This 21st season of the Charlotte Pro League helps fulfill the mission of the Charlotte Tennis Association (“CTA”): To promote and develop the growth of tennis in the Charlotte community. The Charlotte Pro League will adhere to USTA Rules and Regulations for situations not specifically covered by Charlotte Pro League Rules and Regulations.

I. Charlotte Pro League Organization, Structure and Governance

Charlotte Tennis Association (CTA):

• Since 2005, the CTA has organized and governed the Charlotte Pro League. Players, fans, sponsors and area tennis facilities unite to make this “The Best Tennis in Charlotte.”

Charlotte Pro League Committee:

• Charlotte Pro League Committee members are selected in accordance with CTA Bylaws.
• The CTA Executive Director, the CTA Board-Member Representative and the Charlotte Pro League Coordinator are all voting members of the Charlotte Pro League Committee.
• The Charlotte Pro League Committee helps formulate policies and procedures that, with the approval of the CTA Board of Directors, are implemented to operate, promote and benefit the Charlotte Pro League and the mission of the CTA.

Team Captains:

• Team Captains are selected by the Charlotte Pro League Committee from applications submitted by volunteer players who are either currently draft eligible or players who have previously been draft eligible. Returning Captain’s will have the first right of refusal and in the event of an opening(s), preference will be given to individuals who previously served as Captain or Co-Captain.

Team Co-Captains:

• Captains may, in accordance with section III.C. select a Co-Captain to assist them during and after the Draft process. Players who have been a first or second round pick in the previous two seasons, or deemed to be a first or second round pick in the current season, may not serve as a Co-Captain.

Players:

• All players must register online prior to entry deadline, in order to enter the draft to be considered for a position a Charlotte Pro League team. The target level for players in the Charlotte Pro League is NTRP 5.0 or higher. Players must be at least 21 years old by the date of the first scheduled match.

Host Facilities and Courts:

• Unless otherwise approved by the Charlotte Tennis Association, the Pro League Committee selects tennis facilities within the CTA area of service with lighted outdoor clay courts to host matches. Any variance of scheduled locations must be pre-approved by the Charlotte Pro League Coordinator. Each Host Facility agrees to standards for hosting and is reviewed annually.
• In addition to playing scheduled matches at Host Facilities, Charlotte Pro League teams are encouraged to have scheduled team practices before and during the season of play.
• Host Facilities are encouraged to provide practice courts for Charlotte Pro League team practices with no cost for court fees or guest fees.
  • Team Captains must contact the Host Facility representatives to discuss and arrange any and all team practices. All team practices must be pre-approved by the Host Facility representative.
  • Players attending Charlotte Pro League team practices are limited to rostered players on that team, sponsors and approved VIP guests, such as representatives of the Charlotte Special Olympics tennis program.
  • Team practices should be scheduled on days and times when the Host Facility typically projects low court usage by their members.
  • Charlotte Pro League team members, not the Host Facilities, will provide the tennis balls used in team practices.
  • Charlotte Pro League team members who violate Host Facility rules and/or guidelines for behavior may jeopardize that team’s ability to hold team practices at that, or any Host Facility and their participation in the Charlotte Pro League.

Coordinator:

• The Charlotte Pro League Coordinator is contracted to assist the Charlotte Tennis Association in executing the operation, rules, regulations and policies of the Charlotte Pro League.

Men’s Division:

• Regular Season (9 weeks, 10 teams play a single round robin)
• Playoff Season (3 weeks of team matches – top 8 final Regular Season team standings)

Women’s Division:

• Regular Season (9 weeks of team matches; each team will play the other 3 teams 3 times)
• Playoff Season (2 weeks of matches; all 4 teams make playoffs. No 3rd place match-up.)

II. League Operation

Regular and Playoff Seasons of Play:

• The season will consist of one complete Regular Season team round robin, followed by a Playoff Season wherein the top 8 teams play a single elimination format draw, including playoff for 3rd place (Women’s division all 4 teams make playoffs, there is no 3rd place match-up). Teams are seeded in the Playoff Season draw based on final Regular Season standings. Seeds are placed in the Playoff draws on these lines:
• Men’s:
  • Lines 1 & 2: Seed 1 vs Seed 8
  • Lines 3 & 4: Seed 5 vs Seed 4
  • Lines 5 & 6: Seed 3 vs Seed 6
  • Lines 7 & 8: Seed 2 vs Seed 7
• Women’s:
  • Seed 1 vs Seed 4
  • Seed 2 vs Seed 3

Format of Play: For both the Regular Season and the Playoff Season:

• Men’s Division: Four lines of doubles (#1, #2, #3 and #4)
• Women’s Division: 2 lines of doubles (#1 and #2)

Draft:

• Team Captains and Co-Captains and Charlotte Pro League Committee members collectively form the Draft Board and teams are formed by draft. Using an equitable rotation process of selection (snake draft), the Team Captains and/or their Co-Captains take the lead to draft players who have officially entered the draft. The Charlotte Pro League Coordinator provides information to assist member of each Draft Board.
• Once the preliminary draft of players is complete, the Draft Board reviews the strengths of each team and may, in consultation with Team Captains and Co-Captains, adjust the teams to help ensure the most competitive season of play. When the final Draft process is complete the players are listed in numerical draft positions.
• Players not drafted by a team will be notified by the Charlotte Pro League Coordinator within 24 hours and have their entry fee refunded within 7 days.
• Any Team Captain, whether present at the Draft event or not, may select a draft-eligible Co-Captain who will be guaranteed a spot on the Captain’s team in the Draft. In the absence of the Team Captain, the Co-Captain may make draft decisions for the Captain not present. The Co-Captain and the Captain will each be placed on the Draft grid in positions determined by the committee in advance of the Draft. The Co-Captain may be any Draft eligible player, with these exceptions:
  • The Co-Captain may neither be a player who was drafted in the #1 position on any Charlotte Pro League team for any prior season of play, nor a player who, by consensus of the Captains, would be drafted in the #1 or #2 position on any Charlotte Pro League team for the current season of play.
  • The Co-Captain may not be a player who is new to the Charlotte Pro League for the current season.

Team Rosters:

• Teams will be drafted from the pool of players who officially completed the online registration process by the registration deadline.
• Men’s Division:
  • Players will be drafted onto eight to eleven teams based off number of registrants. Each team will consist of at least twelve drafted male players.
• Women’s Division:
  • Players will be drafted onto a minimum of 4 teams consisting of at least 7 female players.

Match Days and Times:

• Team matches are scheduled to start on Thursday at 7:00 PM during the Regular Season. During the Playoff Season, all matches are scheduled to start on Thursday at 7:00 PM. Courts will be ready for player warm-up 30 minutes prior to match start. Note that inclement weather conditions may affect the match days and times.

Default Time:

• Players who do not arrive within 15 minutes of the scheduled match start time will result in a default and a 6/0 6/0 score for the team with players on court and ready to play at match start time. Any adjustment to the start time of a match must be agreed upon by captains and players involved in the match, and approved by the Pro League Coordinator.

Inclement Weather:

• In the event of inclement weather (defined as wet courts and/or dangerously high winds), Team Captains will advise their teams of any delays or cancellations after consultation with the Host Facility. Decisions about match delays, suspensions, resumption of play after a delay or suspension, and match cancellations are made by Host Facilities. For matches affected by inclement weather:
  • Delays of matches not started – The start of any match may be delayed up to thirty minutes after the originally scheduled time.
  • Delays of matches in progress – the resumption of play in progress may be delayed up to thirty minutes.
  • Cancellation of matches not completed as scheduled – matches will be rescheduled as follows:
    • Team Captains must mutually agree on a day/time/location to play the rained-out match(es) within 14 days from the date of the originally scheduled matches.
    • If play has started in originally scheduled match(es) [start is defined as the completion of at least one point of play], but the match was not completed, the rescheduled (rain-delayed) match(es) must be played with the original players.
    • If play has not started in originally scheduled match(es), the rescheduled (rain-delayed) match(es) may be played with any rostered players on the team, as long as the line-up rules for combined point totals are followed.
    • Even if some scheduled matches are completed on the original day/time, other matches not started or completed on the originally scheduled day/time must be rescheduled and completed within two weeks (as detailed above).
      • Matches not completed within two weeks of the originally scheduled day/time are subject to review and action by the Committee. All make up matches must be completed no later than 9 PM on the Tuesday following the last scheduled Regular Season match.
      • If good faith efforts by both Team Captains/teams have not been successful to complete the rained-out match(es) within two weeks of the originally scheduled match (or as noted above) due to continued inclement weather, the Committee may, on a case-by-case basis, give the teams an extended period of time to reschedule and complete the match(es).
      • If rained out match(es) are not completed within two weeks (or shorter for the final regular season matches) of the originally scheduled day/time, and if the Committee determines that one or both Team Captains have not acted in good faith, then the Committee is empowered (by simple majority vote of Committee members present in person or via email) to rule:
        1. Individual matches scheduled but not completed within two weeks by a Team Captain/team not acting in good faith may be defaulted and counted as a 6-0, 6-0 win for the other team. If such individual defaults result in a 2-2 tie between two Men’s Division teams, the TEAM WIN automatically goes to the team deemed to be acting in good faith, without the playing of a sudden death match tiebreak.
        2. Individual matches scheduled but not completed in two weeks by two teams not acting in good faith may be counted as an individual match loss for each team. In the event that no matches were completed by teams not acting in good faith to complete them, both teams will have scores that reflect 6-0, 6-0 losses for each individual match and a team loss.
      • If Indoor courts are offered to teams to complete a match the match must be played as scheduled. All 4 (or 2 for women’s) matches must be able to play at the same time. If there are more matches than courts available then teams will reschedule their matches at another time.

Line-ups:

• For matches scheduled on June 12, June 19 and June 26, teams must use the Draft position numbers. By July 6, Captains must forward any proposed changes to Draft position numbers to the Charlotte Pro League Coordinator for review and approval by simple majority vote of Captains. Once approved, this final team position number will be used for all matches scheduled July 10 and later. Final team position numbers are subject to review and approval by the Charlotte Pro League Coordinator and Committee.
  • #1 doubles team must have a combined point total (points are based on roster positions) that is less than or equal to that of the #2 doubles team; the #2 doubles team must have a combined point total that is less than or equal to that of the #3 doubles team; the #3 doubles team must have a combined point total that is less than or equal to that of the #4 doubles team.
  • Line-ups must be submitted to the Charlotte Pro League Coordinator via email no later than 5:00 PM on Wednesday, the day before the match day. In case of forfeited matches, the Charlotte Pro League Coordinator, having received a line-up with one or more forfeits from a team captain, will notify the opposing team captain that one or more positions have been forfeited. The opposing captain will then have the chance to submit or re-submit a line up with the knowledge of the forfeited position(s). In such a case, the line-up (players and positions) of the team having forfeited one or more matches will not be disclosed to the opposing team captain until after the re-submitted line up has been received.
  • In case a forfeited match is rained out and no points have been played in any of the matches, the team with the original forfeit may remake their line up for a later date and the forfeited match can be reinstated if a player is then available. If the first point of the team match has been played in the match in which a forfeit was announced and then that match must be rescheduled, the forfeit stands.

Player Participation:

• Each player must play a minimum of three matches during the Regular Season. The Charlotte Pro League Coordinator will announce any modifications to this rule, as approved by the Charlotte Pro League Committee, at the time the draft is revealed. If a team has not played all their players at least three times during the Regular Season, the team will not be eligible to participate in the Playoff matches and will not be eligible for prize money. Exceptions to this rule may be reviewed for approval by the Charlotte Pro League Committee. If a player that is drafted leaves the league prior to the opening match, the team may add a player to fill the open spot. For a player drafted in rounds 1-4, a player of equal draft position may be added even if they were not originally registered to play in the league. A captain’s vote will be taken to accept the new player. If a player drafted later than the 4th round has to leave the team prior to the first match a player from the undrafted list should take the open spot.

Subs and Forfeits:

• There are no provisions for the use of substitute (non-rostered) players. In the event rostered players are not available to fill a line-up, Captains will forfeit one or more lines, per the order below.  A forfeit counts as a 6-0, 6-0 loss. The following rules apply:
  • With only 6 or 7 players available for a match, the #4 doubles position would be forfeited.
  • With only 4 or 5 players available for a match, the #3 and #4 doubles positions would be forfeited.
  • With only 2 or 3 players available for a match, the #2, #3 and #4 doubles positions would be forfeited.

Individual Match Scoring:

• For the Regular Season and the Playoff Season individual matches are determined by the best two out of three tiebreak sets with a match tiebreak (first to 10 points by a margin of two points) played in lieu of the third set. A match tiebreak played in lieu of a third set counts as both one set and one game for the purpose of determining the standing or order of finish.

Team Match Scoring:

• For the Regular Season the Playoff Season, team matches are determined by the best of four individual matches. In the case of a tie, the team win is determined by a team match tiebreaker (first to 10 points by a margin of two points). For the team match tiebreaker, each team will select any two players from their roster to play doubles. A team match tiebreak played to determine a team match counts as both one set and one game for the purpose of determining standings.

Coaching:

• Coaching during match is not permitted in the Charlotte Pro League, except when play is suspended for 10 minutes or more.

Regular Season Team Standing and Order of Finish:

• The following procedures will be used to determine the team standing and order of finish of Regular Season play:
  • Team Matches: Team winning the most team matches
  • Individual Matches: Team with the most individual matches in the entire competition
  • Sets: Loser of the fewest number of sets
  • Games: Loser of the fewest number of games in the entire competition
  • Head-to-Head: Winner of head-to-head matches between teams still tied

Prize Money and Financial:

• The Charlotte Pro League has a goal of having a positive net balance at the end of the season. The CTA Executive Director and CTA Executive Committee approves the budget and expenditures.

Prize Money:

• A percent of the total prize money will be awarded to each team (to be split among all players) based on finishing first, second or third in the playoffs in the Men’s Division as well as the team finishing first in the regular season for the Men’s Division. The first and second place in the women’s division playoffs will receive prize money.

Charity Affiliation:

• The CTA will donate a portion of proceeds from the Charlotte Pro League to benefit a designated charity. For the 2025 Charlotte Pro League season, the designated charity is Ace the Stigma.

Entry Fees:

• Players must register online by the entry deadline to enter the draft. Entry fee is $100 per person (plus an additional $3.00 per below). Players who register online, but are not drafted, will receive a full entry fee refund. Refunds are not issued to drafted players after draft is announced.

On-Line Information:

• TennisLink is the official system for communicating schedules, registering players, recording scores, and determining standings. Players who are drafted to teams must register for their team on TennisLink and pay the $3.00 TennisLink fee before the season begins. A link to this site and other important information, including Charlotte Pro League Rules and Regulations, can be found at CharlotteTennisAssociation.com.