Is USTA Coaching getting desperate?

Hello, dear readers, friends, and racquet sports enthusiasts.

Another busy month has flown by, filled with significant developments across the racquet sports landscape. The highlight was undoubtedly RacquetX, and we’ve included a comprehensive wrap-up in this issue. I’m confident you’ll enjoy the insightful perspectives contributed by our featured U.S. and UK writers.

Tennis Ball Recycling

Last month, I shared a photo of my efforts collecting used tennis balls at Sunset Hills Country Club in Thousand Oaks. Unfortunately, my two-year initiative of recovering and shipping these balls to Recycleballs has hit a significant roadblock. For the past two years, I have personally funded this project, purchasing 10-packs of boxes with UPS labels for $200. I recently discovered that the price for this same 10-pack has surged to $475—more than double the previous cost. While I understand the need for a sustainable business model, such a drastic, unannounced increase is difficult to absorb. It’s a disappointing turn for a program that provided so much local value.

Craig Tiley

With the USTA confirming Craig Tiley as the new CEO, I’ve been closely reviewing the initial press releases and industry reactions. Frankly, the messaging is concerning. While Tiley is quick to highlight his commercial successes at the Australian Open and his vision for the US Open, there is a glaring absence of a strategy for grassroots tennis. After decades of questionable decisions by high-salaried executives, the 'bottom of the pyramid' is where leadership is needed most—not the glamour of a Grand Slam that is already a financial juggernaut. If the plan is simply to make the US Open more expensive while ignoring the struggles of private clubs, we are in for a long few years.

A big month is ahead of us. First, Easter! Then think about your taxes. April 15! But there are also many events, such as USTA Impact Days in several sections. The Directors Club Retreat. CourtReserve World Pickleball Conference. RSPA Division Conferences. See all April events here.

As always, I wish you dry courts wherever you are teaching or playing, stay healthy, and make a difference by growing racket sports YOUR WAY!

Rich Neher
Co-Publisher

Rich,

Which is more unsettling - Team USA's loss to Italy in the World Baseball Classic or the track record of USTA High Performance?  

I realize the success of Taylor Fritz, Ben Shelton, Jessie Pegula, Coco Gauff, and Emma Navarro.  But they don't really compare to Swiatek, Sabalenka, Rybakina, Djokovic, Sinner, and Alcaraz. 

Thanks,

The Commish
Everywhere, USA
Pronouns: They/Them

Rich,

My letter is in reference to this article on Fox News: NBA player calls for Hawks to cancel their 'Magic City' strip club promotional night out of respect for women.

I am totally perplexed by the article about a pro basketball team sponsoring a promotional night for a strip club.

What would the reaction be if tennis did something like this? There is a host of crude comments that could be made.

As I send this, the state legislature is considering the legalization of prostitution. Three of the four sponsors are women. Who knows what people are thinking?

Never a dull moment.

The Commish
Everywhere, USA
Pronouns: They/Them

Re: USTA Competing with Clubs and Pros Threatens the Livelihood of Private Businesses

West Palm Beach ditches USTA, selects star’s company to operate tennis centers

Re: INTENNSE

• Bryan Brothers Join INTENNSE™ Ownership Group

• INTENNSE and Inspiring Children Foundation Announce Landmark Mental Health Alliance

• INTENNSE Completes 2026 Expansion with Unveiling of 10 Team Names and Logos

• BOAST Returns as Proud Apparel Partner of INTENNSE™ Challenge Series

• Toya Bush-Harris, Star of Bravo’s Married to Medicine, Joins INTENNSE as Pulse Partner

• Surprises, Power, and Chemistry Define First INTENNSE Draft

• Shep Rose, Southern Charm Star and Lifelong Tennis Enthusiast, Joins INTENNSE Team Ownership Group as Pulse Partner for 2026 Season

Re: ITIA and Doping

===> Tennis player, 18, suspended after failing drugs test as ITIA release statement
A teenage tennis player has been suspended by the International Tennis Integrity Agency (ITIA) after failing a drugs test last year. Romeo Arcuschin, 18, from Argentina, reached a career-high ranking of 1802 towards the end of 2025. Back in December, he provided a sample for testing while playing at an ITF World Tennis Tour event in Peru.
Read more

===> Australian coach and former player Marinko Matosevic cops doping ban after admitting to blood transfusion
Australian former tennis player and coach Marinko Matosevic has been handed a four-year ban after breaching anti-doping rules. Matosevic, 40, reached a career-high singles ranking of 39 in 2013. He retired from the sport in 2018 and has since become a coach, working with Australian players Chris O'Connell and Jordan Thompson.
Read more

Re: USTA Competing with Clubs and Pros Threatens the Livelihood of Private Businesses

===> West Palm Beach tennis contract fight heads to court after commissioners reverse decision
Commissioners voted to award the city’s three tennis centers to Let’s Play Tennis instead of USTA Florida, but longtime South Olive director Skip Jackson says his lawsuit against the city is moving forward.
Read more

===> USTA Florida Releases White Paper Making the Case for Public Tennis Court Investment Across the State
Read more

Re: Sexual Harassment

===> Bobby Riggs’ grandson sentenced for sexually abusing teenage tennis players he coached
The grandson of tennis celebrity Bobby Riggs has been sentenced to 20 years in prison for two counts of coercing and enticing teenage female tennis players to engage in sexual activity. The players trained at his family’s training program at the Lauderdale Tennis Club in Florida.
Read more

Re: Harassment of pro players

===> Tennis players receive threatening messages, including photos of a gun, demanding they lose matches
Two women's tennis players were sent threatening messages, and each received a photo of a gun and were ordered to lose matches. Panna Udvardy and Lucrezia Stefanini detailed the disturbing messages in which they and their families were threatened.
Read more

Re: Play Your Court

===> National Bank Play Your Court Program continues mission to improve outdoor courts across Canada with three new projects
The National Bank Play Your Court Program continues its mission to revitalize outdoor courts across Canada, with plans to provide funding to three more municipalities to renovate their public tennis courts, Tennis Canada announced on Wednesday.
Read more

Re: Transgender Women

===> After US Tennis kicked trans women out, these women came together to create an inclusive club
A community of tennis players in Las Vegas has launched a trans-inclusive league in the wake of the U.S. Tennis Association banning trans women from participating in women’s events.
Read more

Is USTA Coaching getting desperate, Mr. Morris?

USTA Coaching is handing out free Rally memberships to everyone with an email address. I encourage all subscribers to read Susan Nardi’s contribution in this issue of Racket Business (In the Trenches: The Cost of Watering Down Coaching). She just about nails the topic with an eye-opener of an article.

Are these new memberships being sold on the back of empty employment promises? While some may dismiss these examples as hyperbolic, they reflect a troubling direction for the industry:

1. Public Land Takeovers: Direct guarantees of work based on the USTA’s expansion into public parks.

2. Predatory Competition: Claims that USTA-backed programs will outlast private clubs by driving them out of the market on price—a tactic already visible in the Pacific Northwest and to some extent also in Southern California.

For years, I’ve warned that USTA Coaching is less about development and more about institutional control. It raises critical questions regarding liability; specifically, how are staffers sidestepping the lack of SAM insurance when pitching to city officials? The current "giveaway" phase of Rally memberships points to a familiar pattern: a program that is failing to gain organic traction.

Finally, early reports regarding the USTA’s 'Apprenticeship Program' are deeply concerning. If what I am hearing is accurate, this initiative may pose a significant threat to the long-term health of the sport in the U.S. I am currently vetting these details and will provide a full report in an upcoming issue.

Questions that Require Immediate Transparency

1. Impact of Facility Conversions: To what extent is the current "court shortage" and subsequent club waiting lists a direct result of the USTA-sanctioned conversion of tennis courts to pickleball?

2. Value Proposition for Early Adopters: How does USTA Coaching justify the recent decision to distribute Rally memberships for free, effectively devaluing the $49 investment made by early-paying members?

3. Executive Compensation vs. Performance: Will the incoming CEO’s compensation package—potentially exceeding the $2.4M USD benchmark from Tennis Australia—be tied to grassroots growth metrics or merely US Open revenue?

4. The SAM Insurance Gap: How is USTA Coaching addressing the lack of Sexual Abuse and Molestation (SAM) insurance coverage for trainees in California, and are municipal partners being fully briefed on this liability gap?

5. Data Integrity: Of the 6,500 reported USTA Coaching sign-ups, what is the specific breakdown of paid versus complimentary memberships?

6. Leadership Accountability: Given the performance history of previous initiatives like Net Generation, what specific KPIs is the USTA using to evaluate Craig Morris’s oversight of the current coaching program?

A Call for Transparency: Join the Conversation

The questions raised above aren't just academic—they affect the livelihoods of every coach, club owner, and facility manager in the country. If the USTA is truly "growing the game," that growth must be measurable, insured, and equitable for the private sector that has carried this sport for decades.

I want to hear from you. 

• As an early adopter, how do you feel about the sudden "giveaway" of memberships you paid for?

• What are you seeing in your local section that "makes you go hmmm"?

• Have you been approached by USTA staffers regarding public park management?

Your insights help us keep the industry's largest governing body accountable. Please email me your thoughts—all correspondence is kept strictly confidential unless you explicitly grant permission to publish.

Let’s get the real story told.