Return to Play Guidance

From today, Monday 29th March, we are able to play tennis once more at Shipston Tennis Club as the Government release some of the restrictions. The latest guidance from the LTA is as follows:

(Updated 9th April).

UPDATE: Step 2 Guidance (9 April)

Following the publication by DCMS yesterday afternoon of its detailed Step 2 guidance for grassroots sport ahead of England moving to the next stage of the roadmap on Monday, we have now published updates to our detailed Covid-19 Secure guidance documents for tennis players, venues, coaches and officials.

The Step 2 guidance applies from Monday 12 April, with the key changes from Step 1 being:

More indoor tennis activity permitted (including group activity for under 18s, 1:1 coaching for adults and children, and same household/bubble singles and doubles social play)
Changing rooms can be opened (but advice is still to minimise use and arrive ready to play/shower at home where possible)
Venues can small outdoor events such as open days
Outdoor hospitality can resume (rule of six applies)
Travel to and from Wales is permitted (be aware there are different restrictions for playing tennis in Wales). It is anticipated that travel to and from Scotland will be permitted on or shortly after 26 April

You can download the summary grid and full guidance documents for tennis players, venues, coaches and officials via the button links below.

Step 2 Indoor Restrictions: LTA Statement

The LTA is disappointed that the Government has decided that socially distanced individual sports like tennis and badminton are unable to resume indoors for adults from different households under the Step 2 restrictions. From this same date, individuals will be able to circulate in proximity in shops and other indoor locations, however they will not be able to play singles tennis.

While we understand the priority needs to remain on preventing the spread of the virus, we believe that tennis is a fundamentally safe and naturally socially distanced activity in comparison to a trip to the shops or hairdressers, with it taking place on a court of over 500m2 with a net as a physical barrier between players. Preventing adult indoor singles from taking place is therefore an unnecessary restriction at a time when every extra week that venues can book out courts will help them repair some of the damages to their finances they have experienced through the pandemic, and when the importance of the nation getting back to being active has never been greater.

The LTA remains in dialogue with the Government and has requested that the decision be reviewed to ensure that singles tennis for adults can resume indoors as soon as possible, in line with other leisure activities.

Government Roadmap for easing of lockdown restrictions

The Government has published a roadmap for the gradual and staged easing of lockdown restrictions in England, made possible by the pace of the vaccination programme. Restrictions will be eased across all areas of England at the same time.

We have produced a simple summary grid outlining what the various steps of the roadmap means for tennis activity, which can be downloaded via the link below. The document includes a provisional grid for each of the four steps of the roadmap, and will continue to be updated as and when we receive confirmation of further detail from Government and Sport England on the restrictions that will be in place for future steps of the roadmap.

Permitted Tennis Activity

Where activity is listed as permitted, this may still be subject to additional restrictions and protocols – tennis venues, coaches, players and officials should refer to the LTA’s full COVID-19 Secure detailed guidance documents published below.

LTA Covid-19 Secure Guidance Documents for Tennis Venues, Coaches, Officials & Players (updated 9 April)

To accompany the summary grid and following the publication by the Government this week of detailed guidance, we have updated our full LTA Covid-19 Secure guidance documents for tennis venues, coaches, officials and players to support the continued safe return to play under Step 2 of the roadmap. You can download these documents via the links below:

Further guidance relating to Step 2 of the roadmap is provided in Sport England’s FAQs.

Return to Play Guidance