How to Organize a Tennis Tournament: A Complete Guide

Why organize a tournament?

Tournaments are the heartbeat of any tennis community. They give players a reason to practice, a chance to compete, and a way to measure progress. Whether you run a club, manage a residential community, or coach at a school — organizing regular tournaments keeps players engaged and attracts new members.

But organizing a good tournament takes more than blocking courts and printing a draw sheet. Players expect clear communication, fair draws, on-time scheduling, and quick results. Get these right and your event builds loyalty. Get them wrong and players lose interest.

This guide walks through every step of organizing a tennis tournament, from the first planning decision to publishing final results.

Step 1: Choose the right tournament format

The format you pick affects everything — how many courts you need, how long the event runs, and how many matches each player gets. Here are the most common options:

Round Robin

Every player (or team) plays every other player in the group. This is the best format when you want to maximize the number of matches per player. It works well for smaller groups of 4–8 players and club-level events where participation matters more than crowning a champion quickly.

Single Elimination

Lose one match and you're out. This is the standard tournament bracket format — fast to run and creates dramatic finishes. The downside is that half the players are eliminated after just one match, which can be frustrating for recreational players who traveled to the venue.

Double Elimination

Players need to lose twice before being eliminated. This adds a consolation bracket and gives everyone at least two matches. It takes longer than single elimination but feels fairer.

Group Stage + Knockout

Players are divided into round-robin groups, then the top finishers from each group advance to a knockout stage. This combines the best of both worlds — everyone gets multiple group matches, and the finals have elimination drama.

Step 2: Plan the logistics

Once you know the format, work backwards from the number of players to figure out court and time requirements.

Courts and scheduling

Count how many matches your format generates. A round robin with 8 players produces 28 matches. If each match takes 45 minutes and you have 4 courts, that's roughly 5–6 hours of play. Add buffer time for late starts and long matches.

Date and timing

Weekend mornings work best for most amateur events. Avoid scheduling during major professional tournaments when courts and players may be unavailable. For multi-day events, keep rounds at the same time each day so players can plan.

Budget

Common expenses include court rental, balls, trophies, refreshments, and possibly an umpire for finals. Most club tournaments charge an entry fee of ₹200–₹500 per player to cover costs. Online payment collection simplifies this significantly.

• Court availability and booking confirmation
• New balls (at least 1 can per match)
• Scorecards or a digital scoring system
• Water and refreshments
• Prizes or trophies for winners and runners-up
• First aid kit

Step 3: Handle registrations

Make registration easy. The more friction you add, the fewer sign-ups you'll get. Share a registration link (not a form that requires downloading anything), set a clear deadline, and confirm each registration.

Collect the following from each player: name, phone number, skill level or rating (if available), and category preference (singles, doubles, mixed). If you're charging an entry fee, collect payment at registration — chasing payments on match day is a headache you don't need.

Step 4: Create the draw

Seeding matters. If your top two players meet in the first round, you've got a problem. Use player ratings or known skill levels to seed the draw so the strongest players are spread across the bracket.

For round robin groups, distribute seeded players evenly across groups. For elimination brackets, place the top seed at the top and the second seed at the bottom, with remaining seeds distributed to avoid early clashes.

If you don't have formal ratings, use a rough ranking based on club match results or player self-assessment. It's better to approximate than to draw entirely at random.

Publish the draw at least 24 hours before the event so players can plan their travel and warm-up.

Step 5: Run match day smoothly

Match day is where your planning pays off — or doesn't. Here's what keeps things running:

• Post the draw and schedule prominently at the venue
• Have a check-in desk where players confirm arrival
• Call matches 5 minutes before court assignment
• Use a clear system for score reporting (scorecards, WhatsApp, or an app)
• Update the draw in real time so players know their next match
• Have a contingency plan for walkovers and retirements

The biggest match-day headache is delays. Matches run long, players arrive late, and suddenly your entire schedule is behind. Build 10–15 minutes of buffer between rounds and have a tournament director empowered to make calls on time violations.

Step 6: Score reporting and results

Players care deeply about results — both seeing them quickly and having them recorded accurately. After each match, record the full score (not just who won). This data is valuable for rating calculations and player history.

Publish results as matches finish, not at the end of the day. Live results keep spectators and eliminated players engaged. A leaderboard or bracket view that updates in real time adds energy to the event.

After the tournament, send a summary to all participants: final standings, notable results, and any rating changes. This closes the loop and gives players something to share.

Step 7: Post-tournament — ratings and feedback

If your club uses a rating system, update ratings based on tournament results. This is where algorithmic rating systems like Glicko-2 shine — they automatically adjust player ratings based on match outcomes and opponent strength, removing human bias from the process.

Collect feedback from players. A simple 3-question survey (What worked? What didn't? Would you play again?) gives you actionable information for the next event.

The best tournament organizers treat each event as an iteration. Small improvements compound over time into a reputation for well-run events — which is the single best way to grow your player base.

Using technology to streamline tournaments

Running tournaments manually — with paper draws, WhatsApp score reporting, and spreadsheet results — works for small events but breaks down quickly as you scale. Tournament management platforms handle registrations, draw generation, live scoring, automatic rating updates, and result publishing in one place.

The right platform should reduce your administrative work by hours per event and improve the player experience with real-time updates and transparent results. Look for features like automated seeding based on ratings, payment collection, and the ability to handle multiple formats.

Playgrade was built specifically for this — helping clubs, communities, and organizers run tournaments without the spreadsheet chaos. If you're spending more time managing logistics than watching tennis, it might be worth a look.