Violations, suspension points and suspension in the Tennis Europe Junior Tour

This is not an official Tennis Europe page and is not an official legal translation. This is a TTP reference article for players, parents and coaches to quickly understand what actions may result in disciplinary points, when removal from a tournament is possible, and how suspension works.

If the issue relates to an actual sanction, dispute, appeal or participation in a specific tournament, the current original Tennis Europe regulations and the decisions of the tournament supervisor must be consulted.

Original Tennis Europe file: 2026 Tennis Europe Junior Tour Rules & Regulations (16/14/12 & Under)

Official Tennis Europe Rules and Regulations page

Checked against the 2026 Tennis Europe Junior Tour regulations on 14 October 2026. These are Tennis Europe rules, not a guide to ITF World Tennis Tour Juniors rules. For another season, check the official regulations for that season before relying on these deadlines or penalties.

• Withdrawal means notifying the organisers that you will not play. A late withdrawal is made after the withdrawal deadline and may attract suspension points.
• Default means that the Supervisor ends a player's participation in a match or event as a penalty. It is not the same as the player choosing to withdraw.
• Immediate default is a default for a single Code of Conduct violation, without first working through the warning, point-penalty and game-penalty stages.
• Suspension is a ban on playing tournaments for a period of time.
• Suspension points are disciplinary points, not ranking points. Reaching the specified total can lead to suspension.
• A major offence is a serious disciplinary matter, such as aggravated behaviour, betting, bribery or conduct contrary to the integrity of tennis.
• Tournament disqualification is a separate sanction against a tournament or organiser. Use the specific term in the regulations rather than calling every player penalty disqualification.
• The Supervisor applies the regulations, Code of Conduct and Rules of Tennis at the tournament. A final match decision does not mean that every later disciplinary sanction is beyond appeal.

page 83, Source: original PDF Tennis Europe Junior Tour Rules & Regulations

The Tennis Europe Junior Tour Code of Conduct sets the standards of conduct for juniors and those accompanying them at tournaments, continental championships and international team competitions.

The Code of Conduct is the basis for disciplinary action against:

• player;
• coach, doctor, physiotherapist, agent, family member, player representative or other person associated with the player;
• medical personnel, officials, tournament staff, volunteers, Tennis Europe staff, media representatives and other accredited persons;
• tournament and tournament organizers.

Anti-corruption, anti-doping and player welfare rules may be separately applied.

The tournament supervisor is the final authority at the tournament site on issues that require immediate resolution.

Playing in another tournament in the same period

page 85, Source: original PDF Tennis Europe Junior Tour Rules & Regulations

A player who is entered and accepted into a Tennis Europe Junior Tour tournament must not play in another tennis competition during that tournament.

Consequences:

• The concurrency rule provides for a default; the suspension-points table assigns 6 points. Ranking points won in all events at that tournament are forfeited.
• if the violation is gross, particularly harmful to the tournament, or exceptional in severity, it may be considered a serious disciplinary violation.

Trading a wild card for something of value

page 85, Source: original PDF Tennis Europe Junior Tour Rules & Regulations

A player must not directly or indirectly offer, give, ask, receive or accept anything of value in exchange for a wild card to a tournament.

Consequences:

• disciplinary procedure;
• the maximum possible sanction is permanent exclusion from Tennis Europe Junior Tour tournaments and Tennis Europe team competitions;
• in severe cases, the violation may be considered a serious disciplinary infraction.

Fake documents

page 85, Source: original PDF Tennis Europe Junior Tour Rules & Regulations

If a player submits documents that Tennis Europe considers to be false evidence, including documents related to an entry, withdrawal or appeal, the player will be subject to disciplinary proceedings.

In severe cases, this may also be considered a serious disciplinary infraction.

Late withdrawal, no-show and failure to register

pp. 84-85 and 100, Source: original PDF Tennis Europe Junior Tour Rules & Regulations

Late withdrawal, failure to appear or failure to register for the tournament will result in disciplinary points being awarded. In some cases, a medical exception may be possible if a valid medical certificate or medical form is issued.

According to the disciplinary point scale:

• Late withdrawal can give from 1 to 4 points depending on the moment of withdrawal;
• failure to appear or fail to register for the tournament gives 6 points;
• Do not assume that sign-in and being ready for the first match are the same requirement. The Code separately covers accepted players who fail to sign in without notifying Tennis Europe and the Supervisor, and first-match no-shows in the 14/16 & Under Super Category and Category 1 Main Draws.

pages 38, 42, 69 and 84-85, Source: original PDF Tennis Europe Junior Tour Rules & Regulations

In the Tennis Europe rules this is called a late withdrawal. For a player, it means that the player has already been accepted into the Main Draw or Qualifying Draw, but withdraws after the withdrawal deadline.

The withdrawal deadline is 14:00 GMT on Tuesday, 13 days before the tournament week. If a player who has already been accepted into the Main Draw or Qualifying Draw withdraws after this time, the withdrawal is treated as late.

A player has three permitted late withdrawals during a calendar year. These three withdrawals are not counted as late-withdrawal offences and do not give suspension or disciplinary points, as long as the main condition is met: Tennis Europe must receive the withdrawal before the qualifying sign-in deadline.

The qualifying sign-in deadline is 18:00 local tournament time on the day before Qualifying starts. Online qualifying sign-in opens 24 hours before that deadline and closes exactly at the deadline. For example, if Qualifying starts on Saturday, the sign-in deadline will normally be Friday at 18:00 local tournament time.

How to withdraw correctly:

• online withdrawal remains available until the qualifying sign-in deadline; if using email after the freeze deadline, follow the official form's instructions to send it directly to the tournament Supervisor and copy Tennis Europe;
• if the online system is unavailable, the official withdrawal form must be sent to [email protected];
• a form sent by email must be fully completed and signed by the player;
• the sender is responsible for making sure that the withdrawal has actually been received;
• an email without the official withdrawal form is not accepted;
• withdrawals by telephone are not accepted;
• if the withdrawal is sent by email after the freeze deadline, the email must be sent directly to the tournament organizers at the address shown in the tournament fact sheet, with Tennis Europe copied;
• a withdrawal sent only to Tennis Europe after the freeze deadline is not valid if it is not also sent to the tournament organizers.

Official Tennis Europe withdrawal form: Withdrawal Form 2026 (PDF)

A player on an alternate list may withdraw without penalty at any time until the player is moved into the accepted players list for Qualifying or Main Draw. Once moved into the accepted players list, the player is considered committed to play the tournament and the late-withdrawal rules apply.

For the first three permitted late withdrawals, a medical certificate is not required if the withdrawal is sent on time, meaning before the qualifying sign-in deadline.

Medical cases after tournament sign-in are treated separately. If a player has to withdraw after sign-in for medical reasons, the Tennis Europe medical form must be completed in English by a qualified doctor on site. This form may remove the penalty for the current tournament and for following tournaments, but only until the certificate expires or until the player competes again in any tennis tournament.

If a player has completed all matches in a tournament but has a medical issue during the tournament week, the player may obtain a medical certificate from the tournament doctor or sports physiotherapist and use it to withdraw from the following week’s tournament without penalty. The certificate must be obtained within 24 hours after the player’s final match. If the player wants to use it for the following week’s tournament, the player must notify Tennis Europe and the supervisor of the next tournament if this is already after the freeze deadline. This must be done no later than 48 hours after receiving the certificate or before the qualifying sign-in deadline, whichever comes first.

If a player withdraws from several tournaments in a row because of the same injury or illness, or after an on-site medical withdrawal, this may be treated as one withdrawal if the player has notified Tennis Europe. After recovery and return to competition, a new medical certificate is required for any new withdrawal due to injury or illness, even if the same injury returns.

After the three permitted late withdrawals in a calendar year, every further late withdrawal is automatically considered under the suspension-points scale.

There is a further next-week medical exception: if your final match finishes after the next tournament's qualifying sign-in deadline, obtain the certificate before leaving the tournament site and notify the next Supervisor as soon as possible. Do not assume that any medical certificate automatically excuses a late withdrawal.

Late for the match

page 86, Source: original PDF Tennis Europe Junior Tour Rules & Regulations

Matches must take place without delay according to the published match schedule. A player must be ready to play when his match is called.

If a player is not ready to play within 15 minutes of the match being called, he is subject to a default unless the Supervisor, having regard to the circumstances, decides otherwise.

This applies to singles, doubles and bonus or consolation brackets.

Time delay and game delay

page 92, Source: original PDF Tennis Europe Junior Tour Rules & Regulations

The game must be uninterrupted and without unreasonable delays. The regulations indicate time limits:

• after warming up, players must be ready to start the match;
• There is a time limit between points before serving;
• Separate limits apply when changing sides and between sets.

Sanctions:

• first violation - warning for delaying time;
• for the server, a subsequent violation leads to a service fault;
• for the receiver, a subsequent violation leads to a penalty point;
• if the delay is due to refusal to play or failure to return to the court within the allowed time, a penalty according to the Code of Conduct scale will be applied.

Obscene words and obscene gestures

page 93, Source: original PDF Tennis Europe Junior Tour Rules & Regulations

Prohibited:

• audible foul language on the tournament grounds;
• obscene gestures with hands, racket or ball.

If the violation occurs during the match, including the warm-up, the player will be penalized on the match penalty scale. In severe cases, one violation may be considered a serious disciplinary violation.

Verbal and physical abuse

page 93, Source: original PDF Tennis Europe Junior Tour Rules & Regulations

A player must not verbally or physically abuse officials, opponents, spectators or other persons on the tournament grounds.

Sanctions:

• during the match - according to the scale of punishments during the match;
• in severe cases - possible recognition of a serious disciplinary violation.

Improper handling of balls

page 94, Source: original PDF Tennis Europe Junior Tour Rules & Regulations

A player must not violently, dangerously or in anger hit, kick or throw a tennis ball at the tournament site, except in the reasonable pursuit of a point during play.

Examples of violation:

• intentionally or recklessly hitting a ball out of the court enclosure;
• hitting a ball dangerously or recklessly within the court;
• hit the ball with disregard for the consequences.

Sanctions: a scale of punishments during the match, and in serious cases - a serious disciplinary violation.

Improper handling of racket or equipment

page 94, Source: original PDF Tennis Europe Junior Tour Rules & Regulations

A player must not hit, kick, or throw a racket or other equipment with force or anger.

Examples of violation:

• intentionally and violently damaging a racket or equipment;
• violently hitting the net, court, umpire’s chair or another fixture in anger or frustration.

Sanctions: a scale of punishments during the match, and in serious cases - a serious disciplinary violation.

Coaching and coaches

pp. 94–96, Source: original PDF Tennis Europe Junior Tour Rules & Regulations

Coaching is not generally allowed at every Tennis Europe match. In 2026, off-court coaching applies to 14/16 & Under Super Category and Category 1, 12 & Under Category 1, the 14/16/18 & Under European Junior Championships, the 14/16 & Under Junior Masters and the Carlos Moya 12 & Under Festival. A trial also covers 14/16 & Under Categories 2 and 3 and 12 & Under Category 2. It is permitted only from rounds intended to have Chair Umpires; the coach must be authorised, accredited and seated in the designated coach seats. Check the arrangements with the Supervisor before the match.

• Brief, discreet verbal advice is allowed only when the player is at the same end of the court as the designated coach seats.
• Subtle non-verbal signals may be given from those seats at either end, provided they do not hinder the opponent.
• The coach must not speak to a player who leaves the court, except as permitted during a rain delay.
• Players must not approach or converse with their coach at ordinary changeovers or set breaks. The specified exceptions are the opponent's medical time-out, including the waiting and evaluation periods; a bathroom/change-of-attire break; and the last 90 seconds of a heat break.
• The trial does not permit coaching when an off-court official comes onto court to umpire the rest of the match.
• At all other tournaments, both on-court and off-court coaching are prohibited during the match, including the warm-up. A parent or other representative can also count as a coach under this rule.

Violation of the rules of coaching tips can lead to:

• 3 disciplinary points for each violation;
• punishment according to the penalty scale during the match if the violation occurred during the match;
• removal of a coach from the match site or tournament area;
• an immediate default of the player if the coach refuses to comply with the Supervisor’s order.

Unsportsmanlike conduct

page 96, Source: original PDF Tennis Europe Junior Tour Rules & Regulations

The player must behave in a sportsmanlike manner, respect the authority of officials and the rights of opponents, spectators and other persons.

Unsportsmanlike conduct includes any conduct that is clearly offensive or detrimental to the sport, even if it does not fall under a specific offense at the tournament site.

This also includes making a public statement that is detrimental to the interests of the tournament or refereeing.

Sanctions: a scale of punishments during the match, and in serious cases - a serious disciplinary violation.

Responsibility to play to your full potential

page 96, Source: original PDF Tennis Europe Junior Tour Rules & Regulations

A player must use his best effort to win a match on a Tennis Europe Junior Tour tournament.

The supervisor and/or chair umpire may penalize a player on the penalty scale during a match. In severe cases, the violation may be considered a serious disciplinary infraction.

Leaving the court

page 96, Source: original PDF Tennis Europe Junior Tour Rules & Regulations

A player must not leave the court during a match, including warm-ups, without the permission of the chair umpire or supervisor.

Leaving the court without permission may result in a default and additional penalties for failure to complete the match.

Inability or refusal to complete a match

page 96, Source: original PDF Tennis Europe Junior Tour Rules & Regulations

The player must complete the match if he is reasonably able to do so.

If a player breaks this rule, the supervisor may immediately remove the player from the match. In a doubles match, the supervisor decides whether one player or both members of the pair will be penalized.

Leaving the tournament

pp. 97 and 100, Source: original PDF Tennis Europe Junior Tour Rules & Regulations

Leaving the tournament is separately taken into account in disciplinary points. This is worth 4 points.

In some cases, a player will also lose all ranking points earned in singles, doubles, and the bonus or consolation bracket.

page 97, Source: original PDF Tennis Europe Junior Tour Rules & Regulations

Punishment scale:

1. The first violation is a warning.
2. The second violation is a penalty point.
3. The third and each subsequent violation is a penalty game.
4. After the third violation of the Code of Conduct, the supervisor will decide whether each subsequent violation will result in the player being removed.

2026 regulations: Code of Conduct, Defaults, Doubles Events and Suspension Points, pages 98–100.

The Supervisor may default a player for a single Code violation or under the Point Penalty Schedule. The decision to default is final and cannot be appealed. This concerns the match/event decision, not a blanket ban on appealing subsequent disciplinary penalties.

A player defaulted from one event may also be defaulted from the tournament's other events. Exceptions concern punctuality, dress/equipment, medical conditions and a doubles partner's violation. The circumstances matter; a default is not a voluntary withdrawal.

A default may also lead to loss of accreditation or access to the tournament site. A team member or other person responsible for an offence may lose their own accreditation and access. In doubles, Code warnings, point penalties, game penalties and defaults apply to the team.

pp. 100-101, Source: original PDF Tennis Europe Junior Tour Rules & Regulations

Disciplinary points are awarded for violations in singles, doubles, and in the bonus or consolation bracket.

Main scale:

• late withdrawal 13-7 days before the main draw week - 1 point;
• late withdrawal 7 days before the week of the main draw and before the lists are frozen - 2 points;
• late withdrawal from the moment the lists were frozen until the deadline for registration in the qualification - 3 points;
• late withdrawal from the qualifying registration deadline to the player's first match - 4 points;
• failure to appear or fail to register at the tournament - 6 points;
• warning on the court - 1 point;
• warning and penalty point - 2 points;
• warning, penalty point and first penalty game - 3 points;
• warning, penalty point and second penalty game - 4 points;
• each subsequent penalty game - plus 1 point;
• a default after any of the listed match penalties - plus 1 suspension point;
• an immediate default for a single Code violation on court - 6 suspension points;
• an immediate default for a single Code violation off court - 6 suspension points;
• a default for a punctuality violation - 4 suspension points;
• leaving the tournament - 4 points;
• exceeding the limit of 10 tournaments per year for U12 players - 10 points;
• simultaneous participation or overlap with another tournament - 6 points.

If a player accumulates 10 disciplinary points within 52 weeks, they will be suspended from participating in Tennis Europe Junior Tour events for 4 weeks.

The suspension begins approximately 14 days after the player has been notified of reaching 10 points or more and his national association and other interested parties have also been notified of the suspension.

At the end of the 4-week suspension, 10 points will be deducted from the player's total disciplinary points. If the player had more than 10 points, the remaining points are saved and transferred further.

Tournaments and supervisors are in violation of regulations if they allow a player who is on the suspension list or red flagged in the tournament scheduling system to participate.

Do not add every line of the match-penalty table together. The entries for a warning, warning plus point penalty, and subsequent game-penalty stages describe the cumulative total at that stage. For example, a warning followed by a point penalty totals 2 suspension points, not 1 + 2. The Supervisor may choose not to report a single non-serious warning. Suspension points and ranking points are separate systems.

pp. 102-103, Source: original PDF Tennis Europe Junior Tour Rules & Regulations

Betting

Players and people associated with them must not bet anything of value on a Tennis Europe Junior Tour tournament. This rule concerns wagering; it does not mean that every payment connected with a tournament is prohibited.

The maximum sanction for a player is permanent suspension. A person associated with the player is permanently banned from accessing all Tennis Europe Junior Tour tournaments.

Bribes and payments

A player or associated person must not offer, give, ask or accept anything of value in order to influence the player's efforts or participation in the tournament.

The maximum sanction for a player is permanent suspension from participation in the Tennis Europe Junior Tour. For a person associated with the player - permanent access ban.

Aggravated behaviour

Aggravated behaviour includes:

• one or more incidents that are expressly designated in the Code of Conduct as aggravated behaviour;
• one egregious incident particularly detrimental to the tournament or exceptional in severity;
• a series of two or more violations of the Code of Conduct within a 12-month period that together form a pattern of behavior that is severe and harmful.

Conduct against the integrity and reputation of tennis

A player or person associated with him must not engage in conduct that is contrary to the integrity of the game and the reputation of tennis.

If a player is convicted under the criminal or civil laws of any country, he may be found to have committed an act against the integrity of the game.

Tennis Europe may provisionally suspend such a player pending a final decision.

The maximum sanction for a player is permanent suspension from participation in Tennis Europe Junior Tour tournaments.

page 104, Source: original PDF Tennis Europe Junior Tour Rules & Regulations

Tennis Europe Junior Tour participants must comply with the Tennis Anti-Doping Programme. It has a separate disciplinary jurisdiction; this article does not replace its rules or procedures.

pp. 105-106, Source: original PDF Tennis Europe Junior Tour Rules & Regulations

Any tournament that does not comply with the rules and regulations of the 2026 Tennis Europe Junior Tour will be subject to the infraction and penalty procedures under the Tournament Infractions section.

Player appearance guarantees

The Tournament, its owners, operators, sponsors or agents shall not offer, give or pay money or anything of value to a player, directly or indirectly, to influence a player's appearance at the tournament or to secure his participation.

Consequence: disqualification of the tournament and loss of sanction to host it.

This is a sanction against the tournament or organiser, distinct from a player’s default or suspension.

Trading wild cards for something of value

The tournament must not offer, give, ask, receive or accept anything of value in exchange for a player's wild card to the tournament.

Consequence: fine up to 5000 USD, downgrading of the tournament category and/or revocation of the sanction to host it.

Actions against the integrity of sport

If a tournament, owner, promoter or operator commits acts against the integrity of the sport, the sanction may be the revocation of the tournament's sanction.

Violation of the Tennis Europe Junior Tour regulations

If a tournament violates the Tennis Europe Junior Tour regulations, the sanction may be:

• fine up to 5000 USD;
• downgrading of the tournament category;
• revocation of the sanction to carry out.

pp. 125-126, Source: original PDF Tennis Europe Junior Tour Rules & Regulations

Rules for staying at the hotel

The following sanctions are possible for violating hotel accommodation rules by a minor:

• loss of points from tournaments where the violation occurred;
• monetary penalties related to the cost of the hotel room;
• loss of hotel per diem allowance, if applicable.

These sanctions may be in addition to those against members of the player's support team or other accredited persons.

Complaints and review procedure

Any person who believes that a person accredited or associated with a tournament has violated the rules to protect the welfare of players may submit a written complaint to the disciplinary committee of the relevant tournament.

The complaint must:

• identify the applicant;
• specifically describe the alleged violation.

After the complaint, a review begins. Tennis Europe Junior Management may immediately issue a temporary suspension if circumstances warrant.

The Disciplinary Commission may also temporarily suspend the accused person pending the completion of the investigation and final decision.

All persons subject to these rules are required to cooperate with the investigation.

Possible sanctions:

• deprivation of privileges;
• exclusion from one or all Tennis Europe tournaments;
• monetary sanctions;
• such other disciplinary measures as Tennis Europe deems appropriate.

A withdrawal is your notification that you will not play. A default is the Supervisor's penalty ending your participation in a match or event. A suspension prevents tournament participation for a period of time. These are different decisions with different consequences.

• A late withdrawal can attract suspension points even though no match has started.
• A default can end a match immediately and may affect the other events at that tournament.
• 10 suspension points within 52 weeks lead to a four-week suspension; after it is served, 10 points are deducted and any balance remains.
• A tournament or organiser can face separate sanctions; these must not be confused with a player's default or suspension.

When checking a decision, first identify the exact offence, the sanction and the applicable appeal procedure. Use the official Tennis Europe regulations for the relevant season rather than relying on a general label such as disqualification.

2026 regulations: Code of Conduct, Entry Offences—Appeals and On-site Offences—Appeals, pages 85–86 and 98–99.

Distinguish the Supervisor's final default decision from a later disciplinary penalty. For an on-site offence, a written appeal with supporting evidence must reach the Head of Junior Tennis by 17:00 GMT within 14 days after notification. This process does not overturn the immediate match decision.

Late-withdrawal and no-show penalties have a different appeal rule: an appeal is available only when the player reaches 10 suspension points, within the deadline notified by Tennis Europe. Keep withdrawal confirmations, emails and relevant medical documents. Consult the current regulations and the notification for your case; do not assume the same appeal route or deadline applies to every sanction.

Major offences have their own review procedure. A written petition explaining the grounds must be filed with the Head of Junior Tennis within 10 days after notice of the violation is mailed to the player. It is then referred to the Code of Conduct/Welfare Panel. If the appeal is decided against the player, reasonable appeal costs may be charged to the player. See the Major Offences provisions on pages 103–104; do not substitute the 14-day on-site-offence deadline.