For clubs
How do you run a tennis or padel tournament?
A tournament is largely decided before the first ball is struck: get the format, categories and court plan right and the event runs itself; get them wrong and you spend the day chasing matches. This guide covers the decisions an organizer makes beforehand.
Entry count and available time decide the format
Single elimination finishes fastest with the fewest matches, but half the field plays once and goes home — in a paid-entry event that breeds resentment. Double elimination guarantees everyone at least two matches and roughly doubles the match count.
Round robin is the fairest for small fields and gives everyone plenty of play, but court and time requirements grow quickly with entries. The common answer combines them: groups first, then a knockout draw from the top two.
Split categories by level
In a single-category tournament, the beginner drawn against a strong player in round one does not enter again. Category splits — singles, doubles, mixed, plus level groups — are what keep entries alive for the next event.
Basing the level split on players’ existing ratings rather than judgement reduces disputes and makes seeding easier. Age groups serve a similar purpose and widen participation, especially in club events.
Plan courts before the draw
How many courts you have determines how many matches can be played, and therefore which formats are possible at all. Keep average match length realistic and leave at least one buffer slot per day — a single long match shifts the entire schedule.
Write the rest interval into the plan so the same player is not sent straight into a second match. If the event runs across several clubs’ courts, travel time belongs in that calculation too.
Keep entries, payments and communication in one place
When entries arrive by message and payments live in a separate list, the biggest time sink is working out whose entry is actually confirmed. If entry and payment status are not on one screen, the draw gets postponed to the last minute.
On the day itself the real issue is communication: reaching players when a match, court or time changes. Having that update live on the player’s phone frees the organizer from a day on the telephone. On Aice Club, entries, draws, fixtures, scores and referees run from one panel, and running a tournament is free.