The TMC in tennis, or Multi-Chances Tournament, is based on a principle that sets it apart from any classic competition: an eliminated player is not definitively out of the draw. This format, governed by the French Tennis Federation, redistributes chances during the tournament. To understand what this concretely changes in the journey of an amateur competitor, one must examine its rules, its limits by category, and its recent developments.
TMC quotas by club and by series: the ceilings to know
Clubs cannot organize as many TMCs as they wish. The league sets ceilings that vary according to the series concerned, with a systematic distinction between Men’s and Women’s events.
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| Series | Men’s TMC (max/club) | Women’s TMC (max/club) | Total max/club |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2nd series | 1 | 1 | 2 |
| 3rd series | 2 | 2 | 4 |
| 4th series | 3 | 3 | 6 |
These figures, derived from the specifications of the Hauts-de-France League for the 2026 season, show a progressive quota: the lower the series, the more slots the club has. The logic is clear: players in the 4th series, often less sought after by traditional sanctioned tournaments, benefit from an expanded offer.
To find the meaning of tmc on Bonjour Sportif, these ceilings provide a good starting point before registering for a local competition.
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On the other hand, clubs in the 2nd series only have one TMC per category, making each edition more selective from an organizational standpoint.
Multi-chances format: what happens after a defeat
In a classic tournament, defeat means elimination. The TMC works differently: a defeated player is placed in another draw where they face opponents who have also lost. This mechanism can repeat depending on the size of the draw, offering two or three “lives” during the same tournament.
The result: a competitor registered in a TMC plays more matches than they would in a traditional knockout tournament. For a player in the 3rd or 4th series, this can mean the difference between a single match on Saturday morning and three matches spread over the weekend.
Participation conditions
The events are primarily intended for Senior and Senior+ players, but the 15/16 years and 17/18 years categories can also participate. This partial opening to young players is still governed by the specifications of each league.
- FFT license with “Competition authorized” mention required, as for any sanctioned tournament
- Registration via the Ten’Up platform, which also centralizes the consultation of draws and results
- Compliance with the entry periods set by each departmental committee (two windows per season in most leagues)
Simple mixed TMC: an evolution that changes the ranking
Since 2023, the FFT has approved a variant called simple mixed TMC. Players ranked in men’s draws and players ranked in women’s draws appear together in the same draw, with a single level of ranking points.
This formula changes the game for small clubs struggling to fill two separate draws. It also alters the usual logic of gender-based rankings: points earned in mixed events count towards the official ranking of the player, regardless of the gender of the opponent faced.
Conversely, in a classic (non-mixed) TMC, points are only counted in the corresponding gendered draw. The mixed TMC thus represents a tool for competitive diversity more frequently found in clubs, not just a regulatory adjustment.
Role of the TMC in the FFT’s short formats policy
The TMC does not operate in isolation. The Federation integrates it into a broader strategy of reduced-time competitions, alongside matches in sets of 4 games or pool formats. The stated goal: to offer competitions compatible with clubs that have few courts or cater to a leisure-oriented audience.
An identified lever for 11-14 year-olds
Several leagues (Hauts-de-France, Grand Est) position the TMC as a tool for retaining young competitors, particularly in the 11-14 age group. The reasoning is based on a simple observation: a young player who loses their first match at 9 AM and goes home at 10 AM will not return the following week.
- The TMC guarantees several matches per registration, justifying the travel for families
- The friendly atmosphere required by the specifications (careful welcome, parallel activities) aims to go beyond the strictly competitive framework
- Organizers must offer “more than a tennis tournament,” according to the official wording of the Hauts-de-France League
Approval requests go exclusively through ADOC (the FFT’s online tool) and are managed by the departmental committees. Each committee sets its own entry periods, meaning that deadlines vary from one department to another. For the 2026 season in Hauts-de-France, two windows are planned: from May 20 to June 23, 2025 for the first semester TMCs, and from January 12 to February 17, 2026 for those in the second semester.
The TMC remains a format whose scope goes beyond simple draw adjustments. Its structuring by quotas, its recent opening to mixed participation, and its integration into the FFT’s short formats make it a tool for regulating amateur competition, tailored for profiles that do not fit into traditional knockout tournaments.