Wanless Tennis General Rules and Regulations

rules graphic

  1. Member Identification: During clubhouse hours, club monitors will check all players on courts.
  2. Non-Member and Guest Fees: Guest fee is $10.00 + HST per person per day when playing with a member. Fees are payable by the member through their Wanless CourtReserve account. Non-members’ fee is $10.00 + HST per person per day for available court time during operating hours. Non-members may not reserve court times in advance.
  3. Booking of Courts: You can reserve a court online or in person at the clubhouse. Please read this page for the detailed rules regarding booking of court time.
  4. Lessons: Lessons are only to be conducted by professionals covered under the club’s liability insurance policy.
  5. Net Dividers: The divider nets are for the sole use of the teaching professionals.
  6. Dress Code: Proper non-marking court shoes and approved tennis clothing must be worn. Shirts must be worn at all times.
  7. Etiquette: Please wait until play is finished before walking across a court to get to your court. Use maximum 3 balls for play unless in a lesson. Be prompt in sending back any stray tennis balls from adjacent courts. Do not leave empty tins, tin tops, plastic waste or other refuse on the courts. Finish on time and please close the gate when entering and leaving.
  8. Conduct: We are a family tennis club, made up of a roughly 50/50 split of adults and children. We have a strong junior membership and want both adults and juniors to coexist as we believe each learns from each other. Further to this mandate:
    • Swearing on the courts is not allowed
    • Throwing rackets is not allowed
    • Loud outbursts demeaning individuals are not allowed
    • Loud arguing about points of the game is not allowed

    The penalties for infractions: first a warning, second a removal from the court, third a withdrawal from the membership roster.

Complaints

Any members who have concerns regarding the behaviour of another member or of Wanless Park staff, an incident that took place on the courts, or a member contravening the above Rules and Regulations, may submit a complaint to the board of Wanless Tennis using the following form. Any complaint should be made as soon as possible after the incident while the details are still fresh in their mind, and should include the following information:

  • The name, phone number, email address of the member making the complaint
  • The date and time of incident
  • The names of any witnesses
  • The name(s) of the offender(s)
  • Full details of the incident including what led up to the incident, who was involved, and the outcome

The Wanless Tennis Board of Directors will investigate the complaint and determine what actions are appropriate by using the City of Toronto Parks, Forestry & Recreation Suspension and Ban Policy as a framework for unacceptable behavior to determine whether warnings, suspensions, or bans are warranted.

Feedback

Members are encouraged to provide feedback to the board by sending an e-mail to any member of the Wanless Tennis Board of Directors. Links for each board member are listed under the “Contacts” menu at the top or “Board Members” at the bottom of every page of the Wanless Tennis website.

City of Toronto, Tennis Policy

A PDF file of the city of Toronto’s draft policies (a work in progress) regarding tennis clubs can be downloaded from here.

Abuse Policy

The Club’s Abuse & Harassment Policy follows the OTA’s Abuse & Harassment Policy and can be found here.

Wanless Tennis Constitution

A PDF file of the club’s constitution, last updated at the 2023 AGM can be downloaded here.

Code of Conduct

Keep the courts tidy and safe.

  • Do not damage the court surface by leaving chewing gun, sticky drink spills or other foreign substances on the surface. Wear non-marking shoes at all times.
  • Do not leave metal caps from ball cans, ball cans, unwanted balls, paper cups, drink bottles or other litter on or around the court. Use litter or recycling bins when they are provided.
  • Ensure any equipment you are not using on court (spare racquet, bag, drinks, clothes etc.) is placed out of the way and will not present a hazard to players changing ends or moving for a wide ball.
  • Close the gate behind you when you leave or enter the courts.

Respect Players on the Court (or on Adjacent Courts).

  • Talk quietly if you are near courts that are in use.
  • Do not cross behind a court while a point is underway. When the point is over, move quickly across the back of the court.
  • Spectators should not applaud players, errors, heckle players or call balls in or out (even if asked to do so).
  • Players should avoid grunting or making other loud noises.

Don’t try to win the warm up.

  • A player should make a special effort to hit his shots directly to his opponent at moderate pace to warm up all regular shots (forehand & back and, ground strokes & volleys, overhead).
  • Warm up serves should be taken before starting play. Returns of warm up serves should be hit to the opponent.

Be considerate when retrieving or returning balls.

  • If a ball from your court goes onto another court, wait for a break in play on that court (and any courts between you and the court where the ball stops) and then politely ask for the players on that court to return the ball. If the ball presents a danger to a player, alert them immediately.
  • Return balls that come onto your court to the back of the court, at a break in play on that court.
  • If a ball comes into your court and disturbs your game, call a let and replay the point.

The prime objective in making calls is accuracy.

  • A player calls shots landing in or aimed at his side of the court.
  • All out, let or fault calls should be made promptly.
  • Any doubt must be resolved in favour of the opponent. Any ball that cannot be called out with certainty is considered to have been good.
  • A player should call against himself any ball (except a first serve) he sees clearly out, regardless of whether he is requested to do so.
  • A player should acknowledge promptly if a ball touches him, he touches the net, he double hits a ball, if the ball bounces twice or if he hits the ball before it crosses the net.
  • A player may ask his opponent “Are you sure of your call?” If the player acknowledges any doubt he loses the point.
  • If a call is changed from out to good the point is only replayed if the out ball was put into play. A player shall not put into play or hit over the net an obvious fault.

Know the Code

Please review the full OTA Code of Conduct for tournament and league play

Code of Conduct reprinted with the kind permission of the Ontario Tennis Association.