ITF Juniors

Info on ITF Circuit

The ITF (International Tennis Federation) sanctions a world-wide series of international 18/U tournaments each year making up the “ITF Junior Circuit”, which is aimed at improving competitive opportunities for juniors and helping them develop their skills so that they can compete at a professional level. ITF Junior tournaments offer ranking points for the “ITF World Junior Rankings”. The tournaments are rated according to their importance from Group A (Grand Slam Junior Events), Group 1 (Major International) right through to Group 5.


Criteria & Deadline

Age Criteria

Players between the ages of 13 and 18 can enter ITF tournaments.

Starting Out

There are six levels of tournaments on the ITF Junior Circuit. At the top are Grade A (Super series) tournaments, which include the four Grand Slams, followed by Grades 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5, where Grade 5 is the lowest grade.

An ITF Junior World ranking will almost certainly be necessary to be accepted into a Grade A, 1, 2 3 tournaments.  When starting on the circuit, players are advised to concentrate on Group 4 and 5 events to try and earn your first ranking points. If entry into the main draw is not possible, you may be able to gain entry into the qualifying draw.   

Entry Procedure

Before entering an ITF event a player must obtain an IPIN (International Player Identification Number). 

A player can obtain an IPIN membership by going to https://ipin.itftennis.com and paying the annual registration fee. Once an IPIN is received you can enter any ITF tournament online. 

Entry Deadline

All entries are subject to the Regulations and Conditions of Entry. 

As a guideline for entry deadlines:

Grade A Tournaments Entry Deadline: 1400 GMT Tuesday 41 days, 34 days or 27 days prior to the Monday of the tournament week

Grade 1-5 tournaments Entry Deadline: 1400 GMT Tuesday 27 days prior to the Monday of the tournament week.

Please always check the Tournament Fact Sheet for the entry deadline. 


Acceptance Lists

Please refer to the entry form for the date that the Acceptance Lists will be available. The acceptance lists are available on the ITF Junior Website www.itftennis.com/juniors 

In determining acceptances of players for the Main Draw and Qualifying, the following acceptance method will be used:

a. ITF Junior World Ranking of the Monday before the entry deadline. In a situation where two or more players are ranked equally, acceptance order will be drawn by lot.

b. ATP/WTA rankings of the Monday before the entry deadline – Players ranked in the professional game ATP 550 or better or WTA 350 or better will always be accepted at the bottom of the Main Draw Acceptance List. Players ranked in the professional game ATP 750 or better or WTA 500 or better will always be accepted and remain at the bottom of the Qualifying Acceptance List. 

c. For all unranked entered players, the following acceptance method shall be followed firstly for vacancies in the Main Draw, if any, and then for vacancies in the Qualifying Acceptance List and Alternates List:

i) – 50% of remaining places within the list will go to players from or resident in the country where the tournament is organised according to the national ranking submitted to the ITF by the host National Association. The remaining spots will be filled as follows:

ii) - Players from, or resident in, other countries within the Region where the tournament is organised. The country will be drawn by lot and the top ranked player according to the national ranking who has not already been accepted will be accepted.

iii) - Players from, or resident in, other countries within the Zone where the tournament is organised. The country will be drawn by lot as above. (This will include players from, or resident in, bordering countries which are not in the same region/zone e.g. Azerbaijan/Turkmenistan).

iv) - Players from outside of the Zone where the tournament is organised. The country will be drawn by lot as above.

v) - Any remaining players from or resident in the country where the tournament is organised. 


Withdrawal Procedure

It is the players responsibility to withdrawal from an ITF Junior Tournament unless the entry from stipulates that withdrawals are to be made by the National Association.

Withdrawal from an event must be made 1400 GMT Tuesday 13 days prior to the Monday of tournament week to ensure a penalty is not incurred.  All withdrawals must be made in writing.

ITF Junior Rankings

A player's ranking will be calculated using the best six singles results plus one quarter (25%) of the best six doubles results from ITF Junior tournaments over the previous 12 months. 

Official Coach Status

Tournaments graded A, 1, 2 and 3 provide full hospitality to players in the main draw and a maximum of 2 coaches (1 for boys and 1 for girls) per National Association (please note: some may only allocate one coach per Nation). When two or more NZ players are competing at the same ITF tournament and request Official Coach status, Tennis New Zealand will determine who will receive the ‘official’ status. 

Travel Arrangements

Travel and accommodation are the player’s responsibility.