SSV Tennis

What SSV Tennis does

SSV Tennis is a privately held tennis rating and tournament organization founded by Neil Johnson in 1973, operating from Escondido, California. The company is built around its patented SSV Tennis Rating System, an objective on-court skill test that measures forehands, backhands, volleys, serves, and mobility, assigning each player a score between 0 and 200. This rating enables ability-based matchmaking in weekly round-robin tournaments that the company runs in San Diego, Los Angeles, Orange County, Texas, Arizona, and Florida through a network of 50-plus affiliated tennis clubs and certified pros.

The core product suite comprises the SSV Tennis Rating System, the SSV Grand Prix (weekly round-robin tournaments with seasonal points rankings), the SSV Cup (Davis Cup-style team competition launched in 2025), Teen Tennis Events for ages 13+, and the SSV International Challenge (a free global basic skills competition for ages 8-12 launching in 2026). Supporting infrastructure includes a web-based Player Portal for event registration and a Pro/Coach Portal for club administration and rating entry. The company has no mobile app, no public API, and no disclosed AI or machine-learning capabilities.

Revenue is generated through tournament entry fees ($35-$65 per player depending on region and family size), recurring club registration fees for Official SSV Rating Centers, and pro/coach certification programs. Go-to-market is community-driven: tennis pros and coaches refer students, host clubs promote SSV events to their members, and parent word-of-mouth grows participation. The company has a 5-person team, no external institutional funding, and operates as an independent business under founder ownership.

Name

SSV Tennis

Legal name

SSV Tennis

Website

https://ssvtennis.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1973

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

SSV Tennis operates a patented 0-200 skill rating system and weekly round-robin tournaments for junior and adult players across Southern California, Texas, Arizona, and Florida, delivered through a network of 50-plus affiliated clubs and certified coaches.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Tennis Skill Rating & Tournament Services

NAICS

Fitness and Recreational Sports Centers (71394)

SIC

Services-Membership Sports & Recreation Clubs (7997), Services-Miscellaneous Amusement & Recreation (7990)

akta.pro primary industry

Tennis Leagues & Team Competitions (MPAKAAAJ)

akta.pro secondary industry

Tennis & Racquet Sports Clubs (Tennis, Padel, Pickleball, Squash) (MPAKABAF)

Keywords

• Tennis rating system
• Tennis tournament services
• Tennis skill assessment
• Tennis club network
• Tennis player development

Headquarters

HQ city

Escondido

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Tournament Entry Fees: Players pay entry fees to participate in weekly round-robin tournaments. Fees vary by location: San Diego $65/person ($60 if multiple from same family), Orange County $35/person ($30 for family).
2. Club Registration: Tennis clubs and coaches register to become Official SSV Tennis Rating Centers, gaining access to the SSV system, pro pages, online rankings, and support materials.
3. Pro/Coach Certification: SSV offers Silver and Gold certificates for pros/coaches who are certified to administer SSV ratings and run tournaments independently.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

SSV Tennis operates an objective on-court tennis rating system (US Patent, originally filed in 1973) that scores players on a 0-200 scale based on nine ball-striking skills, and runs weekly round-robin tournaments where players are matched by ability rather than age or gender. These services are delivered through a network of affiliated tennis clubs and certified coaches across Southern California (San Diego, Los Angeles, Orange County) and Texas.

Product overview

SSV Tennis offers a comprehensive tennis rating and competition ecosystem built around its patented SSV Tennis Rating System (0-200 scale) developed by Neil Johnson in 1973. The core platform includes the SSV Tennis Rating System for objective player assessment and the SSV Grand Prix for weekly competitive events. The product suite extends with SSV Cup (team-based Davis Cup-style competition), Teen Tennis Events (13+), and the SSV International Challenge (global skills competition). Supporting infrastructure includes the SSV Pro/Coach Portal for club management and player administration, and the SSV Player Portal for tournament registration and results tracking. The company operates across San Diego, Los Angeles, Orange County, and San Antonio through a network of 50+ affiliated clubs.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Quantifiable outcome

• Division I players (UCLA, USC) score SSV 170; national average for varsity high school players is SSV 120
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers13 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Eight partnerships are on record, tiered core and major.

• Southern California Tennis Association (SCTA)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSCTA, led by Executive Director Bruce Hunt, officially recognizes SSV as a viable system for rating players. Bruce Hunt has written endorsements recommending SSV to USTA organizations for skill-level based competition.
• USTA (United States Tennis Association)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerUSTA awarded Neil Johnson the Service Award for Grassroots Junior Tennis in 2017, recognizing SSV's contribution to junior tennis development.
• 50+ Tennis Clubs in Southern CaliforniacoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorNetwork of clubs including Newport Beach Tennis Club, Braemar Country Club, Mulholland Tennis Club, Balboa Tennis Club, Del Mar Country Club, and 45+ others that host SSV events and rate players.
• T Oaks Tennis (San Antonio, TX)coreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorTexas club with 117 junior players and 8 adult players in SSV system. Christina Lynch coordinates SSV events and testing at this location.
• Medina Valley High School (San Antonio, TX)majorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorHigh school partnership with 78 junior players and 60 adult players registered in SSV. Coach Joules Webb supports the program.
• Tim Schnaible (Match Tough Tennis Academy)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFormer coach to ATP pro Sam Querrey (ages 10-16); runs monthly SSV events at Warner Tennis Center and Balboa Tennis Center; promotes SSV to his junior students.
• NJTP (National Junior Tennis & Learning)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPhilip Siordia, NJTP Director, uses SSV to evaluate player progress. Tested players including one who achieved national ranking of 3 in his age division.
• USTA Junior Team TennismajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerSSV provides training for USTA Junior Team Tennis programs; helps teams use ability-based grouping for more competitive matches.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Tennis League Network: Operates organized tennis leagues and ladder competitions at clubs across the U.S. Competes with SSV for the same club-based, league-format tennis participation market with similar recurring tournament and membership models.
• Universal Tennis (UTR): Provider of a universal tennis rating system used across tournaments, coaching, and college recruiting. Direct competitor in tennis player rating and matchmaking, with broader digital platform adoption and USTA integration that SSV lacks.
• World Team Tennis (WTT): Team-based tennis league competition format with co-ed play, similar to SSV's newly launched SSV Cup. Operates at recreational and pro levels and competes for the same junior team tennis mindshare among clubs and families.

Emerging players

• PlayYourCourt: Tennis matchmaking and league platform that connects players of similar skill levels for matches and ladders. Comparable to SSV's ability-based matchmaking thesis but operates as a more digital, on-demand experience.
• CourtReserve: Tennis and pickleball club management software used by many of the same clubs that host SSV events. Adjacent partner that could either integrate SSV's rating system or build competing feature functionality within the same club workflow.

Broad incumbents

• Tennis Channel: Tennis-focused media and content platform with broadcast rights and tournament coverage. Touches the same tennis enthusiast audience but competes for attention rather than participation; useful benchmark for tennis-community monetization.
• USTA (United States Tennis Association): National governing body of tennis that runs its own junior team tennis, leagues, and NTRP rating system. SSV is explicitly positioned as an alternative to USTA's age/gender-based competition; SCTA and USTA endorsements suggest cooperative rather than purely competitive positioning.
• USTA Net Generation: USTA's grassroots junior tennis program that uses NTRP-style rating and sanctioned play formats. SSV's value proposition (ability-based matching) is explicitly framed as an alternative to this program, making it a direct upstream competitor for junior tennis participation.

Others

• TennisPoint: Large online tennis retailer selling equipment, apparel, and gear. Adjacent ecosystem participant rather than direct competitor — overlapping end customer (competitive junior players) but serving equipment rather than rating/competition needs.

Regional players

• Junior Tennis Champions Center (JTCC): Major regional junior tennis training and competition center on the East Coast. Comparable to SSV-affiliated academies in serving competitive junior players, but operates as a brick-and-mortar facility rather than a distributed rating/competition network.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/user/ssvtennis/videos?sort=p&flow=grid&view=0
• Facebookfacebook.com/SSV-Tennis-304746063032540
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/ssv-tennis

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about SSV Tennis