Sponsorship

We are happy to announce for the 2020 Comeback Challenge our friends at CourtMakers are one of the sponsors for the event. CourtMakers is one of the oldest court resurfacing businesses in the Southeast. They do some of the best work on courts all over the Atlanta area. In addition to being one of the best in the business they are always willing to step up and help the tennis community. Please check them out!

If you are interested in helping sponsor this event please give us a call at 678-687-5662.

2nd WEEK ROUND ROBIN DRAWS HAVE BEEN MADE!

1st WEEK ROUND ROBIN DRAWS HAVE BEEN MADE!

Schedules will come out soon. We hope to have some simple instructions for everyone and things evolved in a relaxed way for the kids. We look forward to seeing everyone in less than 5 days!

Click on the video below to see the teams drawn randomly into the round robin draws.

Sponsorship

We are happy to announce for the 2020 Comeback Challenge our friends at CourtMakers are one of the sponsors for the event. CourtMakers is one of the oldest court resurfacing businesses in the Southeast. They do some of the best work on courts all over the Atlanta area. In addition to being one of the best in the business they are always willing to step up and help the tennis community. Please check them out!

If you are interested in helping sponsor this event please give us a call at 678-687-5662.

It is not complicated! Play Ball!

• Each team will have a coach and they will submit their lineup 10 minutes before their match to the desk.
• The coaches will have leeway in determining their lineup.
• Each child will be offered the opportunity to play doubles at least twice over the weekend by the coaches.
• Coaches from both teams may also consult one another before the match is played if they choose to do so. It is not a requirement.
• Once the lineups are turned in to the desk the line-up is final unless appealed by the coach to Games Committee. Once play begins there is no further change.
• We chose this small match format to use because of the “social distancing” requirements being adhered to throughout our society to work our way out of the pandemic. There will be two singles matches and a one doubles match being played. This leans heavily toward singles play. But it can also lead to varied results. Play the match one day and you might have completely different results on the next day.
• There are a variety of things which will determine coaches’ line-ups: from parents not wanting their children on a doubles court, from a child not wanting to play singles or doubles, to partnerships and friendships, to sibling rivalries, to injuries, to hurt feelings and on and on. We also chose to give the coaches leeway in dealing with their line-ups because of these various problems which may arise.
• A coach can choose to take lots of feedback or very little from relatives and coaches.
• The Boys Teams have five players on each team. They have a schedule which must be followed regarding sitting a player every round and that is located on the post written to define the schedule here.
• Some team competitions give no freedom and the lineup is set by the organizing entity (ex., USTA Zonals). We feel we need to allow more freedom for this event. We are not desirous of establishing strict lineup guidelines.
• Obviously the criteria of the players’ standing and UTR will be considered.
• The doubles match will end up being the “wildcard” variable that can influence results. Players can be offered 2 opportunities to play doubles. But no child is required to play doubles. If this seems counter intuitive please understand there are some parents concerned with the prospect of playing doubles. 
• If somebody wants to cheat they will figure out a way to do so.
• If you end up playing somebody better than you — this too, is probably going to happen along the way over the weekend. But please remember there is “no bad win in tennis” and we are doing this to get match play opportunities.
• We will have a “Games Committee” and any appeal can be made to the committee prior to the match beginning. The committee’s ruling will stand and the lineup will need to be adjusted accordingly. No appeals after the match has been played will be reviewed.
• In the end here is the main directive we are giving to the coaches regarding lineups:
  

  Your lineup has to be in true order of ability. So a #1 cannot play below a #3 in singles. We are going to allow the most variance with the doubles. You can take your #1 and play them with the #5 in doubles and make a lineup. 

Do the right thing like Coach Holtz says!

 BOYS FINAL RESULTS

1. (CH) Switzerland                                                            5. (AU) Australia 

2. (SE) Sweden                                                                   6. (RU) Russia 

3. (GB) Great Britain                                                          7. (ES) Spain

4. (NL) Netherlands                                                            8. (IT) Italy

BOYS – Comeback Team Challenge Fri, May 15,2020

BOYS – Comeback Team Challenge Sat, May 16,2020

BOYS – Comeback Team Challenge Sun, May 17,2020

GIRLS FINAL RESULTS 

1. (AU) Australia                                            5. (SE) Sweden

2. (ES) Spain                                                  6. (IT) Italy

3. (RU) Russia                                                7. (NL) Netherlands

4. (GB) Great Britain                                     8. (CH) Switzerland

GIRLS – Comeback Team Challenge Fri, May 15,2020

GIRLS – Comeback Team Challenge Sat, May 16,2020

GIRLS – Comeback Team Challenge Sun, May 17,2020

Sponsorship

We are happy to announce for the 2020 Comeback Challenge our friends at CourtMakers are one of the sponsors for the event. CourtMakers is one of the oldest court resurfacing businesses in the Southeast. They do some of the best work on courts all over the Atlanta area. In addition to being one of the best in the business they are always willing to step up and help the tennis community. Please check them out!

If you are interested in helping sponsor this event please give us a call at 678-687-5662.

Location:

Laurel Park Tennis Center-151 Manning Rd., Marietta, GA 30064

Important Information:

• Please be smart and social distance – please remind your child. **We ask only 1 parent (family member/friend) per player attend.
• Courts, benches, gates, nets will be sanitized after each match.
• We ask players to avoid touching the net and fences.
• Parents-bring a chair- and spread out as spectators.
• Fill your water up before you come- bring 2 jugs it will be hot. Tennis center will be locked but we do have bathrooms available.
• This is FUN! Pay attention to the Code Of Conduct as there will be no officials.
• FOOD:  Lunch is provided for all players and coaches. Saturday lunch will be Chick -Fil-A sandwich (PB&J if vegetarian), banana, chips, dessert, and a bottle of water. Sunday lunch will be Jimmy John’s box lunch (a variety of sandwiches (we will include some veggie only)-no special orders) ** If you are a picky eater or have allergies we recommend you pack a lunch.

• 1^st and 2^nd place Winners will receive gift cards 

Tournament Schedule: 

Round #1 Friday (5/15) **Boys First Round Draft Pick player on team has bye. 

Round #2 Saturday (5/16) **Boys Second Round Draft Pick  on team has a bye.

Round #3 Saturday (5/16) **Boys Third Round Draft Pick on team has a bye.

SUNDAY’S MATCHES

SEMI-FINALS

Finals

Last updated on May 14th, 2020 11:00 p.m.

Sponsorship

We are happy to announce for the 2020 Comeback Challenge our friends at CourtMakers are one of the sponsors for the event. CourtMakers is one of the oldest court resurfacing businesses in the Southeast. They do some of the best work on courts all over the Atlanta area. In addition to being one of the best in the business they are always willing to step up and help the tennis community. Please check them out!

If you are interested in helping sponsor this event please give us a call at 678-687-5662.

All play will be at Laurel Park Tennis Center, 151 Manning Rd. Marietta, GA, 30064

Important Information:

1. Fun but low key event! We hope this event will be fun and competitive and those two aspects will not be mutually exclusive. Both parents and players will need to keep “it between the lines” and on best behavior at the event.
2. Our number 1 priority is going to be adhering to the social distancing guidelines in place at that time. This is imperative! This can affect scheduling. We will want to limit the numbers of parents and players hanging around. While this is a team event we will want to keep good distancing. Just recently they showed a picture on social media of a team competition they did in Europe and everyone stood for the team picture and they were all standing socially distanced apart. 🙂 We also request fewer family members attend the matches only because of the times we are living in with this virus.
3. No officials will be used for this event. The players will need to understand The Code. If you are not 100% the ball was out then it was good. And 1% in is 100% good. But by the same token players need to give one another the “benefit of the doubt” and realize everyone is making the best calls they can. We will be giving a $50 gift card to the best Girl and Boy sportsmen during the two tournament weekends. We will also give out 10 other small prizes on the spot for “excellent sportsmanship” exhibited. Details of this are TBD.
4. The teams are set for the first weekend is and we are ready for play on Friday beginning at 3:30 p.m. We will decide on the “subsequent draft” for second tournament early next week. If we have a different draft field for the second weekend (May 22-24, 2020) we will either do trades, free agency or even a complete redraft. 🙂
5. The coaching staff for the event is set. We can use a few more coaches for the next weekend. Please call JP at (678)467-1810. The coaches are donating their time. In other events across the USA like this parents and teams have done things on their own as a team group to thank the coaches. Please consider this at some point as a team. Even a nice card can go a long way.
6. Here is the decision on the two weekends: We began with the idea of social distancing as priority and playing full matches with no matches being shortened – we thought it might take 2 separate weekends. We have studied a variety of scenarios and formats and we like the 2 singles matches and 1 doubles match to determine a tie. We think with no weather factors we can accomplish the tournament in one weekend. Many people are worried as they cannot make the first weekend. So with no other tournament play going on in the world – we have decided to hold two separate weekends with the intent to finish both tournaments. We are not under USTA sanctioning restrictions and we are hopeful things can work out for the best to do both. This is an incredible experience and opportunity from the standpoint of match play. Please keep this in mind.
7. At the present time the bathrooms at the LPTC are closed. Be aware of this. There is a bathroom open down below at the old pro shop.
8. Bring your own lawn chairs to sit separately on the grounds.
9. We will be serving box lunches to the kids on Saturday and Sunday. Parents can buy a lunch for $10.00. If you do not like Chik-Fil-A or Jimmy John’s then bring your own lunch.
10. Let’s talk “LUNCH” some more: Lunch is a choice. If your child is going and sitting and eating lunch with your teammates – this is a choice for your family. It is a 20+ acre park and if you want to go and eat under a tree away from everyone that is a fine thing. Nobody is forcing any child to eat, or socialize if they do not feel comfortable doing so. If you do not want to eat the lunch please let us know and we can order less. 
11. Cost: Flat fee is $75.00 for both weekends. If you play one or two of the tournaments the cost will be the same. The cost is $75.00 if you join us for the second weekend. 
12. Once drafted you will need to pay for your spot on the team by May 10, 2020 at 5:00 p.m. If not paid at that time your spot will be given to an alternate. No exceptions. Alternates have until Monday, May 11th by 12 noon and then we will move to the next player. To pay call the Pro Shop at 770-919-8602 and pay by credit card. Consider your entry a donation to charity. Once the entry is paid there are no refunds. 

Format:

• There are 8 teams of Boys and 8 teams of Girls chosen. The names of the teams will represent countries. 4 players will be drafted for each team in the girls divisions and 5 boys are on each team.
• Those not chosen will be “Alternates”. More than likely these will be needed both this weekend and the next.
• There will be two divisions of 4 teams set up to play a round robin (ex., Olympic/World).
• We will begin play on Friday afternoon and play Saturday and Sunday.
• The first round will be played Friday afternoon.
• Saturday rounds two and three will be played.
• All singles and doubles matches will consist of 2/3 full sets. Each tie one boy will sit out. No girls are sitting out. A tie between teams will consist of 2 singles matches and 1 doubles match. Each child is offered at least 1 opportunity to play doubles if not more.
• There will be a minimum of a 5 minute break between sets and maximum of 10.
• The coaches will set the lineup. Coaches will have some latitude in setting the lineups from match to match. The biggest adjustment or variance will be involving the doubles.
• During the team tournament Coaching will be allowed from the bench or from wherever the coach deems safe distance. The coach can coach at any time during the match but he/she may not hold up play and not when the ball is in play. Parents are asked to stand and sit back away from the court and not coach unless they are one of the designated coaches. You can advise the coach during the match if you see something but do not address the players. We want team members and family to stay back from the fences when and if cheering.

PLAYERS SAFETY

We have safe practices and systems in place for operating the Tennis Center during this time period. If you are concerned about viral safety please consult with Jennifer at 678-687-5662 or ask your coach for help.

• We suggest people bring their own sanitizer and wipes if they feel they may need to wipe more often.
• We will have sanitizer at a station located near the tennis center.
• The courts will be bleached after each use. Further, please remember the sun plays an enormous roll in minimizing the virus. Within 30 seconds it expires in the sunlight.
• Every player can clean their hands before playing and after playing. If a child is sick they should let us know, stay at home and if we cannot get an alternate to play – the #2 singles match will be defaulted.
• Each player should be their “own best advocate”. If a coach gets too close to them – then move away. If a child is not comfortable eating the lunch then let us know ahead of time and we do not have to buy as many lunches. If a friend gets too close to you – then move away. We do not want to bring out extra staff and family to the matches to watch for and avoid “close encounters”. If as a parent you do not feel safe with the coach going on to your child’s court to speak to them then tell them so – and they will comply.
• At this point if you are really beginning to question whether or not you feel safe then perhaps you might want to withdraw from the event and we can try and find another player to take that opportunity.

Warm Up Courts

• If you are scheduled to play at a certain time and you are the first rounds of matches in the day then those times are good for you to arrive at the park for your matches.
• Please show up on time and ready to play.
• We will not be opening the courts for warm-up until 1/2 hour before the assigned times for play.
• There are two locations where you might be able to warmup close to the Laurel Park Tennis Center.
• Lewis Park located at 475 Campbell St., Marietta, GA. 30006 has four courts for warmup.
• Tumlin Park is located at 400 Chestnut Hill Rd. Marietta, GA. 30064 and it has two courts for warm-up.
• If you are unable to warmup enough at one of those courts please try to find a spot in the parking at Laurel Park lot to hit volleys or do a “body warm-up” by jumping rope or by throwing a football. But do not congregate up near the tennis center.

Boys Coaches

(Players please try and contact your coaches via text or cell phones to let them know you are ready to play.)

Girls Coaches

(Players please try and contact your coaches via text or cell phones to let them know you are ready to play.)