Percy896's Tennis Forum

admin · Site Admin Joined: 27 Oct 2005 Posts: 1651

How to Play

What is this?
Percy’s Fantasy Tennis League is an online simulated tennis tour where members can participate in tournaments in order to gain points for the rankings. There is no graphical interface (this is not a video game), and all matches are simulated using probability. It is completely free and all you have to do to play is sign up!

How to Sign Up
To sign up, all you have to do is send me (admin) a private message, titled “Sign Up-*your username*”. If you do not have a username, you must first join the tennis forum up on the top right of the index page. After I have received your private message (this could take up to a day), there will be a user profile created for you, listing your rank, skill points, and other aspects of your player.

Training
This is one of the most important parts of your mock career. In order to improve your player and shape your game just the way you want to, you can gain skill points by “training”. Each day, you are eligible to train 3 times, each in any area for your choice (for a limited time). As your player "ages" the number of times he or she trains per day will decrease. Every time you train a certain skill, one skill point is earned for that specific aspect of your game. The different skills are:
Forehand
Backhand
Serve
Volley
Movement
Mental
*Lob
*Drop Shot
The * indicates a “special” skill, which has a specific purpose. Lobs help counter a player who comes to net often, while Drop Shots work well against players with poor movement who tend to stay back on the baseline. Be mindful of what you train, since you cannot switch your points. For example, if you just train your mental game, you will not be able to run down shots or hit winners. On the other hand, if you have no mental game, you could easily “fall apart” after losing a set or not be able to close out the match. Also, make sure you have some adequate skills before you start training special skills, since just being able to lob it won’t win you a match, plus if your opponent never comes to net, your lobs are worthless. Your skills will vary in importance depending on the surface you are playing on, so keep that in mind as well.
How to train?
It’s very easy and requires just a minute of your time. Just like signing up, you send [PSALT] a private message, titled “Training (Day X)-*your username*”. The X is the day of the season it is; this can be checked on the tournament schedule. You may begin training on the first day you join (for those who join before the season has officially started can have 1 training day (3 skills points to distribute) before the first “day” of the season.

Tournaments
The way you earn points for the rankings is by entering tournaments and winning matches. The tournament point system is based completely on the more simple WTA method. There are 5 different levels of tournaments:
Grand Slam
Tier I
Tier II
Tier III
Tier IV
All of the tournaments have draw sizes of 16, except for the Grand Slams which have draw sizes of 64. As of now, there are no qualifying draws, so either you are accepted into the main draw or not. The highest ranked players who enter the tournament are the ones who get in (with the exception of Wimbledon), unless a wildcard is given to a specific player. So if 28 people apply to enter a tournament, only the top 16 players will take the spots. Everyone competes in Grand Slams, so no matter what your rank is, you will have a spot in the draw. Each day there are usually 2 tournaments played. Most likely they will be at different levels so that not just the top players get a chance to gain points.
How to enter tournaments?
Just like everything thing else, applying for a tournament is done through private messaging. After looking at the tournament schedule, you may send a private message titled “*Name of the tournament* (Day X)-*your username*”. The (Day X) is the day that the tournament will be played on, not what the current day is when you are applying. You cannot sign up for 2 tournaments in the same day. If this accidentally happens, you will apply to the highest tournament (if you get in). You may apply for tournaments way ahead of time, and switch as long as it is a full day before the tournament. This way you can create a schedule for yourself just in case you cannot get online to enter on a certain day. When I receive your entries I will post the players applying in the tournament topic, and you will be able to see the other players who have applied so far with their rank. This way you can see what your chances are of being accepted into the final draw.
How can I see the results?
You can actually view the entire draw. In the tournament topic, there will be a link to the draw. There you can see your results and everyone’s, including the seeds of the players and full scores of every match.

Rankings
The ranking system is based completely on the 2006 WTA point values. Points are valid for one year (one season), and then they “expire”. You keep the points you win after every tournament for one season, and then in order to keep them, you must defend your points the following season. There are no “quality” points for beating top ranked players, only the round you reach depending on the level of the event. You will not have an official ranking until you have 1 ranking point (basically once you have entered a tournament).
Here is the official WTA Ranking System link:
[Currently Unavailable]
When there are 2 different categories under the same level and same draw size, the one with the least amount of prize money has the correct point values. For Grand Slams, since ours starts in the round of 64, the round of 64 points will be 2, and round of 32 and on will remain the same as on the web page.

"Race" Rankings
Starting in Season 4, a race ranking will be put into place along side the official entry rankings. For the race, all players start the season with 0 points. 22 results will count towards the race: All points earned in the 4 grand slams and 12 tier I tournaments, as well as the player's 5 best results from tier II, III, or IV tournaments that year. If a player is not accpeted into a tier I draw, they may count an additional lower-tier (II, III, or IV) tournament result for the race. The race will only serve the purpose of deciding the 8 players who will compete in the Federer Masters Cup (YEC) at the end of the season. The race also encourages players to compete in many high level events, creating better competition and a more level playing field in tournaments. Because the race is a new addition to Fantasy Tennis, rules may be subject to change at any time.

FAQ

Who are all of those other players that don’t seem to be members of the forum?
There are 30 computer players who enter tournaments and compete just as you do. The only difference is that they do not train. They start out with high skills, but do not improve their games like you do, so eventually they can be surpassed.

Why am I not appearing in the draws of any tournaments?
There are several reasons for this problem. One, you have to make sure you correctly apply for them (said up above). Two, you may be applying to tournaments with too many players who are ranked above you. In the beginning of your career, you must enter lower tournaments to gain points. If further problems persist, ask in the Announcements, Questions, and Discussion section.

I have been playing for a few days now and have not won a match! What is going on?
This is not that unusual. When you start out, you have 1 skill point for everything except for specialty skills, which you have 0 for. As you train, your player will improve, but do not be discouraged if you do not immediately start winning tournaments, or even individual matches.

Can I still join once the season has started?
Yes, anyone may join whenever they want to. Of course you will start with the starting number of skill points, but you can still train starting on the day you join. Remember, your skills, points, and ranking do not reset after the season, so you are continuing to build your player every season.

Is there any type of fatigue from playing too much?
Fatigue will be a factor in scheduling your tournaments. It's fine to play twice in a row, but once it gets to the third fatigue starts to have an effect. It is small, but hinders your performance, especially once it gets past 3 tournaments in a row. Also, just resting for one week when you have played for 5 in a row will not completely recover you. You must think logically.

Are there player interviews?
Yes. Interviews are either for:
-The winners of a tournament.
-A breakthrough for a certain player.
-A major upset in a big tournament.
-Anything else that the interviewer feels is interesting or important.
Players will be interviewed from different places/organizations. For example, it is "bigger" to get an interview from Tennis Magazine than from the Iceland Press (no offence to Iceland). They will be sent to you in a private message, and you will reply. Then they will be posted on the forum.

Are there player sponsorships like in real tennis?
Yes. Players may be offered sponorships by real tennis companies, both racquet and apparel. Sponsorships are only offered to accomplished players who have proved themselves to the "tennis world" in some way. There are many different sponsors for both racquets and apparel and some are more "prominent" than others, which you will learn as you play the game.

What are wildcards (w/c)?
Wildcards are rare and are given to specific players by the tournament directors (the admin). Sometimes a player may not be eligable by rank to enter a tournament, meaning there are other players entered who have a higher rank. If the tournament director feels very strongly that the lower ranked player should be accepted, a wildcard may be issued and the next lowest ranked player will be in a sense "kicked out". These situations are rare, but can occur if for example a player has been out with injury (and as a result, his or her ranking has suffered) or if a player has recently perfomed outstandingly.

What does L/E mean?
L/E or "late entry" means that the player applied after the deadline (pretty self-explanitory). It is highly discouraged and can result in warnings or fines (of course virtual). The player's rank will be disregarded when deciding seedings and will be subject to random draws just like any unseeded player.

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-Site Admin