Thirty ways to run a tennis or padel tournament.

The classic bracket format where one loss means you're out - fast, dramatic, and perfect for crowning a champion.

Pick this if you want a clear champion and your court time is limited.

Players need to lose twice before they're out - a forgiving bracket that gives everyone a second chance.

Pick this if one bad day should not end anyone's tournament.

First-round losers get a second bracket of their own - ensuring everyone plays at least two matches.

Pick this if nobody should drive to the club for a single match.

An eight-direction bracket where every player is guaranteed multiple matches - winners go East, losers go West, and everyone keeps playing.

Pick this if you have exactly 8 or 16 players and a whole day to fill.

Winners play winners, losers play losers - every player gets a final ranking and nobody goes home early.

Pick this if you want every player ranked, first to last.

Every player faces every other player - the fairest format for small groups, where the best record wins.

Pick this if your group is small and fairness matters more than drama.

Round robin groups for fairness, then a knockout bracket for drama - the best of both worlds.

Pick this if you want guaranteed matches AND a final worth watching.

Small round-robin groups that run over weeks - play at your own pace, then get promoted or relegated based on results.

Pick this if you want competition that runs for weeks around real life.

Players are ranked on a ladder and challenge those above them to move up - a continuous, self-organising competition that runs year-round.

Pick this if you want an always-on ladder that runs itself.

A wider base narrows to a single player at the top - challenge upward to climb, with more opponents available the higher you go.

Pick this if you like the ladder idea but want more ways to climb.

Partners change every round so everyone plays with everyone - the ultimate social doubles format.

Pick this if the point is for members to play with everyone.

The ultimate social format - partners rotate every round, everyone plays with and against everyone, and individual points decide the winner.

Pick this if it is a social night and everyone should play with everyone.

Like Americano, but matchups adapt in real time - the better you play, the tougher your opponents, keeping every match competitive.

Pick this if abilities vary wildly and every match should still be close.

Americano or Mexicano with a twist - every pair is always one man and one woman, perfect for mixed doubles events.

Pick this if you want gender-balanced pairs all evening.

Fixed pairs compete as a team throughout the tournament, rotating opponents each round - great when players want to stick with their partner.

Pick this if your players already have partners they want to keep.

Winners stay on, challengers rotate in - a fast, high-energy format with zero downtime and maximum spectator fun.

Pick this if you have one court, a queue, and 90 minutes.

Courts are ranked from top to bottom - win and you move up, lose and you drop down. The pair on the top court at the end wins it all.

Pick this if you have three or more courts and want visible promotion.

Champions hold each court and challengers queue up to take them on - the player who wins the most games across all courts by the final whistle takes the crown.

Pick this if lots of people are coming and going and admin must be nil.

Players face opponents with similar records each round - no one is eliminated, and accurate rankings emerge from surprisingly few rounds.

Pick this if the field is big, nobody should be knocked out, and you have software.

A bracket where nobody is eliminated - win and you play higher, lose and you play lower, until everyone has a final ranking.

Pick this if you want a full ranking from the fewest possible rounds.

Stronger players give weaker players a head start - levelling the playing field so anyone can win on the day.

Pick this if you want every member entering, not just the first team.

Four rules for faster tennis: first to 4 games, tiebreak at 3-all, no-ad scoring, and no service lets. Halves the time of a traditional match.

Pick this if you need matches to finish in under an hour.

One long set to 8 (or 10) games decides the match - quicker than best-of-3 but still feels like a proper contest.

Pick this if you want a real contest that still fits in one court booking.

Play for a fixed duration (e.g. 30 or 45 minutes) and the player ahead when time runs out wins - ideal for keeping multi-round events on schedule.

Pick this if the schedule is the constraint and it cannot slip.

Every rally wins a point, every point counts - play to 16, 24, or 32 and forget about games and sets entirely.

Pick this if you want scoring nobody has to explain twice.

Your club's most prestigious event - a season-long or weekend competition to crown the official club champion across multiple categories.

Pick this if it is your club's flagship event of the year.

No commitment, no pressure - turn up, get assigned partners, play a few short rounds, and meet other members.

Pick this if the goal is members meeting members, not a winner.

Short matches, fun rules, and creative scoring - designed for young players and beginners to experience competition in a low-pressure environment.

Pick this if the players are young and everyone should go home with something.

Club vs club - fielding your best players across multiple courts for bragging rights and league points.

Pick this if you are playing another club for bragging rights.

Part workout, part competition - high-intensity drills and games scored on effort as much as winning.

Pick this if your members turn up for the workout as much as the win.