How to Fill a Tennis Draw

A tennis draw refers to the order in which players play, and who they are matched up against. This process is used to keep tennis matches organized, and to match players in a way that can create a more exciting and competitive match. Filling a tennis draw is something that almost anybody with some basic tennis knowledge can complete. You need only to know some basic terminology and organizational facts.

Things You'll Need

  • Tennis players
  • Tennis player statistics
  • Writing or recording method
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Instructions

    • 1

      Determine how many players will be in the tournament. This will let you know the size and number of pairs playing. A sign up before the tournament starts an make this process simple, and allow you to prepare properly before filling the draw.

    • 2

      Rank the players to create a properly seeded line-up. Determine the rank order by number of wins in a given amount of time, such as a season. The highest ranked players will be those with the most wins. Create a list that ranks players from the highest to lowest levels. This is also known as seeding the players.

    • 3

      Match the players to one another in accordance with the rank. The most common way to do this is to pair the highest seeds against the lowest seeds in the earliest rounds of the tournament. This makes it more likely that top-seeded players close in ranking will face each other in later rounds, which makes for a more competitive and exciting tournament. For example, if there are eight seeds in the tournament, in the first round you will want to pair the first seed against the eighth seed, the second seed against the seventh seed, the third seed against the sixth seed, and so on.

    • 4

      Fill blank spots created by an uneven number of matched players, also known as byes, with wildcard spots. Wildcard spots are for low-ranked players that may have not made your rank list. Insert the low-ranked players in wildcard spots opposite players closest to their skill.