Tennis Saskatchewan Return to Safe Play Guidelines, Tips and Club/Facility Protocols

If you wish to play tennis, make sure that you follow the below recommendations:

BEFORE YOU PLAY

• Make sure that your city or region allows tennis play based on the government authorities’ criteria for the progressive lifting of confinement measures and that your municipality permits the use of tennis courts.
• Inform yourself on the rules and recommendations of your Provincial Tennis Association.
• Do not play if you or your playing partner:
  • Exhibit any coronavirus symptoms, such as a fever, cough, difficulty breathing, or other symptoms identified by health experts.
  • Have been in contact with someone with COVID-19 in the last 14 days.
  • Are considered vulnerable or at risk (elderly individuals, immunosuppressed persons, individuals suffering from serious health problems, notably high blood pressure, pulmonary diseases, diabetes, obesity and asthma).

PREPARING TO PLAY

Protect yourself against infections:

• Wash your hands with disinfectant soap and water for at least 20 seconds before going to a tennis court.
• Bring hand sanitizer.
• Clean your equipment, including your racquets and water bottles.
• Do not share equipment with your playing partner.
• Make sure you have enough water before leaving the house to avoid having to touch a tap or water fountain handle.
• Consider wearing a mask or gloves while playing.
• If you cough or sneeze, do so in a tissue or in your sleeve.
• Avoid touching door handles, gates, benches and all other objects where the virus could survive. If you touch something, make sure to wash your hands and disinfect the surface you have touched.

WHILE PLAYING

• Respect distancing of 2-metres with other players at all times, including when you come on and off the court.
• Avoid all physical contact, for example shaking hands, with other players.
• Avoid touching your face after manipulating a ball, racquet or when you hit the ball to another player.
• Because it is still unknown if the virus can live on a tennis ball, use two cans of balls with distinct numbers or identify your balls with a marker in order to be able to differentiate them and only handle the balls that are yours.
• Avoid sharing food, drinks and towels.
• As much as possible, use your racquet and your foot to pick up the balls of to send a ball to another player.

AFTER PLAYING

• Wash your hands carefully with water and disinfectant soap or with hand sanitizer.
• Do not use locker rooms or changing areas.
• Leave the court immediately after you finish playing.

In light of a gradual return to playing tennis across the country, Tennis Canada / Saskatchewan is issuing its recommendations for club administrators, coaches and anyone organizing tennis-related activities.

With a situation that evolves each day and differs in different provinces, regions and municipalities, Tennis Canada / Saskatchewan believes that it is the responsibility of the people organizing tennis-related activities to evaluate the possibility of providing a safe environment for players. Here are a few measures and precautions to take before organizing a tennis activity.

ORGANIZING A TENNIS ACTIVITY IN YOUR FACILITY

• The activity must always comply with social distancing measures and recommendations issued by federal, provincial and municipal authorities, including the arrival and departure of players.
• The activity should comply with the rules and recommendations issued by your Provincial Tennis Association.
• Make sure to stagger booking times between different court rentals to create a buffer between sessions and avoid an overlap of players on the court.
• When possible, online reservations and payments are recommended. Otherwise, payments using a card are strongly recommended.
• Limit all occasions for gatherings by making all communal or public areas in your facility inaccessible.
• Limit yourself to the minimum number of employees required to operate.
• Communicate all hygiene measures in advance to all your participants.
• Provide your employees with masks, gloves and all other protective items and ensure that each member of your staff washes their hands regularly.
• Keep a record of all participants who come in, so that you can contact them if needed, for example, if an infected person should use your facility.
• Ask players under the age of 18 for a written consent from a parent/guardian authorizing them to participate in their tennis session.

ENCOURAGE SOCIAL DISTANCING

• Encourage participants to respect social distancing of 2 metres, recommended by government authorities and Public Health.
• Put in place measures to limit contact between participants and employees.
• Recommend that only one parent/guardian accompany a junior player.

PROVIDE A CLEAN AND SAFE ENVIRONMENT

Clubs and sporting facilities must have operational security procedures in place during the crisis related to COVID-19. These procedures must also be well displayed and communicated to all users.

• Delimit closed areas or the ones where a maximum number of people is required.
• Use markings on the ground to indicate proper distancing from employees, for example at the reception.
• Frequently clean all surfaces, including counters, door handles, benches, toilets, etc.
• All chairs and tables in communal areas must be inaccessible or removed to avoid all gatherings.
• All doors accessible to the public must remain open to avoid contact with door handles.
• All score cards must be removed.
• Soap or hand sanitizer must be made available to all participants in various locations throughout the facility.
• Regularly remind and encourage participants to wash their hands and adopt proper hygiene practices.
• Limit access to the locker rooms as much as possible.
• Only accept payments by card.
• Close all water fountains and ask that all players bring their own refreshments.

COACHING

• To ensure distancing of 2 metres between players, group lessons should be limited to small groups.
• As much as possible, coaches must try to remain on the same court and adjust their schedules in order to stay on-site for the minimum amount of time required.
• Position players in designated and well spaced-out stations.
• Exercises that require continuous play are recommended, as opposed to ones that require the use of an entire basket of balls.
• Limit the use of equipment such as cones and targets.
• Do not let players manipulate the practice equipment. Coaches should take charge of picking up the balls.
• Encourage players to use their racquet or their foot to push balls back.

TENNIS BALLS

• Exercise caution with tennis balls and ask players to avoid touching them. While there is still no evidence as to whether the virus can live on a tennis ball, we do know that contamination through respiratory droplets from one infected person to another can potentially survive on surfaces for up to three days.
• Try to restrict balls to one particular group, court or even day of the week. We invite you to identify them with a marker.
• Immediately replace all balls if a player is suspected to have been infected by COVID-19.
• Consider spraying tennis balls with a disinfectant spray after a session. The use of new balls on a regular basis is strongly recommended.

RESOURCES FOR TENNIS PLAYERS

• Tips and recommendations for players

RESOURCES FOR CLUB ADMINISTRATORS, COACHES AND TENNIS ORGANIZERS

• Tips and recommendations for club administrators, coaches, and tennis organizers
• Tips and recommendations infograph
• Poster for locker rooms
• Reminder to wash hands for 20 seconds
• Distancing marker