Quick Links to Tournament Information Below:

Entering the Tournament
Late Entrants
Singles Acceptance
Wild Cards
Tournament Withdrawals
Replacement of Withdrawing Players Before the Draw is Made
Replacement of Withdrawing Players After the Draw is Made
Alternate List
Onsite Alternates
Payment of Entry Fees by Players Accepted into the Draw after Entry Deadline
Doubles Application, Acceptance, and Draw
Tournament Registration - August 8th
Feed-in Championship
Final Round Play and Awards
Sportsmanship Awards
Player Profiles on the Internet
Match Start Times
Dress Code
Practice Courts
Trainer
Racquet Stringing
Hitting Pros

Entering the Tournament. All registration and payment of entry fees is being done on the internet.  Online registration begins on June 4th and ends July 16th at 12:00 noon Eastern Standard Time.  No late registrants will be selected for the tournament, except Wild Card recipients - see information on Wild Cards below.  Please be sure to provide a telephone number and email address for yourself during the online registration process - if you do not, the tournament will have NO way of contacting you.   Click here to be taken to the area of the website with additional information on registration. 

Note for Players Unable to Use the Internet:  If you do not have access to the internet or are unable to make payment of your entry fee by credit card, either contact your Sectional Association for assistance or contact Andrea Norman at AndreaN64@aol.com or (408) 892-7273.  In order to ensure timely registration, please contact Andrea Norman or your Sectional Association on or before July 9th.

Late Entrants. Late Entrants - players entering after the July 16th deadline at 12:00 noon Eastern Standard Time - will not be selected for the tournament.  They are eligible to be placed on the Alternate List, but they will be placed at the bottom of the list in the order the late entry is received.  Late Entrants have little to no chance of being accepted into the singles draw as the Alternate List typically consists of 100 or more players and historically the tournament has over a dozen Onsite Alternates.  Late Entrants are eligible to enter doubles during Doubles Registration on August 8th.  Chances of getting into the Doubles Draw are good as historically not all of the singles entrants enter doubles; however, there is no guarantee of acceptance of a Late Entrant into the Doubles Draw.  See Doubles Application, Acceptance, and Draw below.

Singles Acceptance. The selection of singles players in The Nationals (except Wild Cards) is being done by computer after the entries close on July 16th.  Selection for the singles draw will be posted on or about July 21st to the tournament’s USTA TennisLink Home Page.

Wild Cards. Up to eight Wild Cards may be granted for The Nationals.  Contact your Sectional Association for an application - the tournament does not have applications.  The USTA Regulations have changed with respect to Wild Cards.  Applications due to the Director of Junior Competition no later than five days after the entry deadline.  This will allow a player to wait to learn if she has been accepted into the tournament before she submits her Wild Card application.  Applications, however, may still be submitted on or before the entry deadline.

Tournament Withdrawals.  It is your responsibility to immediately take action to withdraw from the tournament should circumstances arise which would not enable you to compete.  We also ask that you cancel any hotel reservations you made or, if you have requested private housing, cancel your housing request with the Housing Chairwoman, Pinkie Flad - fladfamily@earthlink.net.  Transportation requests from Oakland International Airport to the tournament site should also be cancelled by contacting the Transportation Chairman, Jose Katz - jekatz@ieee.org.

Withdrawals Prior to July 16th Entry Deadline:  Click here to be taken to the tournament's USTA TennisLink Home Page.  Once in the system, click on the "Register Now" text in red.  When you arrive at the next page, click on "Withdraw" on the left hand side of the screen.  You will need your confirmation number from your original registration to withdraw.  Because your credit card will not be charged prior to the entry deadline, no refund needs to be made. If you cannot locate your confirmation number, contact linkteam@usta.com.

Withdrawals After Entry Deadline: The USTA Regulations with respect to withdrawals and entry fee refunds at USTA National Championships changed as of January 1, 2009.  Immediately contact Andrea Norman at (408) 892-7273 if you must withdraw from the tournament.  No refund will be given unless the withdrawal is due to illness, injury, or personal emergency AND a written verification as described below is provided on or before August 16, 2009.

The required written verification of an injury or illness must be from a medical professional - it can be faxed to (408) 266-3529 or a .pdf can be emailed to AndreaN64@aol.com.  Players that suffer from an illness or injury during the tournament may obtain written verification from one of our certified athletic trainers, but it is the player’s responsibility to obtain this written verification and deliver it to the Tournament Director at the time of withdrawal.

If the player is withdrawing because of a personal emergency, the player must deliver a written description of the situation and the Referee will determine whether the situation is a personal emergency.

Any withdrawal that does not meet the written verification requirements by August 16, 2009 as described above (and, in the case of personal emergencies, have the emergency approved by the Referee) will also result in the player being levied suspension points and any match that is not played will be coded as a Default.

If a player requests to withdraw from one event due to injury or illness, but continue to play in another event, a determination will be made by the Tournament Committee only after evaluation by the certified athletic trainer.

Replacement of Withdrawing Players Before the Draw is Made.  Players with timely entries on Sectional Endorsement Lists and who are National Open Doubles Qualifiers who have not been accepted into the singles draw are called alternates.  Prior to the making of the draw on or about August 4th, when a withdrawal occurs, that spot is replaced with an alternate as follows:

Sectionally-Endorsed Players:  When a player withdraws who has been accepted into the draw by virtue of her placement on a Sectional Endorsement List, she is replaced by the next highest alternate on her Section’s Endorsement List.

National Championship Selection List Players, Wild Cards, National Open Qualifiers, and National Standings List Players:  When a player withdraws who has been accepted into the draw by virtue of her appearance on the National Championship Selection List, her receipt of a Wild Card, as a National Open Qualifier, or as a remaining vacancy from the National Standings List, she is replaced by the next highest alternate on the Alternate List – see below.

Replacement of Withdrawing Players After the Draw is Made. The draw will be done on August 4th at approximately 5:00 pm.  After the draw is made, all withdrawing players will be replaced with the next highest player on the Alternate List - see below.

Alternate List.  The Alternate List is the numerical list of players that will be singles alternates.  The Alternate List will include all singles alternates and National Open Doubles Qualifiers who have not been accepted into the singles event.

The Alternate List is used to replace certain withdrawing players as described above before the draw is made and to replace all withdrawing players after the draw has been made.  The order of players on this list is determined by using the National Standings List used to do the selection immediately after the entry deadline.  The Alternate List order DOES NOT change based on results from the USTA National Clay Court Championships.  The Alternate List will be posted to the USTA TennisLink Home Page and updated as players withdraw and are replaced.  Players accepted into the draw from the Alternate List will receive a telephone call and an email from the Tournament Director.

Onsite Alternates. An Onsite Alternate is a player whose name appears on the Alternate List and is on site in Berkeley in hope of getting into the tournament.  All such players who intend to be Onsite Alternates are highly encouraged to participate in the tournament registration process on August 8th so that we know you are on site.  Replacement of withdrawing players continues as described above; however identifying yourself as an Onsite Alternate will allow you to receive important tournament information and instruction on how to be available if an opening occurs in the draw at the last minute.  

Payment of Entry Fees by Players Accepted into the Draw after Entry Deadline.  Players who are accepted into the draw after the entry deadline have not yet paid their $75.00 entry fee.  This includes Wild Card recipients and players accepted because of the withdrawal of another player who was originally accepted into the draw.  Such players accepted after the entry deadline will be asked to pay their entry fee by check or credit card prior to beginning play in the tournament.  Checks made payable to Berkeley Tennis Club Foundation should be sent to:
Andrea Norman, Tournament Director, 1748 Dorrance Drive, San Jose, CA, 95125
To pay by credit card, click here to print out an authorization form that can be faxed to the tournament .

Doubles Application, Acceptance, and Draw. Registration for the Doubles Championship will be held from 11:30 am to 3:30 pm on August 8th in the Tournament Headquarters' Room at Berkeley Tennis Club.  Teams who have previously registered for the Doubles Championship must reconfirm their partnership during the Doubles Registration period on August 8th.
It is solely the responsibility of doubles teams who want to be considered for seeding to provide team record information at the time of registration. 

Players who are in the Singles Draw as well as any player who has been endorsed by their Sectional Endorser to play singles may apply to enter doubles.  Additionally, the first and second place finishers in the doubles tournaments at the July 2008 USTA National Opens automatically receive a berth, whether or not they play with the partner with which they reached the final of the USTA National Open.  Finally, any doubles player or team who has received a Doubles-Only Endorsement from their Section may enter the doubles event.

All teams made up of two players that have been accepted into the Singles Draw and all teams made up of National Open Doubles Qualifiers & their partners shall be accepted.  If the draw is not full, additional teams will be accepted in the following order:

   -  Teams made up of one player in the Singles Draw and one sectionally-endorsed alternate or recipient of a Doubles-Only Endorsement, based on combined standings and combined doubles ranking points, except that a team comprised of a Late Applicant shall not be selected before a team comprised of timely applicants; and

   -  Teams made of two players that are sectionally-endorsed alternates and/or recipients of a Doubles-Only Endorsement, based on combined standings and combined doubles ranking points, except that a team comprised of a Late Applicant shall not be selected before a team comprised of timely applicants.

At 3:00 pm on Registration Day, a "Players Without Partners" Meeting will be held to match any players who do not have partners.  The tournament is not responsible for matching a player with a partner.

The Doubles Draw will take place on Saturday night and will be posted on Sunday morning at approximately 9:00 am.  Doubles matches will begin on Sunday at approximately 2:00 pm.

Tournament Registration - August 8th: Players must report to the Berkeley Tennis Club to register for the tournament between 11:30 am and 3:30 pm on Saturday, August 8th.  Players unable to arrive prior to 3:30 pm due to limited airline arrival times must contact Andrea Norman as soon as possible - AndreaN64@aol.com OR (408) 892-7273.  Also, on the day of registration, players having travel problems who think they may not make it to Registration must also contact Andrea Norman by telephone.  An attempt will be made to contact players failing to appear at registration who have not previously made arrangements with Andrea Norman as instructed.  If the tournament is unable to contact such a player, she will be withdrawn from the tournament and replaced with an alternate. 

Feed-In Championship.  Players losing in any singles round through the quarterfinals will be entered in the Feed-In Championship (FIC).  Play in the FIC is mandatory as is play in the playoff for 3rd and 4th place in singles.  The winner and runner up in the FIC are the 5th and 6th place finishers in the tournament. 

Final Round Play and Awards.  All final rounds of the singles will be on Sunday, August 16th. The USTA will award gold, silver and bronze tennis balls to the first, second and third place finishers in singles and doubles.  In addition, The Nationals will continue the tradition of presenting gold bracelets to the first through sixth place finishers in singles competition and the first through fourth place finishers in doubles play.  

At the conclusion of the tournament, The Nationals is proud to present the Maureen Connolly Brinker Award to the most outstanding player of the year.  The honor encompasses not only quality of play, but sportsmanship and competitive spirit.  Click here to read more about Maureen Connolly and the trophy that bears her name. 

Sportsmanship Awards.  The Nationals will present the USTA Sportsmanship Award and the Chairman's Award for Sportsmanship.  Each participant will be invited to nominate one or more players for the Tournament Committee to consider for the sportsmanship awards.  You have been involved in tournaments with these players all year and are in a good position to bring to our attention those players worthy of consideration for these awards.  The winner of the USTA Sportsmanship award will receive a commemorative plaque from the USTA and the recipient of the Chairman's Award will receive a gold bracelet. 

Player Profiles on the Internet.  We ask that all players click here to complete a player profile.  The information you provide will be posted on the website for view by all visitors to the website and will be used for publicity.  It is The National's goal to not only receive local coverage of the tournament by the San Francisco Bay Area newspapers, radio and television, but to have you receive publicity in your hometown news media.  By completing the Player Profile Form on the Internet, you are granting permission to use the information provided for these purposes. 

Match Start Times.  Players may ascertain the time of their first match when they check in and register at the Berkeley Tennis Club on Saturday, August 8th.  Players are solely responsible for looking up their own start times; no match cards with start times will be handed out at the tournament.  Start times with the prefix "BTC" will be played at the Berkeley Tennis Club or the Claremont Resort & Spa - the sites are adjacent, a short walk across a parking lot from each other, and will be run out of one tournament desk at Berkeley Tennis Club.  Start times with the prefix "UCB" will be played at UC Berkeley - this site is only being used for tournament play on Tuesday, August 11th.    

Dress Code. All players are required to wear appropriate tennis attire and dress in a manner consistent with being a participant in "The Nationals."  We ask that you consistently dress as well during doubles play as you do during your singles matches.  Running shorts, cut off shorts, or any other attire that is simply recreational and not tennis-oriented is not acceptable.  Players are asked not to alter their attire in a manner that exposes their midriff.  T-shirts MAY NOT be worn on Thursday, Friday, Saturday, and the final Sunday of the tournament.  Players not meeting the dress code may be asked to change prior to going on the court.

Practice Courts. Click here to view information on location, availability, sign ups, and rules for practice courts.

Trainer. There will be an athletic trainer on site at Berkeley Tennis Club at least 1/2 hour before play begins each morning.  A trainer will also be available at UC Berkeley’s Hellman Tennis Complex on the day matches are played at that site.  The trainer will be available through all hours of competition.  Please be advised that many players need the attention of the trainer each morning and proper planning of your time is required so that you are not late for your match.

Racquet Stringing. Top quality stringing service will be available on-site all week from Brandt Rossi's Tennis.  Service will be available beginning Saturday, August 8th after 8:00 am.  Generally, racquets turned in will be ready by 8:00 am the following morning; however, emergency service will also be available.  Payment for stringing may be made by cash or credit card (VISA and MasterCard only).  Checks are not accepted.

Hitting Pros. Hitting Pros will be available to you beginning Friday, August 7th and throughout the tournament week, by appointment only.  The cost per session is as follows: $40.00 for 1/2 hour; $80.00 for one hour.  Please contact Lynne Rolley to make reservations at lynne.btc@sbcglobal.net or (510) 841-9023.  When calling or emailing Lynne, please include in the message your name, telephone number, the day and time you wish to have a hitting appointment, and the duration of the appointment (1/2 hour or 1 hour).  All hitting appointments will be paid in cash at the start of the session.  No checks or credit cards will be accepted.

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