Tennis, Played as a Team Sport
Six sets. Men and women on the same roster. Every game you win counts toward one score. This is the format Billie Jean King built — and it's the one that makes tennis worth playing again after school ends.
the format
You were good. Then the format disappeared.
Most people who played competitive tennis in high school or college never play a real match again. Not because they lost interest — because after graduation, the structure vanished. No team, no lineup, no season, nobody counting on you to show up on a given night.
Hitting with a friend isn't the same thing. Neither is a ladder where you chase your own ranking.
World TeamTennis is what's actually missing: a roster, a schedule, and a scoreboard where your games count toward somebody besides yourself.
Billie Jean King's idea, still the best one in tennis
In 1973, Billie Jean King co-founded World TeamTennis on a premise that was radical then and remains unusual now: tennis should be a team sport, men and women should compete on the same roster, and every point should matter to someone other than the person hitting it.
The professional league has run for five decades. The format filtered down to amateur play because the thing that made it good television also makes it good tennis to play — nobody sits on a bench, every set feeds the same total, and one rough result doesn't sink the night.
Six sets. Everybody plays. Total games decide it.
A World TeamTennis match is six no-ad sets:
- Men's #1 singles
- Men's #2 singles
- Women's #1 singles
- Women's #2 singles
- Mixed doubles — two sets
The format keeps teams small. Two men and two women fill a lineup, and a roster can carry up to 10 players — so nobody has to make every single week.
Every game your team wins across all six sets goes into one running total. Highest total takes the match.
Somebody has to set the lineup
Every team has a captain. They recruit the roster, decide who plays which position each match, and keep everyone organized between weeks.
The closest thing to coaching in adult tennis
You're reading matchups, managing availability, and deciding where your strongest player does the most good across six sets.
Already the organizer in your group chat?
This is that, with a scoreboard. If you're the one who books courts and chases replies, captaining will feel familiar on day one.
Two tickets to a pro match
Bring in a team and you'll get two free tickets to a professional World Team Tennis match in December 2026 — Toronto, Brooklyn or Miami.
Current World Team Tennis leagues
Questions people actually ask
New to team tennis, or coming back after a long break? Start here.
Teams are grouped by level, and you'll be placed with players who match yours. The format helps too — you're never the only thing standing between your side and a loss.
Sign up as an individual and we'll place you on a roster. That's how most players start.
Teams carry more players than the six sets require, and substitutes are available. That's the point of having a roster instead of a standing partner.
No. Both are team formats, but the lineup and scoring work differently. World TeamTennis uses the six-set structure above, with total games deciding the match.
Still have questions?
Contact us for friendly, no-pressure guidance.