play Down provisions of these Regulations may enter ITF Mens
or ITF Womens Circuit Tournaments (as applicable) by the Entry Deadline
and will appear on the tournament Acceptance Lists.
In order to enter ITF Pro Circuit Tournaments all players must first register
for annual IPIN Membership (and pay the appropriate fee) and agree, as a
condition of their registration, to accept the related terms and conditions and to
complete the TIPP. Failure by a player (a) to register for Pro Circuit IPIN
Membership and to accept the related terms and conditions and/or (b) to
complete the TIPP will render the player ineligible to enter and/or compete in
Pro Circuit tournaments.
All entries and withdrawals must be submitted online via the IPIN Online
Service or made in writing by letter or fax on the Official Entry or Withdrawal
Forms. Written Entries and Withdrawals must be signed by the player, must
contain the required information and must be received before the appropriate
deadline. Entries and withdrawals are not accepted by telephone or via email.
After the Freeze Deadline a signed, official Withdrawal Form may be
submitted as an email attachment to both ITF and the ITF Supervisors on-site.
If a player enters more than one ITF Mens or Womens Circuit tournaments (as
applicable) occurring during the same period, THE PLAYER MUST STATE A
PRIORITY ON THE ENTRY FORM.
72
(ITF Womens Circuit only) If a player is accepted into the Main Draw or
Qualifying of one ITF Womens Circuit tournament, she will be immediately
withdrawn from the Entry Lists of all other Tournaments.
If a player is accepted into the Main Draw or Qualifying of more than one ITF
Mens or ITF Womens Circuit tournament (as applicable) occurring during the
same period, he/she will remain on one List and will be immediately withdrawn
from the Entry Lists of all other Tournaments (for Men, including ATP World
Tour and Challenger Alternates Lists), according to the following criteria:
1. Main Draw takes priority over Qualifying, and Qualifying over
Alternates
2. Tournament Entry Priority
If a players chosen priorities are unclear, he/she will be immediately
withdrawn from all but one Entry List by the ITF at the Withdrawal Deadline,
according to the following criteria:
3. Tournaments offering the highest prize money will take priority, or if equal;
4. The Entry List on which she is highest placed will take priority, or if equal;
5 The tournament which is geographically closest to her country of
Nationality will take priority.
If a player is not accepted into any ITF Mens or ITF Womens Circuit
tournaments (as applicable) occurring during the same period, he/she may
remain on more than one Entry List as an Alternate until the Freeze Deadline.
However once the player is accepted into any ITF Mens or ITF Womens
Circuit tournament (as applicable), he/she will be withdrawn from the Entry
Lists of all other Tournaments occurring during this period.
Players who are on one or more Alternate Lists will not be moved into
Qualifying and players in Qualifying will no longer be moved into the Main
Draw.
73
74
APPENDIX F
MEDICAL, EXTREME WEATHER CONDITIONS AND
TOILET/CHANGE OF ATTIRE BREAKS
MEDICAL
a. Medical Condition
A medical condition is a medical illness or a musculoskeletal injury that warrants
medical evaluation and/or medical treatment by the Sports Medicine
Trainer/PHCP (also known as the Primary Health Care Provider) during the
warm-up or the match.
Treatable Medical Conditions
i. Acute medical condition: the sudden development of a medical illness
or musculoskeletal injury during the warm-up or the match that requires
immediate medical attention.
ii Non-acute medical condition: a medical illness or musculoskeletal
injury that develops or is aggravated during the warm-up or the match
and requires medical attention at the changeover or set break.
Non-Treatable Medical Conditions
i. Any medical condition that cannot be treated appropriately, or that will
not be improved by available medical treatment within the time allowed.
ii. Any medical condition (inclusive of symptoms) that has not developed
or has not been aggravated during the warm-up or the match.
iii. General player fatigue.
iv. Any medical condition requiring injections, intravenous infusions or
oxygen, except for diabetes, for which prior medical certification has
been obtained, and for which subcutaneous injections of insulin may be
administered.
b. Medical Evaluation
During the warm-up or the match, the player may request through the Chair
Umpire for the Sports Medicine Trainer/PHCP to evaluate him/her during the
next change over or set break. Only in the case that a player develops an acute
medical condition that necessitates an immediate stop in play may the player
request through the Chair Umpire for the Sports Medicine Trainer/PHCP to
evaluate him/her immediately.
The purpose of the medical evaluation is to determine if the player has developed
a treatable medical condition and, if so, to determine when medical treatment is
warranted. Such evaluation should be performed within a reasonable length of
time, balancing player safety on the one hand, and continuous play on the other.
At the discretion of the Sports Medicine Trainer/PHCP, such evaluation may be
75
have muscle cramping, shall be ordered by the Chair Umpire to resume play
immediately.
If the player cannot continue playing due to severe muscle cramping, as
determined by the Sports Medicine Trainer/PHCP and/or Tournament Doctor,
he/she may forfeit the point(s)/game(s) needed to get to a change of ends or setbreak in order to receive treatment. There may be a total of two (2) full change of
ends or set-break treatments for muscle cramping in a match, not necessarily
consecutive.
If it is determined by the Chair Umpire or ITF Supervisor that gamesmanship
was involved, then a Code Violation for Unsportsmanlike Conduct could be
issued.
A total of two (2) consecutive Medical Time-Outs may be allowed by the
Supervisor or Chair Umpire for the special circumstance in which the Sports
Medicine Trainer/PHCP determines that the player has developed at least two (2)
distinct acute and treatable medical conditions. This may include: a medical
illness in conjunction with a musculoskeletal injury; two or more acute and
distinct musculoskeletal injuries. In such cases, the Sports Medicine
Trainer/PHCP will perform a medical evaluation for the two or more treatable
medical conditions during a single evaluation, and may then determine that two
consecutive Medical Time-Outs are required.
d. Medical Treatment
A player may receive on-court medical treatment and/or supplies from the Sports
Medicine Trainer/PHCP and/or Tournament Doctor during any changeover or set
break. As a guideline, such medical treatment should be limited to two (2)
changeovers/set breaks for each treatable medical condition, before or after a
Medical Time-Out, and need not be consecutive. Players may not receive
medical treatment for non-treatable medical conditions.
e. Penalty
After completion of a Medical Time-Out or medical treatment, any delay in
resumption of play shall be penalised by Code Violations for Delay of Game.
Any player abuse of this Medical Rule will be subject to penalty in accordance
with the Unsportsmanlike Conduct section of the Code of Conduct.
f. Bleeding
If a player is bleeding, the Chair Umpire must stop play as soon as possible, and
the Sports Medicine Trainer/PHCP must be called to the court by the Chair
Umpire for evaluation and treatment. The Sports Medicine Trainer/PHCP, in
conjunction with the Tournament Doctor if appropriate, will evaluate the source
of the bleeding, and will request a Medical Time-Out for treatment if necessary.
If requested by the Sports Medicine Trainer/PHCP and/or Tournament Doctor,
the ITF Supervisor or Chair Umpire may allow up to a total of five (5) minutes to
assure control of the bleeding.
77
If blood has spilled onto the court or its immediate vicinity, play must not
resume until the blood spill has been cleaned appropriately.
g. Vomiting
If a player is vomiting, the Chair Umpire must stop play if vomiting has spilled
onto the court, or if the player requests medical evaluation. If the player requests
medical evaluation, then the Sports Medicine Trainer/PHCP must determine if
the player has a treatable medical condition, and if so, whether the medical
condition is acute or non-acute.
If vomiting has spilled onto the court, play must not resume until the vomit spill
has been cleaned appropriately.
h. Physical Incapacity
During a match, if there is an emergency medical condition and the player(s)
involved is/are unable to make a request for a Sports Medicine Trainer/PHCP,
the Chair Umpire shall immediately call for the Sports Medicine Trainer/PHCP
and Tournament Doctor to assist the player.
Either before or during a match, if a player is considered by the Tournament
Doctor and/or Sports Medicine Trainer/PHCP to be unable physically to
compete, or poses a sufficiently serious health risk to other players, officials or
Tournament staff, the Tournament Doctor and/or Sports Medicine
Trainer/PHCP will inform the ITF Supervisor and recommend that the player is
ruled unable to compete in the match to be played, or retired from the match in
progress.
The ITF Supervisor shall exercise discretion before taking any action under this
rule and should base the decision on the best interests of the player and the
sport, as well as taking all medical advice and any other information into
consideration.
As a precondition to returning to competition, whether at the same or subsequent
event, players who have been ruled ineligible to compete under this rule may be
required to provide evidence (whether medical or otherwise) that they are
physically capable of competing and/or that they pose no health risk to other
players, officials or Tournament staff. All such evidence shall be subject to
approval by the ITF Supervisor, in conjunction with the Tournament Doctor
and/or the ITF Sport Science & Medicine Commission.
Subject to any other restrictions on participation, a player who has been ruled
unable to compete under this rule may subsequently compete in another event at
the same tournament, whether on the same or a subsequent day, provided that
the Tournament Doctor determines that all preconditions for returning to
competition have been met. If this rule is applied in a nation where it is
inconsistent with the national law, then the national law will prevail.
78
70 75 80 85 90
64
65
66
67
87
90
93
96
69
70
72
73
73
75
77
78
78
80
82
84
83
85
87
90
79
91 95 99 103
95 100 105 111
99 105 112 120
104 113 123 135
107
116
130
148
40%
50%
60%
70%
80%
90%
100%
68
69
70
70
71
71
72
74
75
76
77
78
79
80
79
81
82
85
86
88
91
86 93
88 96
90 100
93 106
97 113
102 122
108
101
107
114
124
136
The Sports Medicine Trainer/PHCP and the ITF Supervisor have the authority to
determine if the Extreme Weather Condition rule will go into effect during a
Tournament. If it is so determined, a ten (10) minute break will be allowed between
the second and third sets. There may also be a delay in the starting time of the
matches scheduled for play that day. When possible, this decision to delay the start
of matches due to Extreme Weather Conditions should be made prior to the
scheduled start of play.
Measurement and Monitoring of Weather Conditions
The Sports Medicine Trainer/PHCP will monitor weather conditions by taking
measurements a minimum of three (3) times and a maximum of five (5) times during
the day. The readings will be determined prior to the start of play and will be posted
in the ITF Supervisors office.
The minimum of three readings will be taken:
(1) hour before match play begins for the day;
(2) middle of the scheduled day;
(3) prior to beginning of the last match of the day or prior to the
start of the first night session match.
Implementation of the Rule
In the event that during the day there is a change in weather conditions as
determined by this periodic monitoring, the Extreme Weather Condition Rule can be
put into effect at any time on all courts, excluding matches already in progress. If
there is a sudden change in weather conditions and the Rule is lifted, those matches
already in progress will continue under the Extreme Weather Condition Rule. In the
case of rain or interruption to play, the ITF Supervisor and Sports Medicine
Trainer/PHCP can reassess the Extreme Weather Condition Rule.
Conditions of the 10-Minute Break
If it is a mutual agreement between the players not to take a ten (10) minute break,
then play will continue. However, if requested by one player, the official ten minute
break will be taken.
During the ten (10) minute break, no coaching or treatment will be allowed.
However, a player will be allowed to receive an adjustment of medical support,
medical equipment and/or advice from the Sports Medicine Trainer/PHCP.
Following the ten (10) minute break, no re-warm-up will be allowed. This rule
applies in addition to the two (2) toilet and/or change of attire breaks allowed during
the match.
80
Penalties
After completion of the Extreme Weather Conditions ten (10) minute break between
the 2nd and 3rd sets, any delay in returning to the court shall subject a player to
Time Violations.
81
APPENDIX G
MEDIA, COMMERCIAL AND DATA RIGHTS
The ITF Mens Circuit and ITF Womens Circuit (ITF Pro Circuit) are sanctioned
and governed by ITF Ltd (ITF).
The individual tennis tournaments (the Tournaments) which comprise the ITF Pro
Circuit are organised and staged by the National Tennis Association of the country
where the Tournament is held (National Association) and/or by
promoters/organisers approved by the applicable National Association. The
National Tennis Associations are members of the ITF.
The National Associations own and/or control the Tournaments staged under their
jurisdiction and recognise the mutual benefits that may be created for them and the
ITF by establishing a framework for the creation and exploitation of certain rights
relating thereto.
Specific rights (as defined below) relating to the ITF Pro Circuit and the
Tournaments shall be exploited as set out below.
1. DEFINITIONS
In these Regulations the following terms shall have the meaning described below:-
Circuit Sponsor
Rights
Commercial Rights
Coverage
Data Rights
Delay Period
Extended Period
Initial Period
Own Tournaments
Internet Rights
Live Signal
Live Streaming
Mobile Rights
Net Revenue
Official Data
Television Rights
2. MEDIA RIGHTS
Each National Association shall retain and have the exclusive right to exploit the
Media Rights in respect of its Own Tournaments and retain all revenues thereby
generated.
84
As part of their retained Media Rights, the National Associations may carry out
and/or authorise Live Streaming and/or other exhibitions of Coverage of their Own
Tournaments. Each such National Association will not, during the Initial Period
and/or the Extended Period, allow any such Coverage through Live Streaming to be
transmitted or made available by means of the Internet Rights or Mobile Rights with
a less than 30 second delay between the action taking place at the Tournament and
the Live Streaming being available to viewers unless a shorter delay period is agreed
otherwise with ITF in writing on a case by case basis. For the avoidance of doubt
National Associations will not be required to delay exhibitions made by means of
the Television Rights.
ITF shall have the exclusive right to exploit the Media Rights in respect of any
Cross Border Group of Tournaments. Such exploitation is subject to agreement by
each of the relevant National Associations. Upon expiry or termination of any
agreement entered into by ITF for the exploitation of such rights, ITF may not renew
or replace such agreement without the further agreement of each relevant National
Association. ITF shall be free to propose such collective arrangements to each of the
National Associations and each National Association may accept or reject such
proposals at their discretion.
During the Initial Period and/or the Extended Period, ITF shall be exclusively
entitled to seek licensees for the right to transmit or make available Live Streaming
of the relevant National Associations Own Tournaments for use in connection with
the provision of betting and gaming services
Each National Association shall retain the right to produce and/or appoint a third
party to access its Own Tournaments in order to produce Coverage thereof. Where
ITF has concluded any Media Rights arrangement in respect of a Cross Border
Group (which will include without limitation any such arrangement for Live
Streaming for betting and gaming purposes), and provided that a National
Association is producing Coverage to exploit Media Rights in respect of any of its
Own Tournaments, the respective National Association shall ensure that the
producer of the Coverage, whether a broadcaster, production company or other
entity, makes the Coverage available to ITF and/or ITFs licensees, as a Live Signal
(if available) at the venue of the relevant Tournament(s) (or other agreed point) and
use reasonable efforts to procure that access to the Live Signal is free of charge,
subject to payment for transmission of the production feed (uplink and downlink)
and/or in the form of tape delay subject to payment of reasonable tape costs.
If a National Association is not producing and has not appointed a third party to
produce Coverage in respect of any of its Own Tournaments where ITF has
concluded a Media Rights arrangement in respect of such Tournament as part of a
Cross Border Group (which will include without limitation any such arrangement
for Live Streaming for betting and gaming purposes), ITF shall be responsible for
producing and/or appointing a third party to access the relevant Tournaments in
order to produce Coverage to the extent required for any Media Rights arrangement
in respect of such Cross Border Group. In such case, the relevant National
85
Association shall procure reasonable access to the Tournament venues and existing
facilities (e.g. parking) for ITFs broadcaster, production company or other entity
free of charge save for reimbursement of reasonable, directly attributable and
incremental costs incurred by the relevant National Association and any of its Own
Tournaments. ITF shall ensure that the producer of the Coverage, whether a
broadcaster, production company or other entity, makes the Coverage available to
the relevant National Association, as a Live Signal (if available) at the venue of the
relevant Tournament(s) (or other agreed point) and use reasonable efforts to procure
that access to the Live Signal is free of charge, subject to payment for transmission
of the production feed (uplink and downlink) and/or in the form of tape delay
subject to payment of reasonable tape costs.
In the case of any Media Rights exploited by the ITF 20 per cent of Net Revenue
will be retained by ITF and 80 per cent of Net Revenue will be shared by National
Associations which participate in ITF exploitation of such Media Rights according
to a formula determined by ITF in consultation with the Media and Commercial
Rights Working Group.
3. COMMERCIAL RIGHTS
Each National Association shall retain and have the exclusive right to exploit the
Commercial Rights in respect of its Own Tournaments and retain all revenues
thereby generated.
ITF shall have the exclusive right to exploit the Circuit Sponsor Rights in respect of
any Cross Border Group of Tournaments or the overall ITF Pro Circuit. Such
exploitation is subject to agreement by each of the relevant National Associations
whose respective Own Tournaments will be subject to any Circuit Sponsor Rights.
Upon expiry or termination of any agreement entered into by ITF for the
exploitation of such rights, ITF may not renew or replace such agreement without
the further agreement of each relevant National Association. ITF shall be free to
propose such collective arrangements to each National Association and each
National Association may accept or reject such proposals at their discretion.
In the case of Circuit Sponsor Rights exploited by the ITF, 20 per cent of Net
Revenue will be retained by ITF and 80 per cent of Net Revenue will be shared by
National Associations which participate in activating such Circuit Sponsor Rights
according to a formula determined by ITF in consultation with the Media and
Commercial Rights Working Group.
For the avoidance of doubt no sponsorship will be permitted either as part of the
Commercial Rights or as Circuit Sponsor Rights to any entity in respect of tobacco
products, hard liquor products political activity or other category deemed to be
detrimental to the sport of tennis, as reasonably determined by ITF in consultation
with the applicable National Associations. Sponsorship by betting companies, as
part of the above rights, must comply fully with the provisions of the Tennis AntiCorruption Programme (see Article V of the Code of Conduct).
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4. DATA RIGHTS
The National Associations and ITF recognised the potential value of collaborating
closely in the development and exploitation of Live Scoring Rights. Accordingly
the National Associations and ITF have agreed that during the period, covering the
Initial Period and the extended Period, expiring at the end of the Extended Period
unless extended on the same or a modified basis thereafter by further agreement
(following good faith discussions) by each National Association and ITF:
i.
Subject to clause (iii) below, the ITF shall have the exclusive right to exploit
and/or to authorise third parties to exploit the Live Scoring Rights during the
Initial Period and/or Extended Period with respect to all Tournaments and
will keep the National Associations informed about such exploitation.
ii.
The ITF will have the non-exclusive right to exploit the Non-Live Data
Rights during the Initial Period and/or Extended Period and will keep the
National Associations informed about such exploitation.
iii.
The National Associations will retain all rights not expressly granted to the
ITF during the Initial Period and/or Extended Period that relate to their Own
Tournaments including, without limitation, with respect to the Live Scoring
Rights and the Non-Live Data Rights. Notwithstanding the grant to ITF in
clause (i), the National Associations shall retain the right to exhibit:
a. Live Scoring Rights on on-court scoreboards and other areas located
within the respective venues; and
b. Live Scoring Rights on exhibitions made by means of the Television
Rights of their own Tournaments to which such Live Scoring Rights
relate.
The National Associations and Tournaments shall co-operate with the ITF during
the Initial Period and/or Extended Period in relation to:
-
any system or scheme that the ITF implements for the collection, supply
and/or licensing (in each case by the ITF itself or via an appointed 3rd
party) of Live Scoring Rights and Non-Live Data Rights at Tournaments;
any reasonable measures that the ITF takes to protect the value of the Live
Scoring Rights including without limitation to prevent the unauthorised
collection and exploitation of the Live Scoring Rights relating to
Tournaments during the Delay Period. Such measures may include the
implementation and enforcement of ticket conditions, accreditation terms
and access to venue agreements and shall be developed in consultation
with the ITF Pro Circuit Media, Commercial & Data Rights Working
Group.
ITF shall make available to the National Associations free of charge any Official
Data collected by ITF for use by the National Associations consistent with this rule.
ITF and the National Associations shall at all times co-operate with and comply with
the requirements of the Tennis Integrity Unit.
88
APPENDIX H
PLAYER ANALYSIS TECHNOLOGY (PAT) DATA RIGHTS
1. Definition
PAT Data shall mean player performance analysis data and/or other data or
information collected by and/or with the co-operation of the player and/or analysis
derived therefrom during a match in any Pro Circuit tournament (Tournament) by
means of any system of Player Analysis Technology that is approved by ITF for use
in that Tournament.
2. PAT Data exploitation
ITF has, subject to the Rules of Tennis, agreed that players using approved PAT
systems may collect, collate, assemble and store PAT Data from games and matches
played in a Tournament subject to the following conditions:
i.
During a match, coaches and players and any technology providers or service
operators involved in the collection, collation and/or analysis of PAT Data
shall only use such PAT Data for internal analysis and coaching purposes of
the respective player and/or team and such use shall be strictly subject to Rule
30 of the Rules of Tennis.
ii.
Each coach and player shall and undertakes to procure that any technology
provider or service operator involved in the collection, collation and/or
analysis of PAT Data at any time shall:
a. Not publish, use or otherwise exploit any PAT Data or supply any PAT Data
or analysis derived therefrom to third parties for any purposes other than as
described in (i) above or that have otherwise been pre-approved in writing by
ITF and shall take such steps as ITF may reasonably require to prevent any
unauthorised access to and/or use of such PAT Data. In particular, but
without limitation, no PAT Data or analysis or product derived therefrom
shall be used or supplied to any third party for any purpose related to betting
and/or gambling;
b. Ensure that ITF shall be able to access free of charge any and all such PAT
Data live and/or delayed at the venue of the match and/or such other point as
may be agreed and ITF shall be free to use such PAT Data and authorise third
parties to use such PAT Data for any purposes.
iii.
In the event that such PAT Data is accessed by unauthorised third parties
and/or ITF reasonably believes that PAT Data and/or PAT equipment and/or
services are being used for any purposes in breach of these regulations ITF
shall be entitled to rescind its approval and coaches and players will
immediately cease use of the PAT system pending resolution.
89
APPENDIX I
CONTACTS
INTERNATIONAL TENNIS FEDERATION
Bank Lane
Roehampton
London SW15 5XZ
Telephone: (44) (0) 20 8878 6464
Fax (44) (0) 20 8392 4748 / 4749
email: [email protected]
Kris Dent, Senior Director, ITF Circuits and Professional Tennis Events
Jackie Nesbitt, Director of ITF Circuits
Alistair Williams, Manager of Professional Circuits
APPENDIX J
ITF WOMENS CIRCUIT COMMITTEE
Chairman
Stefan Tzvetkov (BUL)
Members
Alexander Boyd Andrews (USA)
Igor del Busto (ESP)
Israa El Sanhoury (EGY)
Luisanna Fodde (ITA)
German Gallegos (ECU)
Marko Miakar (SLO)
Jean Nachand (WTA)
Marina Tauber (MDA)
90
ITF
PRO CIRCUIT
CODE OF CONDUCT
2016
CODE OF CONDUCT
ITF PRO CIRCUIT
2016
Please note that where the rules apply to the ITF Womens Circuit Regulations only the text
is in Italics
ARTICLE I: GENERAL
References in this Code of Conduct (Code) to the ITF Executive Director shall
hereafter mean the ITF Executive Director of Professional Tennis.
References in this Code to the Committee shall hereafter mean the ITF Womens
Circuit Committee in the case of ITF Womens Circuit Tournaments and the ITF
Mens Circuit Committee in the case of ITF Mens Circuit Futures Tournaments.
A.
PURPOSE
EXCLUSIVE APPLICABILITY
This 2016 ITF Pro Circuit Code of Conduct shall be the basis for disciplinary action
against any player or tournament in ITF sanctioned Pro Circuit Tournaments, except
to the extent that disciplinary jurisdiction is established in relation to such
Tournaments under (i) the Tennis Anti-Corruption Program; and/or (ii) the Tennis
Anti-Doping Programme; and/or (iii) the ITF Welfare Policy.
C.
ITF SUPERVISOR
The approved ITF Supervisor for each ITF Pro Circuit Tournament shall be the final
authority for the interpretation of these Tournament Regulations, Code of Conduct
and the Rules of Tennis as to all matters arising that require immediate resolution at
the tournament site.
91
Code of Conduct
APPLICABILITY
This Article shall only apply to ITF Mens Circuit Futures Tournaments.
B.
ENTRY OFFENCES
1.
2.
a.
b.
c.
A valid ITF Medical Certification form will excuse a late withdrawal penalty
for any subsequent tournament until the player next competes in any tennis
92
Code of Conduct
b.
No player who has entered and been accepted into the Qualifying or Main
Draw of an ITF Futures tournament shall play in any other tennis event
during the period of such tournament except as stated in section V.E.a. in the
ITF Mens Circuit Regulations or as hereinafter provided.
Violation of this section shall result in a fine up to $1,000 in addition to any
other fines provided in the Code.
In circumstances that are flagrant and particularly injurious to the success of
the tournament, or are singularly egregious, a single violation of this Section
shall also constitute the Major Offence of Aggravated Behaviour.
C.
WILD CARDS
No player, directly or indirectly, shall offer, give, solicit, receive or accept, or agree
to offer, give, solicit, receive or accept anything of value in exchange for a Wild
Card. Violation of this section by a player shall result in a fine of up to $5,000.
In circumstances that are flagrant and particularly injurious to the success of an ITF
Futures Tournament, or are singularly egregious, a single violation of this Section
shall also constitute the Major Offence of Aggravated Behaviour.
D.
The ITF Supervisor shall make such investigation as is reasonable to determine the
facts regarding all entry offences and upon determining that a violation has occurred
shall specify the fine and/or other punishment therefore and where possible notify
the player.
E.
PAYMENT OF FINES
All fines levied for entry offences shall be paid by the player within ten (10) days
after the notice thereof is provided. Unpaid fines shall also be collected at other ITF
Futures tournaments for remission to the ITF.
A player who has accumulated $500 or more in unpaid fines for violations of this
Code of Conduct shall not be allowed to enter any ITF Futures tournament until
such time as all fines have been paid.
93
Code of Conduct
A player who has outstanding fines at the end of the calendar year will not be
allowed to enter any ITF Futures tournament until such time as all fines have been
paid.
F.
REMISSION OF FINES
Should a player submit documentation that the ITF deems to be false evidence,
including, but not limited to, documents pertaining to tournament entry and
withdrawal and Code of Conduct appeals, the player shall be subject to a fine of up
to $500 in addition to any other fines provided in the Code.
In circumstances that are flagrant and particularly injurious to the success of the
tournament, or are singularly egregious, a single violation of this section shall also
constitute the Major Offence of Aggravated Behaviour.
H.
APPEALS
Any player found to have committed an Entry Offence may, after paying all fines as
above provided, appeal to the ITF Executive Director for discretionary review of the
determination of guilt and penalty therefore. Such Notice of Appeal shall be in
writing and must be filed with the ITF by 5.00 pm GMT within ten (10) days after
notice of the violation is mailed to the player.
Attached to and included with such Notice of Appeal shall be a statement by the
player as to the facts and circumstances of such incident along with any other
evidence that the player desires to submit. Any player submitting fax transmission
receipts when appealing a Player Entry Offence should note that all fax receipts
must match exactly the fax receipt records at the ITF Office; i.e. fax transmission
receipts submitted must show the originating fax number, the fax number of the ITF
Office, the OK status, the number of pages transmitted, the date, the time and the
transmission duration. If there is no exact match with the transmission receipt
records at the ITF Office the appeal will be rejected as insufficient evidence
submitted.
Upon receipt of such an Appeal, the ITF Executive Director shall conduct a
reasonable investigation of the facts and circumstances surrounding such incident,
and shall affirm or reverse in whole or in part the determination of the Offence. In
the event of a whole or partial reversal the ITF shall remit to the player all or part of
the fines collected in accordance with the disposition of the appeal.
94
Code of Conduct
All players shall abide by the rules for entries and withdrawals set forth in these
Regulations.
B.
ENTRY OFFENCES
1. Late Withdrawal/ No Show
No player may withdraw her entry from the Main Draw or Qualifying of an ITF
Womens Circuit tournament for any reason after the Withdrawal Deadline. Any
such withdrawal will be considered a late withdrawal and will be penalised,
unless:
-
the player has complied with the provisions of Section Entries and
Withdrawals c) Withdrawal Procedures of the ITF Womens Circuit
Regulations;
a player who is on the Qualifying Acceptance List but who is still playing in
another ITF Womens Circuit or WTA tournament at the time of the
Qualifying Sign-in deadline, provided the player withdraws before the
Qualifying Sign-in closes;
a player who is on the Qualifying Acceptance List but who is still playing in
another qualified ITF Womens Circuit or WTA tournament and who
applies for a Special Exempt position, but where such Special Exempt
position is not available for the player;
a player who qualifies for entry or receives a Wild Card into Grand Slam
Tournaments.
the provisions of section V.E. Playing Another Event / One Tournament Per
Week apply.
Players who have been subject to Automatic Withdrawals will not be fined.
A players first three (3) late withdrawal offences within a calendar year are
excused*, provided the withdrawal is received by the ITF (and by the ITF
Supervisor, if submitted after the Freeze Deadline) prior to the Qualifying Signin Deadline.
(*an excused withdrawal is valid for two consecutive tournament weeks
provided the player withdraws, as above, and notifies the ITF about the second
weeks late withdrawal by the last day of the tournament).
Violation of this section shall result in a fine up to $1,000.
In circumstances that are flagrant and particularly injurious to the success of an
ITF Womens Circuit tournament, or are singularly egregious, a single violation
of this Section shall also constitute the Major Offence of Aggravated
Behaviour.
95
Code of Conduct
the player, who is still competing in a tournament at or after the time of the
Qualifying sign-in deadline, is forced to withdraw/retire, is examined by
that tournaments physician and is determined to be unfit to compete at the
following weeks tournament; or
ii. the player is on-site at the tournament when the withdrawal occurred and is
determined to be unfit to compete by the tournaments physician.
For the purpose of this rule, the player must withdraw before the start of her
first match and the ITF Medical Certification form must be completed and
submitted to the ITF no later than the last day of the tournament.
c.
A valid ITF Medical Certification form will excuse a late withdrawal penalty
for any subsequent tournament until the player next competes in any tennis
event, provided the late withdrawal is submitted prior to the relevant
Qualifying sign-in deadline.
3. Extraordinary circumstances
Under extraordinary circumstances a player has the right to appeal a Late
Withdrawal or No Show fine to the ITF provided such appeal is filed within ten
(10) days of the last day of the tournament. Such extraordinary circumstances
must be substantiated by documentation.
4. Playing Another Event / One Tournament Per Week
a.
No player who has played in the Main Draw or Qualifying of an ITF
Womens Circuit Tournament shall play in any other tennis event during the
period of such tournament except as stated in section V.E. in the ITF
Womens Circuit Regulations and/or unless released by the ITF Supervisor.
b.
No player who has entered and been accepted into the Qualifying or Main
Draw of an ITF Womens Circuit tournament shall play in any other tennis
event during the period of such tournament except as stated in section V.E. in
the ITF Womens Circuit Regulations and/or as hereinafter provided.
Violation of this Section shall result in a fine up to $1,000 in addition to any
other late withdrawal fines provided in the Code.
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Code of Conduct
WILD CARDS
No player, directly or indirectly, shall offer, give, solicit, receive or accept, or agree
to offer, give, solicit, receive or accept anything of value in exchange for a Wild
Card. Violation of this section by a player shall result in a fine of up to $5,000.
In circumstances that are flagrant and particularly injurious to the success of an ITF
Womens Circuit tournament, or are singularly egregious, a single violation of this
Section shall also constitute the Major Offence of Aggravated Behaviour.
D.
The ITF shall cause an investigation to be made to determine the facts regarding all
Entry Offences and upon determining that a violation has occurred shall specify the
fine and/or other punishment therefore and where possible notify the player.
E.
PAYMENT OF FINES
All fines levied for entry offences shall be paid by the player within ten (10) days
after the notice thereof is provided. Unpaid fines shall also be collected at other ITF
Womens Circuit tournaments for remission to the ITF.
A player who has accumulated $500 or more in unpaid fines for violations of this
Code of Conduct shall not be allowed to enter any ITF Womens Circuit tournament
until such time as all fines have been paid.
A player who has outstanding fines at the end of the calendar year will not be
allowed to enter any ITF Womens Circuit tournament until such time as all fines
have been paid.
F.
Should a player submit documentation that the ITF deems to be false evidence,
including, but not limited to, documents pertaining to tournament entry and
withdrawal and Code of Conduct appeals, the player shall be subject to a fine of up
to $1,000 in addition to any other fines provided in the Code.
In circumstances that are flagrant and particularly injurious to the success of the
tournament, or are singularly egregious, a single violation of this section shall also
constitute the Major Offence of Aggravated Behaviour.
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Code of Conduct
G.
APPEALS
Any player convicted of a violation of a Player Entry Offence may, after paying all
fines, appeal to the ITF Executive Director, for review of the determination of guilt
and penalty therefore. Such Notice of Appeal shall be in writing and filed by 5.00
p.m. G.M.T. with the ITF within ten (10) days after the last day of the tournament.
Attached to and included with such Notice of Appeal shall be a statement by the
player as to the facts and circumstances of such incident along with any other
evidence that the player desires to submit. Any player submitting fax transmission
receipts when appealing a Player Entry Offence should note that all fax receipts
must match exactly the fax receipt records at the ITF Office; i.e. fax transmission
receipts submitted must show the originating fax number, the fax number of the ITF
Office, the OK status, the number of pages transmitted, the date, the time and the
transmission duration. If there is no exact match with the transmission receipt
records at the ITF Office the appeal will be rejected as insufficient evidence
submitted.
Upon receipt of such an Appeal, the ITF Executive Director shall conduct a
reasonable investigation of the facts and circumstances surrounding such incident,
and shall affirm or reverse in whole or in part the determination of the Offence. In
the event of a whole or partial reversal the ITF shall remit to the player all or part of
the fines collected in accordance with the disposition of the appeal.
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GENERAL
Every player shall, during all matches and at all times while within the precincts of
the site of an ITF Pro Circuit Tournament and/or Official Tournament Hotel,
conduct himself/herself in a professional manner. The provisions hereinafter set
forth shall apply to each players conduct while within the precincts of each such
site.
B.
PUNCTUALITY
Matches shall follow each other without delay in accordance with the announced
order of play. The order of play shall be posted at a highly visible place in a general
players area as designated by the ITF Supervisor.
Matches shall be called in accordance with the order of play using all available and
reasonable means. Players shall be ready to play when their matches are called.
C.
1.
Any player not ready to play within ten (10) minutes after his match is
called may be fined $50.
2.
Any player not ready to play within fifteen (15) minutes after his
match is called may be fined up to an additional $200 and shall be
defaulted unless the ITF Supervisor in his sole discretion, after
consideration of all relevant circumstances, elects not to declare a
default.
Every player shall dress and present himself/herself for play in a professional
manner. Clean and customarily acceptable tennis attire shall be worn.
Any player who violates this Section may be ordered by the Chair Umpire or ITF
Supervisor to change his/her attire or equipment immediately. Failure of a player to
comply with such order may result in an immediate default. (The ITF reserves the
right to interpret the following rules so as to give effect to the intent and purposes of
these Regulations)
1. Unacceptable Attire
Sweatshirts, gym shorts, dress shirts, T-shirts or any other inappropriate attire
shall not be worn during a match (including the warm-up).
2. Shoes
Players are required to wear tennis shoes generally accepted as proper tennis
attire. Shoes shall not cause damage to the court other than what is expected
during the normal course of a match or practice. Damage to a court may be
considered as physical or visible, which may include a shoe that leaves mark
beyond what is considered acceptable. The ITF Supervisor has the authority
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to determine that a shoe does not meet these criteria and may order the player
to change.
i.
ii.
3. Identification
No identification shall be permitted on a players clothing, products or
equipment on court during a match or at any press conference or tournament
ceremony, except as follows:
a. ITF Mens Circuit Tournaments
1.
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exceeds six (6) square inches (39 sq.cm) may be placed in any
location on the front or on the collar. Alternatively one (1)
manufacturers or commercial identification which may not
exceed six (6) square inches (39 sq.cm) may be placed on the
front or collar and then an additional manufacturers
identification, not to exceed four (4) square inches (26 sq.cm),
may be placed on the back. Identifications may contain writing.
iv. Other. Identification of the clothing manufacturer, without the
name of the manufacturer or any other writing, may be placed
once or repeatedly within an area not to exceed twelve (12)
square inches (77.5 sq.cm) in one of the following positions:
a. On each of the shirt sleeves (if a manufacturers
identification is not on the sleeves pursuant to the section
i. above); or
b. On the outer seams (sides of torso) of the shirt.
2.
Shorts
Two (2) manufacturers identifications, neither of which exceeds
two (2) square inches (13 sq.cm) may be placed on the front or back
of the shorts; or two (2) manufacturers identification neither of
which exceeds four (4) square inches (26 sq.cm) may be placed as
follows: one (1) identification on the front and one (1) identification
on the back of the shorts. Identifications may contain writing.
On compression shorts and/or compression sleeves, two (2)
manufacturers identification not to exceed two (2) square inches
(13 sq.cm) or one (1) manufacturers identification which must not
exceed four (4) square inches (26 sq.cm). These shall be in addition
to the manufacturers identifications permitted on shorts. .
3.
Socks/Shoes
Manufacturers identifications on each sock and on each shoe shall
be permitted.
4.
Racquet
Manufacturers identifications on racquet and strings shall be
permitted.
5.
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6.
iii.
iv.
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2.
Shorts/Skirts
Two (2) manufacturers identifications, neither of which exceeds
two (2) square inches (13 sq.cm), or one (1) manufacturers
identification which does not exceed four (4) square inches (26
sq.cm) shall be permitted.
On compression shorts, one (1) manufacturers identification not to
exceed two (2) square inches (13 sq.cm) and which shall be in
addition to the manufacturers identifications on shorts/skirts shall
be permitted. Identifications may contain writing.
Note: A dress for the purposes of permissible identification shall be
treated as a combination of a skirt and a shirt (dividing dress at
waist).
3.
Socks/Shoes
Manufacturers identifications on each sock and on each shoe shall
be permitted. The identifications on the sock(s) on each foot shall be
limited to a maximum of two (2) square inches (13 sq.cm).
Identifications may contain writing.
4.
Racquet
Manufacturers identifications on racquet and strings shall be
permitted.
5.
6.
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other than the ITF Pro Circuit is prohibited on all dress or equipment,
unless otherwise approved by the ITF.
d. General
All identifications should be firmly attached at all points on the clothing
or equipment
No identification shall be permitted on player's clothing that
promotes/displays tobacco products, hard liquor products, political
activity or other category deemed to be detrimental to the sport of tennis.
In the event the utilisation of any of the foregoing permitted commercial
identifications would violate any governmental regulation with respect to
television, then the same shall be prohibited.
For the purposes of this rule, the manufacturer means the manufacturer of
the clothing or equipment in question.
In addition, the size limitation shall be ascertained by determining the
area of the actual patch or other addition to a players clothing without
regard to the colour of the same. In determining area, depending on the
shape of the patch or other addition, a circle, triangle or rectangle shall be
drawn around the same and the size of the patch for the purpose of this
Rule shall be the area within the circumference of the circle or the
perimeter of the triangle or rectangle as the case may be. When a solid
colour patch is the same colour as the clothing, then in determining the
area, the size of the actual patch will be based on the size of the
identification.
3.
Warm-up Clothing
Players may wear warm-up clothing during the warm-up and during a match
provided it complies with the foregoing provisions and provided further that
the players obtain approval of the ITF Supervisor prior to wearing warm-up
clothing during a match.
4.
Taping
No taping over of logos/patches shall be allowed.
5.
Fines
Any player who violates this Section and is not defaulted shall be subject to
the following fines:
a.
b.
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c.
d.
D.
Commercial Identification
Violation of the provisions with respect to commercial identifications
shall result in a fine of up to $250;
Another Tennis Event
Violation of the provisions with respect to the name of an event shall
result in a fine of up to $250.
Following the expiration of the warm-up period play shall be continuous and a
player shall not unreasonably delay a match for any cause.
A maximum of twenty (20) seconds shall elapse from the moment the ball goes out
of play at the end of the point until the time the ball is struck for the first serve of the
next point. If such serve is a fault then the second serve must be struck by the server
without delay.
When changing ends a maximum of ninety (90) seconds shall elapse from the
moment the ball goes out of play at the end of the game until the time the first serve
is struck for the next game. If such first serve is a fault the second serve must be
struck by the server without delay. However, after the first game of each set and
during a tie-break, play shall be continuous and the players shall change ends
without a rest period.
At the conclusion of each set, regardless of the score, there shall be a set break of
one hundred and twenty (120) seconds from the moment the ball goes out of play at
the end of the set until the time the first serve is struck for the next set.
If a set ends after an even number of games, there shall be no change of ends until
after the first game of the next set.
The receiver shall play to the reasonable pace of the server and shall be ready to
receive within a reasonable time of the server being ready. A Time Violation may be
issued prior to the expiration of twenty (20) seconds if the receivers actions are
delaying the reasonable pace of the server.
(Womens Circuit Tournaments) The first violation of this Section shall be penalised
by a Time Violation - Warning and each subsequent violation shall be penalised by
the assessment of one Time Violation - Point Penalty.
(Mens Circuit Tournaments) The first violation of this Section, as either server or
receiver, shall be penalised by a Time Violation - Warning and each subsequent
violation, as either server or receiver, shall be penalised as follows:
Server
Receiver
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Code of Conduct
Players shall not use an audible obscenity within the precinct of the tournament site.
Violation of this Section shall subject a player to a fine up to $500 for each
violation. In addition, if such violation occurs during a match (including the warmup), the player shall be penalised in accordance with the Point Penalty Schedule
hereinafter set forth. In circumstances that are flagrant and particularly injurious to
the success of a tournament, or are singularly egregious, a single violation of this
Section shall also constitute the Major Offence of Aggravated Behaviour and shall
be subject to the additional penalties hereinafter set forth therefore.
For the purposes of this Rule, audible obscenity is defined as the use of words
commonly known and understood to be profane and uttered clearly and loudly
enough to be heard by the Court Officials or spectators.
F.
Players shall not make obscene gestures of any kind within the precincts of the
tournament site. Violation of this Section shall subject a player to a fine up to $500
for each violation. In addition, if such violation occurs during a match (including the
warm-up), the player shall be penalised in accordance with the Point Penalty
Schedule hereinafter set forth. In circumstances that are flagrant and particularly
injurious to the success of a tournament, or are singularly egregious, a single
violation of this Section shall also constitute the Major Offence of Aggravated
Behaviour and shall be subject to the additional penalties hereinafter set forth
therefore.
For the purposes of this Rule, visible obscenity is defined as the making of signs by
a player with his hands and/or racquet or balls that commonly have an obscene
meaning.
G.
Players shall not at any time directly or indirectly verbally abuse any official,
opponent, sponsor, spectator or other person within the precincts of the tournament
site.
Violation of this Section shall subject a player to a fine up to $500 for each
violation. In addition, if such violation occurs during a match (including the warmup), the player shall be penalised in accordance with the Point Penalty Schedule
hereinafter set forth. In circumstances that are flagrant and particularly injurious to
the success of a tournament, or are singularly egregious, a single violation of this
Section shall also constitute the Major Offence of Aggravated Behaviour and shall
be subject to the additional penalties hereinafter set forth therefore.
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For the purposes of this Rule, verbal abuse is defined as a statement about an
official, opponent, sponsor, spectator or other person that implies dishonesty or is
derogatory, insulting or otherwise abusive.
H.
Players shall not at any time physically abuse any official, opponent, spectator or
other person within the precincts of the tournament site.
Violation of this Section shall subject a player to a fine up to $500 for each
violation. In addition, if such violation occurs during a match (including the warmup), the player shall be penalised in accordance with the Point Penalty Schedule
hereinafter set forth. In circumstances that are flagrant and particularly injurious to
the success of a tournament, or are singularly egregious, a single violation of this
Section shall also constitute the Major Offence of Aggravated Behaviour and shall
be subject to the additional penalties hereinafter set forth therefore.
For the purposes of this Rule, physical abuse is the unauthorised touching of an
official, opponent, spectator or other person.
I.
Players shall not violently, dangerously or with anger hit, kick or throw a tennis ball
within the precincts of the tournament site except in the reasonable pursuit of a point
during a match (including the warm-up). Violation of this Section shall subject a
player to a fine up to $250 for each violation. In addition, if such violation occurs
during a match (including the warm-up), the player shall be penalised in accordance
with the Point Penalty Schedule hereinafter set forth.
For the purposes of this Rule, abuse of balls is defined as intentionally hitting a ball
out of the enclosure of the court, hitting a ball dangerously or recklessly within the
court or hitting a ball with negligent disregard of the consequences.
J.
Players shall not violently or with anger hit, kick or throw a racquet or other
equipment within the precincts of the tournament site. Violation of this Section shall
subject a player to a fine up to $250 for each violation. In addition, if such violation
occurs during a match (including the warm-up), the player shall be penalised in
accordance with the Point Penalty Schedule hereinafter set forth.
For the purposes of this Rule, abuse of racquets or equipment is defined as
intentionally and violently destroying or damaging racquets or equipment or
intentionally and violently hitting the net, court, umpires chair or other fixture
during a match out of anger or frustration.
K.
Players shall not receive coaching during a match. Communications of any kind,
audible or visible, between a player and a coach may be construed as coaching.
Players shall also prohibit their coaches (1) from using audible obscenity within the
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Code of Conduct
precincts of the tournament site, (2) from making obscene gestures of any kind
within the precincts of the tournament site, (3) from verbally abusing any official,
opponent, spectator or other person within the precincts of the tournament site, (4)
from physically abusing any official, opponent, spectator or other person within the
precincts of the tournament site and (5) from giving, making, issuing, authorising or
endorsing any public statement within the precincts of the tournament site having, or
designed to have, an effect prejudicial or detrimental to the best interest of the
tournament and/or of the officiating thereof.
Violation of this Section shall subject a player to a fine up to $500 for each
violation. In addition, if such violation occurs during a match (including the warmup), the player shall be penalised in accordance with the Point Penalty Schedule
hereinafter set forth. In circumstances that are flagrant and particularly injurious to
the success of a tournament, or are singularly egregious, a single violation of this
section shall also constitute the Major Offence of Aggravated Behaviour and shall
be subject to the additional penalties hereinafter set forth therefore and the ITF
Supervisor may order the Coach to be removed from the site of a match or the
precincts of the tournament site and may declare an immediate default of such
player.
For the purposes of this Rule, a coach shall also include any representative and/or
relative of a player.
L.
Players shall at all times conduct themselves in a sportsmanlike manner and give
due regard to the authority of officials and the rights of opponents, spectators and
others. Violation of this Section shall subject a player to a fine up to $500 for each
violation. In addition, if such violation occurs during a match (including the warmup), the player shall be penalised in accordance with the Point Penalty Schedule
hereinafter set forth. In circumstances that are flagrant and particularly injurious to
the success of a tournament, or are singularly egregious, a single violation of this
Section shall also constitute the Major Offence of Aggravated Behaviour and shall
be subject to the additional penalties hereinafter set forth therefore.
For the purposes of this Rule, unsportsmanlike conduct is defined as any misconduct
by a player that is clearly abusive or detrimental to the Sport, but that does not fall
within the prohibition of any specific on-site offence contained herein. In addition,
unsportsmanlike conduct shall include, but not be limited to, the giving, making,
issuing, authorising or endorsing any public statement having, or designed to have,
an effect prejudicial or detrimental to the best interests of the tournament and/or the
officiating thereof.
M.
A player shall use his best efforts to win a match when competing in an ITF Pro
Circuit Tournament. Violation of this section shall subject a player to a fine up to
$500 for each violation.
For purposes of this Rule, the ITF Supervisor and/or the Chair Umpire shall have the
authority to penalise a player in accordance with the Point Penalty Schedule. In
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Code of Conduct
A player shall not leave the court area during a match (including the warm-up)
without the permission of the Chair Umpire. Violation of this Section shall subject a
player to a fine up to $250 for each violation. In addition the player may be
defaulted and subjected to the additional penalties for Failure to Complete Match as
hereinafter set forth.
O.
CEREMONIES (Cer)
A player participating in the finals of an ITF Pro Circuit Tournament must attend
and participate in the final ceremonies after the match unless he/she is reasonably
unable to do so. Violation of this Section shall subject a player to a fine up to $250.
Q.
Unless injured and physically unable to appear, a player or team must attend the
post-match media conference(s) organised immediately or within thirty (30) minutes
after the conclusion of each match whether the player or team was the winner or
loser, unless such time is extended or otherwise modified by the ITF Supervisor for
good cause. Violation of this Section shall subject a player to a fine up to $250.
R.
The Point Penalty Schedule to be used for violations set forth above is as follows:
FIRST offence
SECOND offence
THIRD and each subsequent offence
WARNING
POINT PENALTY
GAME PENALTY
However, after the third Code Violation, the ITF Supervisor shall determine whether
each subsequent offence shall constitute a default.
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Code of Conduct
S.
DEFAULTS
The ITF Supervisor may declare a default for either a single violation of this Code
(Immediate Default) or pursuant to the Point Penalty Schedule set out above. In all
cases of default, the decision of the ITF Supervisor shall be final and unappealable.
Any player who is defaulted as herein provided shall lose all prize money,
hospitality and points earned for that event at that tournament and in addition to any
or all other fines levied with respect to the offending incident, shall be fined up to
$250, unless:
a. the player or team was defaulted for a violation of the Punctuality or
Dress and Equipment provisions set forth in Article IV. B and C, or
b. the player or team was defaulted as a result of a medical condition, or
c. the players doubles partner committed the Code Violation which caused
the default.
In addition, except in the circumstances above, any player who is defaulted as herein
provided may be defaulted from all other events, if any, in that tournament.
T.
DOUBLES EVENTS
1. Warnings/Point Penalties/Game Penalties/Defaults
Warnings, Point Penalties, Game Penalties and/or a default if assessed for
violation of the Code shall be assessed against the team.
2. Fines
All fines for violation of Article IV of the Code shall be assessed only
against the individual member of the team who is in violation unless both
members of the team are in violation.
U.
The ITF Supervisor shall make such investigation as is reasonable to determine the
facts regarding all Player On-Site Offences and upon determining that a violation
has occurred shall specify the fine and/or other punishment therefor and give written
notice thereof to the player. Notwithstanding anything contained herein to the
contrary, the ITF Supervisor may, at his discretion, limit the fines levied during any
tournament qualifying event to a maximum of $100 for each violation.
V.
PAYMENT OF FINES
Each ITF Pro Circuit Tournament shall deduct fines levied by the ITF Supervisor for
player on-site offences from the players winnings, if any, and promptly pay the
same to the ITF. Any unpaid fines shall also be collected at other ITF Pro Circuit
Tournaments for remission to the ITF. A player who has accumulated $500 or more
in unpaid fines for violations of this Code of Conduct shall not be allowed to enter
any ITF Pro Circuit Tournament until such time as all fines have been paid. A
player who has outstanding fines at the end of the calendar year shall not be allowed
to enter any ITF Pro Circuit Tournaments until such time as all fines have been paid.
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W.
APPEALS
111
Code of Conduct
Introduction
The purpose of the Tennis Anti-Corruption Program is to (i) maintain the
integrity of tennis, (ii) protect against any efforts to impact improperly
the results of any match and (iii) establish a uniform rule and consistent
scheme of enforcement and sanctions applicable to all professional tennis
Events and to all Governing Bodies.
B.
Definitions
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
11.
"Governing Bodies" refers to the ATP, the ITF, the WTA and the
GSB.
12.
Code of Conduct
13.
14.
15.
16.
17.
18.
19.
20.
21.
22.
23.
24.
25.
Code of Conduct
C.
D.
26.
27.
28.
2.
Offenses
Commission of any offense set forth in Section D or E of this Program
including a violation of the Reporting Obligations or any other violation of
the provisions of this Program shall constitute a Corruption Offense for all
purposes of this Program.
1.
Corruption Offenses.
a.
b.
Code of Conduct
d.
e.
2.
f.
g.
h.
i.
j.
k.
Reporting Obligation.
a.
Players.
i.
Code of Conduct
b.
c.
ii.
iii.
iv.
ii.
Code of Conduct
E.
F.
Additional Matters
1.
2.
3.
4.
2.
b.
Investigations.
a.
Code of Conduct
ii.
iii.
iv.
v.
b.
c.
Code of Conduct
3.
G.
d.
e.
Commencement of Proceedings.
a.
ii.
iii.
Code of Conduct
c.
iii.
d.
i.
ii.
Code of Conduct
e.
i.
ii.
iii.
iv.
ii.
Code of Conduct
iii.
f.
g.
ii.
2.
brief,
Code of Conduct
iii.
h.
3.
4.
2.
Conduct of Hearings.
a.
b.
The Covered Person shall have the right (i) to be present and to be
heard at the Hearing and (ii) to be represented at the Hearing, at his or
her expense, by legal counsel. The Covered Person may choose not to
appear at the Hearing, but rather to provide a written submission for
consideration by the AHO, in which case the AHO shall take such
submission into account in making his or her Decision. However,
the non-attendance of the Covered Person or his or her representative at
the Hearing, after proper notice of the Hearing has been provided, shall
not prevent the AHO from proceeding with the Hearing in his or her
absence, whether or not any written submissions are made on his or her
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Code of Conduct
behalf.
c.
d.
e.
f.
3.
a.
b.
Where this Program places the burden of proof upon the Covered
Person alleged to have committed a Corruption Offense to rebut a
presumption or establish facts or circumstances, the standard of proof
shall be by a preponderance of the evidence.
c.
Decisions.
a.
Once the parties have made their submissions, the AHO shall
determine whether a Corruption Offense has been committed. Where
Section H of this Program specifies a range of possible sanctions
for the Corruption Offense found to have been committed, the AHO
shall also fix the sanction within that range, after considering any
submissions on the subject that the parties may wish to make.
b.
Code of Conduct
H.
i.
ii.
iii.
c.
The TIU shall pay all costs and expenses of the AHO and of staging
the Hearing. The AHO shall not have the power to award costs or
make any costs order against a Covered Person or the PTIO. Each
party shall bear its own costs, legal, expert and otherwise.
d.
Sanctions
1.
b.
Code of Conduct
not less than one year, and (iii) with respect to any violation
of clauses (c)-(i) of Section D.1., suspension of credentials and
access to any Event organized, sanctioned or recognized by
any Governing Body for a maximum period of permanent
revocation of such credentials and access.
c.
I.
2.
3.
The TIB may report Corruption Offenses that also violate non-sporting
laws and regulations to the competent administrative, professional
or judicial authorities.
4.
5.
Any Decision (i) that a Corruption Offense has been committed, (ii)
that no Corruption Offense has been committed, (iii) imposing
sanctions for a Corruption Offense, or (iv) that the AHO lacks
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Code of Conduct
J.
K.
2.
3.
4.
Conditions of Reinstatement
1.
2.
General
1.
No action may be
Covered Person for
commenced within
Corruption Offense
Code of Conduct
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
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Code of Conduct
AGGRAVATED BEHAVIOUR
No player or Related Person at any ITF Pro Circuit Tournament shall engage in
Aggravated Behaviour which is defined as follows:
1.
2.
3.
A series of two (2) or more violations of this Code within a twelve (12)
month period which singularly do not constitute Aggravated Behaviour, but
when viewed together establish a pattern of conduct that is collectively
egregious and is detrimental or injurious to the ITF Pro Circuit Tournaments.
No player or Related Person shall engage in conduct contrary to the integrity of the
Game of Tennis. If a player is convicted of the violation of a criminal or civil law of
any country, the player may be deemed by virtue of such conviction to have engaged
in conduct contrary to the integrity of the Game of Tennis and the ITF Executive
Director may provisionally suspend such player from further participation in ITF
Pro Circuit tournaments pending a final determination in Section C. In addition, if a
player has at any time behaved in a manner severely damaging to the reputation of
the sport, the player may be deemed by virtue of such behaviour to have engaged in
conduct contrary to the integrity of the Game of Tennis and be in violation of this
Section. Violation of this Section by a player, directly or indirectly through a
Related Person or others, shall subject a player to a fine up to $5,000 and/or to a
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maximum penalty of permanent suspension from play in all ITF Pro Circuit
Tournaments.
Violation of this Section shall subject a Related Person to a maximum penalty of
permanent revocation of accreditation and denial of access to all ITF Pro Circuit
Tournaments.
C.
The ITF Executive Director shall cause an investigation to be made of all facts
concerning any alleged Major Offence and shall provide written notice of such
investigation to the player involved; the player shall be given at least ten (10) days
to provide to the ITF Executive Director, directly or through counsel, such evidence
as the player deems to be relevant to the investigation. Upon the completion of his
investigation the ITF Executive Director shall determine the innocence or guilt of
the player involved, and, in the latter case, shall state in writing the facts as found by
him, his conclusions and his decision fixing the penalty to be imposed. A copy of
the decision shall be promptly delivered to the player and to the Committee.
D.
PAYMENT OF FINES
All fines levied by the ITF Executive Director for Player Major Offences shall be
paid by the player to the ITF within thirty (30) days after receipt of written notice
thereof. If the fine is not paid in thirty (30) days the ITF Executive Director will
instruct the next ITF Pro Circuit Tournament to withhold prize money due to the
player until settlement is made.
E.
DISCRETIONARY REVIEW
Any player or Related Person found to have committed a Player Major Offence may,
after paying all fines as above provided, petition the Committee for discretionary
review of the determination and penalty of the ITF Executive Director. The petition
shall be in writing and must be filed with the ITF Executive Director within thirty
(30) days after notice of the violation is mailed to the player. The ITF Executive
Director shall thereafter promptly forward said petition to the Committee. Said
petition shall state in detail the basis for such appeal. Within thirty (30) days
thereafter the Committee shall designate a time and place for the hearing of such
appeal and shall so notify the player and the ITF Executive Director. At such
hearing the player and the ITF Executive Director shall present to the Committee the
relevant evidence on the matter. The Committee may affirm, reverse, or modify the
decision of the ITF Executive Director on appeal. The decision of the Committee
will be provided in writing and shall be final and binding.
If the appeal is decided against the player, then the Committee shall tax the
reasonable costs of the appeal against the player, which costs shall include, but not
be limited to, the reasonable travel and living expenses incurred by all witnesses and
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members of the Committee with respect thereto, if the same is not at a regularly
scheduled meeting of the Committee.
ARTICLE VII: MEDICAL CONTROL ANTI-DOPING POLICY
Any Player, Player Support Personnel or other Person who enters or participates in
the ITF Pro Circuit shall be bound by and shall comply with all of the provisions of
the ITF Tennis Anti-Doping Programme 2016.
The ITF Tennis Anti-Doping Programme 2016 is set out in full on the ITF website
(www.itftennis.com/antidoping) and in a separate rulebook that is published and
distributed by the ITF to all National Associations. The ITF Tennis Anti-Doping
Programme 2016 is also available upon application.
ARTICLE VIII: TOURNAMENT OFFENCES
A.
APPLICABILITY
GUARANTEES
WILD CARDS
No ITF Pro Circuit Tournament, directly or indirectly, shall offer, give, solicit,
receive or accept, or agree to offer, give, solicit, receive or accept anything of value
in exchange for a Wild Card. Violation of this section shall subject the tournament
to a fine of up to $5,000 and/or forfeiture of all sums, if any, previously paid to the
ITF. In such a situation, the tournament will also receive a fine of up to $5,000 and
possible withdrawal of its sanction.
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D.
No ITF Pro Circuit Tournament, or any owner, promoter or operator thereof, shall
engage in conduct contrary to the integrity of the Sport.
Violation of this Section shall subject the tournament to a fine up to $5,000 and/or
forfeiture of all sums, if any, previously paid to the ITF.
E.
No ITF Pro Circuit Tournament shall violate any provisions of these ITF Pro Circuit
Rules. Violation of this Section shall subject the tournament to a fine up to $5,000
and/or forfeiture of all sums, if any, previously paid to the ITF.
F.
LATE CANCELLATION
No ITF Pro Circuit Tournament shall cancel less than sixty (60) days prior to the
scheduled commencement of the event.
Violation of this section shall subject the tournament to a fine of up to $5,000,
forfeiture of all sums, if any, previously paid or due to the ITF, reimbursement of
unrecoverable expenses incurred and/or denial of subsequent Applications.
G.
The ITF Executive Director shall cause an investigation to be made of all facts
concerning any alleged Tournament Offence by an ITF Pro Circuit Tournament and
shall provide written notice of such investigation to the tournament involved. The
tournament shall be given at least ten (10) days to provide to the ITF Executive
Director, directly or through counsel, such evidence as the tournament deems to be
relevant to the investigation. Upon completion of his investigation, the ITF
Executive Director shall determine the innocence or guilt of the tournament
involved, and in the latter case shall state in writing the facts as found by him, his
conclusions and his decision fixing the penalty to be imposed. A copy of the
decision of the ITF Executive Director shall be promptly delivered to the tournament
and to the Committee.
H.
PAYMENT OF FINES
All fines levied by the ITF Executive Director for Tournament Offences shall be
paid by the tournament to the ITF within thirty (30) days after receipt of written
notice thereof.
I.
DISCRETIONARY REVIEW
Any ITF Pro Circuit Tournament found to have committed a Tournament Offence
may, after paying all fines as above provided, petition the Committee for
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discretionary review of the determination and penalty of the ITF Executive Director.
The petition shall be in writing and must be filed with the ITF Executive Director
within thirty (30) days after notice of the violation is mailed to the tournament. The
ITF Executive Director shall thereafter promptly forward said petition to the
Committee. Said petition shall state in detail the basis for such appeal. Within thirty
(30) days thereafter the Committee shall designate a time and place for the hearing
of such appeal and shall so notify the tournament and the ITF Executive Director. At
such hearing the tournament and the ITF Executive Director shall present to the
Committee the relevant evidence on the matter. The Committee may affirm, reverse,
or modify the decision of the ITF Executive Director on appeal. The decision of the
Committee will be provided in writing and shall be final and binding.
If the appeal is decided against the tournament, then the Committee shall tax the
reasonable costs of the appeal against the tournament, which costs shall include, but
not be limited to, the reasonable travel and living expenses incurred by all witnesses
and members.
ARTICLE IX: WELFARE POLICY
Any player that enters and/or participates in either the ITF Men's Circuit or the ITF
Women's Circuit, and any Player Support Team Member of any player that enters
and/or participates in either the ITF Men's Circuit or the ITF Women's Circuit shall
be bound by and shall comply with the provisions of the Welfare Policy set out in
Appendix A.
ARTICLE X: RECIPROCITY
The ITF Executive Director reserves the right to affirm, modify or reject with
respect to any or all ITF Pro Circuit tournaments, a suspension or other sanction
issued against a Covered Person (as defined in Appendix A - ITF Welfare Policy)
either by or on behalf of the ITF pursuant to a conduct or disciplinary process under
any ITF code or policy or by any other tennis organisation including the Womens
Tennis Association and Association of Tennis Professionals.
The ITF Executive Director reserves the right in its absolute discretion to share
information concerning any complaint against a Covered Person with and/or conduct
an investigation in conjunction with any other tennis organisation or any other
relevant authorities. The ITF Executive Director may also refer the complaint and/or
any information received during the course of investigating an allegation or
prosecuting a charge to any authorities it considers appropriate in its absolute
discretion. The ITF shall have the absolute discretion, where it deems appropriate, to
stay its own investigation pending the outcome of investigations being conducted by
any other tennis organisations and/or any relevant authorities.
A Covered Person may petition the Committee for discretionary review of the
determination of the ITF Executive Director. The petition shall be in writing and
must be filed with the ITF Executive Director within thirty (30) days after notice of
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the violation is mailed to the tournament. The ITF Executive Director shall
thereafter promptly forward said petition to the Committee. Said petition shall state
in detail the basis for such appeal. Within thirty (30) days thereafter the Committee
shall designate a time and place for the hearing of such appeal and shall so notify the
tournament and the ITF Executive Director. At such hearing the tournament and the
ITF Executive Director shall present to the Committee the relevant evidence on the
matter. The Committee may affirm, reverse, or modify the decision of the ITF
Executive Director on appeal. The decision of the Committee will be provided in
writing and shall be final and binding.
ARTICLE XI: INTERPRETATIONS
Any person or entity subject to this Code may file with the ITF Executive Director a
request for an interpretation or clarification of the Code and/or its applicability and
effect on a particular event or transaction.
ARTICLE XII: NOTICE
All written communications to the ITF Executive Director should be addressed as
follows, unless notice of change is subsequently published:
ITF Executive Director of Professional Tennis
International Tennis Federation
Bank Lane
Roehampton
London SW15 5XZ
England
Tel: (44) 20 8878 6464
Fax: (44) 20 8392 4777
A.
PLAYER
TOURNAMENT
Service of any document on an ITF Pro Circuit Tournament as required by this Code
shall be deemed complete if mailed to the ITF Pro Circuit Tournament Director
along with a copy to the Tournament Administrator.
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APPENDIX A
WELFARE POLICY
Any coach, trainer, manager, agent, medical or para-medical personnel and/or
family member, tournament guest, or other similar associate of any player (together
Player Support Team Member), any player and any tournament personnel, such as
an official, tournament director, staff, volunteer, sponsor, health care provider, ITF
staff member and members of the media (together Credentialed Person) shall
conduct himself/herself in a professional manner at all times and in accordance with
this ITF Welfare Policy. In this ITF Welfare Policy Player Support Team Members,
players and Credentialed Persons shall be defined as Covered Persons.
a.
i.
Application
Covered Persons shall be familiar with, and must abide by, this ITF Welfare
Policy.
ii.
iii.
iv.
Sexual Conduct
In order to prevent sexual abuse and the negative consequences resulting
from the imbalance of a dual relationship, sexual conduct of any kind
between any player and his/her Player Support Team Members and/or
Credentialed Persons is discouraged.
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Criminal Conduct
Covered Persons shall comply with all relevant criminal laws. For greater
certainty and without limiting the foregoing, this obligation is violated if a
Covered Person has been convicted of or entered a plea of guilty or no
contest to a criminal charge or indictment involving (a) an offence involving
use, possession, distribution or intent to distribute illegal drugs or substances,
(b) an offence involving sexual misconduct, harassment or abuse, or (c) an
offence involving child abuse. Further, this obligation may be violated if a
Covered Person has been convicted of or entered a plea of guilty or no
contest to an offence that is a violation of any law specifically designed to
protect minors.
vi.
Anti-Doping Activity
Covered Persons shall not commit any offence under the terms of the ITFs
Anti-Doping Programme or aid, abet, counsel or procure in any way any
persons offence under that Programme.
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vii.
Conduct in General
Covered Persons shall not conduct himself or herself in a manner that will
reflect unfavourably on the ITF, any tournament, event or circuit owned or
sanctioned by the ITF (the ITF Tournaments), any player, official or the
game of tennis.
b.
Violations/Procedures
i.
Any individual who believes that any Covered Person has failed to meet his
or her obligations under this Welfare Policy may file a written complaint with
the ITF Executive Director responsible for the ITF Tournament in which the
complainant participates. That complaint shall identify the complainant and
state specifically the nature of the alleged misconduct. Upon receipt of such
a complaint, the ITF Executive Director shall promptly initiate a review of
the matter. Such review shall be carried out by the relevant Manager or Head
of Department with responsibility for the ITF Tournament in which the
complainant participates (ITF Manager/Head). Upon request by the ITF
Manager/Head, the ITF Executive Director shall have authority to issue a
provisional suspension of the accused individual, pending the completion of
the investigation and issuance of a final decision on the matter.
ii.
iii.
The ITF Executive Director reserves the right to extend to any or all ITF
Tournaments a suspension or other disciplinary action taken against a
Covered Person by a National or Regional Association or other tennis
organisation such as the Womens Tennis Association and Association of
Tennis Professionals or a conviction or plea of guilty or no contest to a
criminal charge or indictment as set out in Section a) v. above. The ITF
Executive Director reserves the right to share information concerning a
complaint with and/or conduct an investigation in conjunction with any tennis
organisation as specified above. The ITF Executive Director may also refer
the complaint and/or any information received during the course of
investigating an allegation or prosecuting a charge to any authorities it
considers appropriate. The ITF shall have the absolute discretion, where it
deems appropriate, to stay its own investigation pending the outcome of
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v.
Any decision of the Executive Director and/or the ITF Committee and/or the
ITF Board of Directors pursuant to this Welfare Policy may be communicated
to those Member National Associations, other tennis organisations and ITF
Tournament organisers deemed necessary by the ITF Executive Director
and/or the ITF Committee and/or the ITF Board of Directors.
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Qualifying event
Main Draw
Qualifying event
Main Draw
To be reported by:
Main Draw
Qualifying event
Main Draw
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Code of Conduct
To be reported by Supervisor
# Please refer to the full Code of Conduct for comprehensive details of all penalties #
DEFAULTS
$100
Def, D
$250
Def, D
Main Draw
Main Draw
PAE
WQNA
WMNA
Offence code
ZM57S
ZQ57AS
ZM12S
ZQ12AS
Offence code
$400
DM12S
$600
DM57S
Supervisor
Qualifying
Qualifying
up to $1,000
up to $1,000
up to $1,000
Fine amount
$1,000
$200
$500
$100
Fine amount
$600
WM57S
$200
WQ57S
$400
WM12S
$100
WQ12S
Supervisor
Maximum: $500
Guidelines
Offence code
$50-250
Pun (10 or 15)
$50-100
AOb, VOb
$75-150
VA
$250
PhA
$50-75
BA, RA
$75-150
CC
$75-150
UnC
$50-100
D&E
$250
BE, LC, FC
$50-150
Cer, MC
$400
WM57QS
$150
WQ57QS
$250
WM12QS
$75
WQ12QS
To be reported by Supervisor
Maximum: $100
Guidelines
Offence code
$25-100
Pun (10 or 15)
$25-50
AOb, VOb
$50
VA
$100
PhA
$25
BA, RA
$50
CC
$50
UnC
$25-50
D&E
$100
BE, LC, FCM
Qualifying event
To be reported by Supervisor
Offence
No Show
Failure to sign-in
No Show
Failure to sign-in
Offence
$250
WM576
$100
WQ576
$150
WM126
$50
WQ126
$150
WM5713
$75
WQ5713
$75
WM1213
$50
WQ1213
Main Draw
Men's only
Women's only
Qualifying event
PLAYING ANOTHER EVENT
ITF Office
ITF Office
FINES GUIDELINES AND OFFENCE CODES FOR ITF PRO CIRCUIT EVENTS 2016
LATE WITHDRAWALS
ENTRY OFFENCES
APPENDIX B