Every tournament director has had to deal with the problems behind this curve, sometimes feeling the nervous uncertainty gnawing away in the stomach, whether there will also be financial suffering as a result. In this example, with 32% of the player registrations happening in the final week before the close of registrations, it can also be tricky to know how many courts to book and from when matches will start in some categories to name but two issues to handle. But the real problem is the impact it has on the number of player registrations. We almost all check out who else will be playing before we sign up, but there are many, who even base their decision to participate at all, on who else will be there. Finding a doubles partner can also be much easier, when there is a bigger pool to choose from early on.
FIR hopes to soften this issue from 2018 by introducing a EUR 10 tournament surcharge per player when registering in the last 4 weeks. The main goal is to serve as an incentive for players to at least put their name down early, without it necessarily costing them any more. Changes of registration, or withdrawals during these last 4 weeks will not incur a surcharge. So, you can decide on the last day to enter a doubles event or swap from +55 to +50, for example, but you had better make sure your name is on the list by Sunday evening a month before registrations close at the latest!
