College tennis is a bit different than the ‘normal’ tennis that you are used to here in the Netherlands: both in organization and in atmosphere. You don’t just play for yourself, but mainly you play for the team and the university.
Each team typically consists of 8-12 guys or girls, who train with each other almost every day. With your team, you compete against other universities in league matches and tournaments. All teams try to qualify for the national tournament, which includes the country’s top 64 teams.
A typical match day in college tennis consists of two rounds of matches: three doubles, followed by 6 singles. Thus, with 9 matches, there is always a winner.
The rules in college tennis are a bit different: on-court coaching is allowed; the no-ad rule is maintained; and net serves are played.
Another big difference is the atmosphere. Team members and fans are very loud, support each other and often shout encouraging chants while the matches are going on – the energy level is high.
To get a better idea of college tennis, former colleague Ilya Kneppelhout has written a super fun article that will give you more insight into college tennis. You can read the article here!
