USTA Wheelchair Tournaments Eligibility Requirements

A. MEMBERSHIP.  All players, including non-U.S. citizens, are required to be members of the USTA in order to play in the USTA Wheelchair tournaments listed in Regulation VI. and the Section and District Wheelchair Ranking Tournaments listed in Regulation VII.

B. AGE.  The USTA month-of-birth age eligibility requirements set forth in USTA Regulation I.G.3.a.  applies to Wheelchair tournaments in the Junior 18 Coed Division and any non-ranking junior division.

C. CITIZENSHIP NOT REQUIRED.  All Wheelchair tournaments are open to citizens and non-citizens.

D. POWER WHEELCHAIRS.  A player who uses a power wheelchair for the majority of his or her day-to-day mobility may use a power wheelchair to play tennis.

E. CRITERIA FOR ENTERING CERTAIN WHEELCHAIR DIVISIONS.  The USTA Wheelchair Tennis Committee, in consultation with the USTA Adult Tennis Department, determines the restrictions on players with ITF rankings from entering Letter Divisions and the requirements for players to move up to a higher Letter Division.

D. RESIDENCY. Closed Section Level 4 Tournaments, Closed Section Level 5 Tournaments, and Closed District Level 5 Tournaments require players to be residents within the geographic boundaries of the Sectional Association or District Association that has been authorized to sanction the tournament.  Residency is determined as set forth in Regulation III.  Tournaments between teams representing Sectional or District Associations require players to be residents within the geographic boundaries of the respective Sectional or District Association to play on a team. 

RESIDENCY

Residency shall determine the players who may play in Closed Sectional and District Tournaments and the players who may be selected to represent a Sectional Association or District Association in a team competition.

• Declaration of Residency by Players Living Within the Geographic Boundaries of the USTA. A player residing within the geographic boundaries of the USTA must declare residency for the purposes of playing in Adult and Family tournaments.  A player may be the resident of one Sectional Association and, if applicable, one District Association within the geographic boundaries only of the declared Sectional Association at any given time.
• Unless otherwise declared, a player’s Section residency shall be the Sectional Association assigned through USTA membership and which is based on the geographic boundaries.
• USTA members who reside in British Columbia and who meet the eligibility criteria shall be deemed to be residents of the USTA Pacific Northwest Section.
• If applicable, and unless otherwise declared, a player’s District residency shall be the District Association assigned through USTA membership and which is based on the geographic boundaries assigned to the District Association in the Sectional Association’s Bylaws.
• The physical address of a player’s legal guardian may be the basis for a player’s declaration of residency if the player is residing with that legal guardian. 
• The physical address of a boarding school, including a tennis academy, may be the basis for a player’s declaration of residency if the player is enrolled and residing at the school or academy. 
• Players may declare a different Section and District residency no more than once each calendar year. 

If a player desires to change residency more than once per calendar year, the player must request a waiver from the USTA Regulations. 

Declaration of Residency by US Citizens Living Abroad. A player who is a US citizen living abroad may declare residency by submission of a request for an assignment to a specific Sectional Association and, if applicable, a specific District Association, within the boundaries of that Sectional Association.

Form of Declaration. A player electing to declare residency in a Sectional Association or District Association other than the Sectional Association or District Association assigned through USTA membership must complete the official USTA Declaration Form.