Spotlight: Cheating in Junior Tennis

Cheating in Junior Tennis

As her service approached its conclusion in 2018, Adams emphasized the importance of eliminating cheating in junior tennis. Well, we know now that it didn’t work. Today, cheating has turned into a major junior tennis pandemic.

Last year, I was told that more than 60% of promising junior players who start playing USTA junior tournaments, leave the sport for good after playing in only two or three events.

(Coincidentally, do you remember what USTA CEO Lew Sherr revealed in an interview with RSI just a few months ago? That 98% of the 4 million players that started playing tennis since Covid have already left the sport for good? What are the chances that cheating has not played a role here, too?)

Is cheating in junior tennis exclusive to USTA tournaments?
Nope. I’m hearing now that cheating is also rampant and maybe even worse in the UTR system. Here’s what was brought to my attention:

• Juniors who pay adults with better UTR to let them win games so they have a higher UTR and better college chances

• Juniors who give up in the middle of a losing match and go home so their UTR isn’t affected.

• No grievance process, and no one to complain to at Universal Tennis.

I was shocked when I heard this from a reliable source but this topic is not new, of course. Many tennis professionals and administrators have their own opinions on what to do about it. A bunch of books have been written about it like Bill Patton’s “How to End Cheating in Junior Tennis: 21 Ways to Eat the Elephant.”

In July, a new book came on the market written by Chuck Coleman, Tennis Coach, Teacher, and Writer from Danbury in Northern California. The book is titled “CHEATING ( in Tennis ).” I asked Chuck for an excerpt I could share with our readers. Here it is. I found it fascinating!

Excerpt from Chapter 4: “A Practical Solution”
“In the chess movie Searching for Bobby Fischer, one scene showed a conflict caused by obnoxious parents during a children’s chess tournament. The tournament director responded by putting all the parents & coaches in the locker room of the school, far away from where the kids were playing. After this move, the kids in the tournament hall clapped. Today, this procedure is normal in junior chess tournaments.

I feel this idea would be a very smart thing for our future junior tennis tournaments. We have the technology to put a video camera on every court so that the parents & coaches can follow what’s going on. The only people near the tennis courts in a junior tournament should be players, umpires, and one or more medical professionals, trainers, and so forth, in case somebody gets injured - nobody else.”

Bill Patton is a friend and contributor of Racket Business. I asked the California teaching pro, author, speaker, and high school coach about his 2015 book and to summarize his take on the junior tennis cheating issue. Here’s his reply.

Addressing the issue of cheating in junior tennis is not only possible, but it's an opportunity to elevate the sport and instill values that last a lifetime. The misconception that this problem is unsolvable or that one mistake signifies failure is something we must move beyond. Cheating is absolutely solvable, as long as tennis leadership supports and empowers directors who are committed to making a difference.

Imagine if we embraced the idea that even small victories are significant. Reducing cheating is a success in itself. By implementing new strategies each season and committing to a culture that never tolerates cheating—regardless of a player’s skill—we can create a healthier and more enjoyable environment for everyone involved.

Let’s shift our focus to educating players on the importance of integrity, rather than simply punishing them for mistakes. By teaching them why fair play matters, we provide them with a compelling reason to uphold these values, even when others may not.

In the events I organize, I make it a point to acknowledge and celebrate players who compete fairly. I’ve found that using academy junior players as court monitors—not as officials, but as observers—creates a subtle but powerful message: we are watching, and we care about fairness. These monitors quietly bring any questionable calls to the attention of an official, ensuring that the match is observed without unnecessary confrontation. This proactive approach fosters an atmosphere of integrity and respect, making our tournaments more enjoyable and attracting players who value fair play.

The results speak for themselves. Our events have become popular among those who appreciate the spirit of the game, while those inclined to cheat tend to avoid them. For tournament directors who choose not to be proactive in enforcing the rules, I have little sympathy. If you believe that being lax on cheating is good for business, then it’s clear where your priorities lie—and that’s a significant part of the problem.

Let’s commit to making tennis a sport where integrity is celebrated, and where every player has the opportunity to compete in a fair and supportive environment. Together, we can solve the problem of cheating, one step at a time.

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