Code of Conduct
1.
Tennis, whether played professionally or recreationally, demands the highest respect and regard both on and off the court.
2.
Spectators are welcome at all games, but please exhibit game sense while the game is in play. Both players and spectators are expected to demonstrate good sportsmanship and conduct. Coaching between points is permitted, but please maintain silence during active play.
3.
Team pairings are determined by individual captains for their respective teams, based on player strengths and league rules. Always support your captains, partners, and opposing teammates.
4.
Taking a picture of the Playing 4 and sharing it in the WhatsApp group is appreciated.
League Format
1.
There will be 16 teams, each consisting of 13 players. These teams are divided into two divisions: Division A and Division B, with 8 teams in each division. The competition will include 7 weeks of league matches, followed by quarter finals, semifinals and final matches. For detailed information on Teams/Captains/Team members, please refer to the "Teams & Line Information" section.
2.
During the league phase, teams have to play 5 lines each week. See Match schedule section for details.
3.
Each player is guaranteed to participate in at least five matches during the league division. If a player is replaced, the replacement player inherits the original player's match count, which means the replacement may not always receive a minimum of five matches individually. There is no maximum limit on the number of matches a player can play.
4.
The line formation rules remain the same for all stages of the competition.
Match Rules
Match Scheduling Guidelines
Sunday remains the league's official Game Day / Play-By Day.
To help keep the league on schedule, the official Play-By Date is Sunday at 6:00 PM. Teams are strongly encouraged to complete their matches on or before Sunday whenever possible.
However, we understand that captains and players may occasionally have scheduling conflicts. In such cases, captains are encouraged to communicate with the opposing captain as early as possible and, whenever feasible, schedule individual lines earlier in the week.
To provide maximum flexibility, captains are not required to share all lineups with the opposing team until the Play-By Date (Sunday). This allows teams to make necessary lineup adjustments if a player becomes unavailable before match time while still complying with lineup rules.
Recommended Sunday Schedule:
| Lines | Start Time |
|---|
| Lines 1 & 2 | 6:00 PM |
| Lines 3, 4 & 5 | 7:30 PM |
Teams may mutually adjust these start times based on court availability.
Line Formation Rules
a) Group 1 consists of 2 players.
a.1) Group 1 players can play in L1 or L2.
a.2) To prevent sandbagging, at least one Group 1 player must play weekly, with the highest rank playing L1.
c) Group 2 consists of 3 players. Group 2 players can play in L1, L2, or L3.
d) Group 3 consists of 3 players. Group 3 players can play in L2, L3, or L4.
e) Group 4 consists of 3 players. Group 4 players can play in L3, L4, or L5.
f) Group 5 consists of 2 players. Group 5 players can play in L4 or L5.
f.1) At least one Group 5 player must play L5.
NOTE: At least one G1 and G5 player should play every week.
Match Points — Teams earn points as listed in the table below:
| Match Outcome |
Points Won |
| Winning team |
1 |
| Losing team with 1 Winning Set |
0 |
| Losing team with 0 Winning Set |
0 |
| Forfeited Matches or matches not completed as per schedule |
0 |
| Team that shows on Default day Sunday evening 6:00 PM |
1 |
Playing Future Week Matches Early
To provide additional scheduling flexibility, teams may mutually agree to play one or more lines from a future league week earlier in the season.
Example: If both teams have availability, they may choose to play Week 6 – Line 1 during Week 1.
This flexibility is encouraged when it helps accommodate vacations, work travel, court availability, or other genuine scheduling conflicts. Once a future week's line is completed, the result will be recorded against that scheduled league week.
Sunday Availability
The default expectation is that all lines should be:
- Played earlier in the week, if both teams agree, or
- Played on the official Game Day (Sunday).
If neither option is possible due to player availability, both captains may mutually agree to reschedule the affected line(s) for a later date. In that case:
- Both captains must agree on the new play date by Saturday (before the Game Day).
- The agreed-upon play date must be recorded in the CTG system one day before the current Game Day (Saturday).
- While recording the rescheduled match, captains must identify the Accommodating Team (the team that was available to play on the original Game Day). If the rescheduled match cannot be completed, the recorded agreement will be honored when determining which team receives the point.
- Once the lineup has been published and approved, no player substitutions or replacements are permitted. The original four players listed in the approved lineup must play the rescheduled match.
The league encourages captains to communicate early, work together whenever possible, and document any rescheduled matches to ensure a fair and transparent process for both teams.
Matches Played After the Game Day (Spirit of Cooperation)
CTG encourages captains to work together whenever genuine scheduling conflicts arise. If both captains mutually agree that a match or a specific line cannot be completed by the Game Day (Sunday), they may reschedule it, preferably no later than the following Game Day (Sunday).
If a team is unable to play before or on the Game Day, it may request the opposing team to extend this courtesy. In such cases:
- Both captains must mutually agree on the new play date by Saturday (before the Game Day) and record it in the CTG system. This ensures that the available team's players do not have to report to the courts on Sunday unnecessarily.
- The agreed-upon play date must be entered into the league website on or before the current Game Day (Sunday).
- To protect the team extending the courtesy, while entering select which team will get a point in case a game won't happen. The point for that line will be given to the Accommodating Team, since they were available to play on the original Game Day. This protects the team that extends courtesy.
- Since the lineup has already been published and approved, no player substitutions or replacements are permitted. The original four players listed in the approved lineup must play the rescheduled match.
- All four players are expected to make every reasonable effort to complete the match on the agreed date.
The league fully supports reasonable scheduling flexibility when both teams cooperate in good faith.
However, if the rescheduled match cannot be completed and the matter is escalated to the League Coordinator, the league will review the circumstances. If the match remains unplayed, the courtesy agreement recorded in the CTG system will be honored, and the point for that line will be awarded to the Accommodating Team, since they were available to play on the original Game Day. The League Coordinator's decision will be final.
Court Booking Responsibility
The home team captain is primarily responsible for arranging the courts for the scheduled match.
However, in the spirit of CTG cooperation (Bhaichara), if the home team is unable to secure courts, the visiting team is encouraged to assist by offering available courts, if possible. Captains should work together in good faith to find a suitable venue so that matches can be completed on schedule.
Ultimately, both teams share the responsibility of making every reasonable effort to ensure that the match is played.
Weather / Rain Policy
If weather or rain prevents a match from being completed on the Play-By Date (Sunday), captains should make every reasonable effort to reschedule the affected line(s) at the earliest mutually convenient time.
If both captains agree on a new play date, the updated date must be entered into the league website as soon as possible. Once agreed, both teams share equal responsibility for ensuring the match is completed.
If the match cannot be completed despite genuine efforts from both teams and the matter is escalated to the League Coordinator, the line will be recorded as unplayed, and both teams will receive zero points for that line.
Weather-related delays are intended to promote flexibility and cooperation, not to provide an unfair competitive advantage.
If play is interrupted due to weather after a match has started, the match should resume from the exact score at the earliest mutually agreed time.
🎉 New Feature Coming Soon (Target Launch: July 17) — Lineup Validation and Approval
We're excited to introduce Lineup Approval, a new feature designed to make match day smoother, more transparent, and virtually dispute-free.
How It Works
- Captains publish their lineup before the match.
- The system automatically validates the lineup against CTG league rules.
- If the lineup is valid, the captain receives an Official Lineup Approval Email.
- This approval email serves as the league's official confirmation that the lineup is valid.
- Once a lineup is published, all players will see a "Lineup Published" status. However, the actual lineup will remain hidden until captains exchange their approved lineups on match day.
Match Day Process
Before play begins, both captains should exchange and verify their approved lineups by showing either:
- The Official Lineup Approval Email on their phone, or
- A printed copy of the approved lineup.
Once both lineups have been verified, all scheduled lines may begin. If any lines were played earlier in the week, those results will remain valid provided the submitted lineup complies with league rules.
Important Notes
- The Official Lineup Approval Email is the league's official proof that the lineup has been validated.
- Captains are responsible for bringing or having access to their approved lineup on match day.
- We are continuing to evaluate special situations such as last-minute injuries, substitutions, and other exceptional circumstances to ensure the process remains fair and practical.
Our Goal: The Lineup Approval feature is designed to provide a simple, transparent, and well-documented process that minimizes lineup disputes while making match day easier for captains, players, and league coordinators.
🎉 Score Reporting
To keep league standings accurate and transparent, CTG uses an online score reporting process.
How It Works
- After each line is completed, the winning team submits the match score through the CTG website.
- The opposing captain and players should review the submitted score for accuracy.
- If the score is correct, no further action is required.
- If there is any discrepancy, captains or players should immediately:
Important Notes
- Both captains are responsible for ensuring that all submitted scores are accurate.
- Any score dispute should be reported as soon as possible to allow timely review and correction.
- Once verified, the reported scores will be treated as the official league results.
Our Goal on Score Reporting: The score reporting process is designed to provide a simple, transparent, and reliable method for recording match results while minimizing disputes and ensuring accurate league standings.
CTG 10-Point Match Tiebreak (3rd Set)
If the match is split one set each, the 3rd set will normally be played as a 10-point match tiebreak.
Rules
- A 2-minute break may be taken before the tiebreak begins.
- The next player in the normal serving order serves first.
- Each team may choose its own serving order, just as they would at the start of a new set.
- Point 1: First server serves 1 point from the deuce court.
- Points 2 & 3: Next server serves 2 points, starting from the ad court.
- After that, players continue serving 2 consecutive points each, following the normal rotation.
- Teams change ends after every 6 points (6, 12, 18, etc.). This is not the USTA Coman tiebreak.
- The first team to reach 10 points with at least a 2-point lead wins the tiebreak and the match.
- Play is continuous throughout the tiebreak.
Score Reporting
Record the third set as:
6-2, 5-7, 1-0
(where 1-0 indicates the winner of the 10-point tiebreak).
Optional Full Third Set
A full third set may be played only if all four players agree before the third set begins. Once everyone agrees, the decision is final and cannot be changed.
🎉 League End Deadline
All league matches must be completed by the official League End Date. Any pending or incomplete match after the League End Date will be considered unplayed, and both teams will be awarded zero (0) points for that match.
No extensions will be granted beyond the League End Date.
Guiding Principles
- Play on Sunday.
- Communicate early if scheduling conflicts arise.
- Support each other with court availability whenever possible.
- Use the flexibility to play future week's lines early whenever it benefits both teams.
- Be flexible whenever possible in the spirit of CTG and Bhaichara.
- Once both captains agree to postpone a match, both teams share equal responsibility for ensuring that the match is completed.
The objective of these guidelines is to maximize the number of matches played on the court while providing captains with reasonable scheduling flexibility. The spirit of CTG is built on cooperation, sportsmanship, mutual respect, and fairness. We encourage every captain to support the league by helping matches get played on the court rather than decided by forfeits whenever reasonably possible.
Play Off Qualification Rules
1.
8 teams — the top 4 from each division will advance to the playoffs.
2.
The total number of points earned at the end of the league stage will determine the teams eligibility for playoffs.
3.
In cases where the total number of points earned by teams are tied within the division, the team that has won a higher number of points head-to-head between them during the league matches will qualify for the next phase.
Play Off Rules
1.
Playoffs will consist of 5 lines (same as league phase). Player lineup rules are the same (review table above).
2.
The team that wins 3 out of 5 lines will be declared as the winner.
3.
All 5 lines of the Quarterfinals, Semifinals, and Finals must be completed within the scheduled dates.
4.
At least 1 Group 5 player should be in the play offs lineup.
