USPTA Certified Professionals must be at least 18 years old with a recommended 6 months of full-time teaching experience, pass the on-court and written portions of the exam, and complete Coach Youth Tennis. They should be able to organize and implement tennis programs, assist with and develop players, direct and/or assist with pro shop management and facility maintenance, conduct private and group lessons, and assist with tennis programs. Depending on the person’s experience, a USPTA Professional’s job description may range from assistant pro to head tennis professional. USPTA Professionals are required to earn 6 education credits every 3 years to maintain their membership.

To become a USPTA Certified Professional:

  1. Please fill out the application.
  2. Submit your nonrefundable application fee and prorated dues for the current year. Please note, dues are paid on an annual basis.
  3. Upon receipt of your application, your application fee, and prorated dues, you will receive an email within 24-48 business hours with the next steps for your certification along with all links to the certification requirements.
  4. All of the following components must be completed before your results will be mailed to you
    • Complete Safe Play training and background screening. Starting in 2019, all applicants must complete Safe Play training and a background check screening through Net Generation.
    • Complete the 7 courses of Coach Youth Tennis online.
    • On-court Assessment: Includes teaching a Private Lesson and Group Lesson and the 5 elements of stroke production: Forehand, Backhand, Volley, Serve, and Miscellaneous.
    • Online Education and Exams: PTCA1 course (option to take in person or online), 2-hour written exam, and 20-minute grips exam.
  5. You will be considered an Applicant Member with certain benefits until you pass the on-court portion with professional scores and meet all other certification requirements of the United States Professional Tennis Association. Please note: We will not send you your on-court test results until all certification requirements have been met.
  6. If you fail to pass any portion of the professional certification requirements, either on-court or online exams, you will be considered a Recreational Coach until the failed portion is retaken with a passing score. The application fee covers your first attempt at all online and on-court testing. There are fees associated with retaking any portion of the certification requirements, so you will have to reach out to the Membership Department to reset your access to online exams and/or get you on the test list to retake any on-court portions of certification.

Click HERE to begin the application.