Overview

The Atlantic Cup was conceived in 1992 to promote inter-city league competition and friendship. This friendly annual event consists of singles and doubles round-robin play. The Atlantic Cup has traditionally been contested among east coast gay tennis clubs and currently includes the representatives of New York (Metropolitan Tennis Group), D.C. (Capital Tennis Association), Philadelphia (Philadelphia Liberty Tennis Association) and Boston (Tennis 4 All).

The competition was most recently held in NYC in 2018 with the team from Washington DC taking the cup home for the fourth consecutive year.

Recent Atlantic Cup Results

Thr 2019 Atlantic Cup was won by host city Boston, who finally wrested the Cup away from DC after (too) many years. MTG came in second place.

MTG Atlantic Cup Selection Process

Each year, MTG competes against Boston, DC and Philadelphia for the coveted Atlantic Cup. The four cities do their best to bring their finest players to the event, and in an effort to maintain fairness, the tournament site rotates between the four cities from year to year.

Depending on the level of MTG interest, it is sometimes very difficult to select which players make the team, who their alternates will be, and which players will be asked to try-out again next time. Below is a list of criteria that the MTG Atlantic Cup Committee uses to fill their rosters:

• It is a requirement that all players are MTG members and have competed in at least 2 MTG events that year. MTG events include singles parties, doubles parties, the Summer Ladder, the Winter Doubles League, and the Marsha Day Club Championships. (As a point of clarification, if players only attended two doubles parties, they are eligible.
  
• It is nearly impossible for the Atlantic Cup committee to analyze player wins at singles and doubles parties, but the committee members will indeed look at Winter Doubles League, the Summer Ladder, the Marsha Day Club Championships, GLTA, and USTA results in an effort to create their line-ups. Please note: Several factors will be considered in selecting players and an event win does not guarantee a spot on the Atlantic Cup roster.
  
• Each year, the Atlantic Cup committee will hold try-outs. If players are unable to attend tryouts, the committee will take into account their results from the events mentioned above. It is imperative that players who have not participated in many of the MTG events attend tryouts so that the committee can evaluate their level of play.
  
• The Atlantic Cup Committee has the right to exercise discretion where they see fit. Sometimes there are extenuating circumstances, and the committee will contact any players who are affected by this prior to team selection.
  
• Past Atlantic Cup participation will be taken into consideration during the selection process. The Atlantic Cup Committee will view players’ previous results, as well as their dedication to the event. Players who exhibited poor team sportsmanship and/or forfeited matches from previous Atlantic Cups may have a difficult time making the team.
  
• Once the team is selected, there will be a series of team practices to determine the specific matches that players will play, as well as who the alternates will be. All players will be notified of their positions in a mass email once the committee has finalized their selections.

It’s important that all MTG members understand that while winning the Atlantic Cup is MTG’s hope each year; it is most important to make sure that the team is cohesive and unified. We are all a part of this organization because we love tennis, but also because we love our community and want to support it.

Let’s put together a COMPETITIVE and COHESIVE MTG team for the NEXT Atlantic Cup!