Skip to content
Parent Coach Desk

All sports · Sport guide

Tennis, for the parent in it.

Every read, drill, calendar, pathway, rule, and recruiting note we have on tennis. Use this as the front door.

29 pieces.

From The Drawer for tennis

Cost

What does tennis actually cost?

Pre-filled annual estimates by tier. Edit any line.

Pathway

Tennis by age

What good looks like at 7, 10, 13, 15.

Calendar

The tennis year

USTA junior competition runs all twelve months. Tournaments are tiered from Level 7 (local) up to Level 1 (national championships), entered individually rather than as a team season. The family builds the calendar, which is the freedom and the trap.

Rules

Rules at-a-glance

Five-minute primer.

Gear file

The tennis buying guide

Tennis requires a properly-sized racket, court-specific shoes, and a tube of balls. String tension matters more than you'd think.

→ Read the guide

Reads

Tennis articles

age 15-plus · Jul 6, 2026

High School Team Tennis or the Junior Circuit: Why Families Have to Choose

The high school team has a season, a coach, and a group of friends. The junior circuit has the results a college coach actually reads.

age 15-plus · Jul 6, 2026

How to Read Your Kid's UTR Profile for Recruiting

The UTR app shows a number, a color, and a graph. All three mean something different to a college coach reading the same profile.

age 15-plus · Jul 6, 2026

Varsity Tennis: The Real Odds and How the Ladder Actually Works

Six singles spots, three doubles teams, and a coach who already has a rough order before the first challenge match is played.

age 15-plus · Jul 6, 2026

When Your Kid Doesn't Get Recruited for Tennis

The UTR number that felt competitive at the sectional level turns out to be nowhere near what the emails required.

age all-ages · Jul 4, 2026

Tennis Has No Sideline: Learning to Cheer From Two Hundred Feet Away

We were sitting two courts down because that's as close as the fence let us get, straining to see which ball had landed out, and reminding ourselves for the tenth time not to yell during a point.

age 15-plus · Jun 11, 2026

Tennis recruiting guide for parents

How college tennis recruiting works, what UTR scores matter, and what the realistic options are.

age all-ages · Jun 11, 2026

USTA junior tennis levels explained

UTR, USTA ratings, tournament levels, and how to read where your kid actually stands.

age all-ages · Jun 11, 2026

Youth tennis cost breakdown

Group lessons, private coaching, tournament play, and academy training — here is what each stage costs.

age 8-10 · Jun 11, 2026

Youth tennis: what parents need to know

How youth tennis programs work, what kids learn in the first year, and when competition starts.

Drills

Tennis drills

13 drills total. Most recent shown.

→ All tennis drills

The Sideline File

Recruiting