USTA Player Development Announces Expanded Wild Card Structure for 2019

WHITE PLAINS, N.Y., Oct. 26, 2018 – USTA Player Development today revealed its expanded system of allocating merit-based wild cards for American players to better aid the development of America’s top juniors, collegians and professionals as the new global tennis structure takes effect in 2019.

The new system for merit-based wild card allocations, which takes effect with events beginning on or after December 31, 2018, can be found by clicking here. Approximately 150 wild card entries into various professional and junior events will be directly awarded to Americans who produce successful results in select junior, collegiate and professional tournaments.

The new allocation system represents an extension of USTA Player Development’s competitive pathway, with the goal of maintaining an adequate volume of competitive opportunities for Americans in the new ITF World Tennis Tour structure. When that structural change was announced in February, USTA Player Development studied player performance over the last several years to design a comprehensive system of wild card linkages to protect and strengthen the competitive pathways for American players.

In addition to fortifying the wild card linkages that were already in place for juniors and collegians, USTA Player Development will now award wild cards to top finishers in the USTA Boys’ and Girls’ 18s national standings, as well as champions at four USTA National Open championships throughout the year. Further, the USTA is adding four new USTA National Closed Championships to provide additional merit-based wild-card opportunities. Every American man or woman who wins a $15,000 event in the U.S. will automatically earn a wild card entry into a $25,000 event.

More information on the wild card linkages and the USTA Player Development competitive pathway can be found at www.playerdevelopment.usta.com/CompetitivePathway.