USTA Announces Its 2020 Competitive Pathway Merit-Based Wild Cards

A long day of travel is ahead of me today, so this is an early post based on information I received from the USTA last week.

Although the USTA has a history of providing certain wild cards, including US Open main and junior draw spots to winners of the 18s Nationals, in recent years they have expanded the number and types of wild cards available, all of them tied to performances at junior tournaments held in the United States. 

I recall how important some of those wild cards were to the juniors who earned a spot in the main draw of the US Open Junior Championships by winning USTA-sanctioned events. Last year Ron Hohmann and Gabby Price would not have made the main draw at the US Open Juniors without the wild cards awarded to them as Easter Bowl and G18s Clay champions.

This year's list of linked wild cards is both expanded and much more specific than in years past.  The USTA B18s national champion for example, now gets two ATP Challenger wild cards, but must use them in two of the three tournaments in the fall of 2020 in Cary, Fairfield or Tiburon. The G18s national champion will choose two from between the Templeton $60K, the Las Vegas $60K and the Tyler $80K tournaments in the fall.

There hasn't previously been any official reference to the NCAA champions, but there is this year, with a qualifying wild card into the the US Open guaranteed and "strong consideration" given for a main draw wild card. As has been the case for many years, that wild card is restricted to Americans, as is spelled out in the eligibility criteria.

Many wild cards are tied to specific tournaments, which I assume gives the USTA an opportunity to determine what they will have available at any given tournament on the Pro Circuit.  And these are not just for juniors, as men's and women's National Open winners are also included for the first time, with wild cards into $15Ks on offer.

There is also a new section for those in the Top 5 of the USTA 18s National Standing List once the Nationals are completed in August.

Few things are more difficult for a national federation than distribution of wild cards, but I believe this is the best way for the USTA to handle it. The more transparency, the more put in writing, the more specifics offered help fight the perception that it's more important who you know at the USTA than what you've accomplished on the court. Complaining about wild cards is a popular topic everywhere I go, and I certainly understand the USTA's desire to squelch that by whatever means they can.

Please read through the USTA document and let me know in the comments if I've missed anything new or important on my first read through.