Educational Opportunity-Debunking Ratings Myths and Rumors, Wednesday, April 24, 2024, 9pm

• REMINDERS & ANNOUNCEMENTS
• NEWS FLASH: All Local League Coordinators now have expanded TennisLink access and can handle the following:
• Correct scoresheets on TennisLink
• Assign/reassign captains/co-captains
• Update TennisLink with match reschedules
• Players MUST be registered before the scheduled match time, no exceptions
• It’s a violation of National Regulations and subject to the suspension system point system
• If there’s an agreement to play courts later:
• please report scores for courts played,
• marking postponed court(s) as Double Default(s), do not list players.
• When courts are played, email LLC with match number & results so TennisLink can be updated.
• Matches must be reported as they are played to keep DQ report accurate

USTA PLAYER EDUCATIONAL OPPORTUNITY 2024

Debunking Ratings Myths and Rumors

What NTRP does?

• Uses USTA play history and current match results to generate player Dynamic and Year End ratings
• Effectively assigns player levels after only a few matches
• Becomes more accurate with more match results

What NTRP does NOT do?

• Identify ‘tanking’ or other forms of score manipulation
• No mathematical definition of tanking
• Throw out good matches, if we tried to identify ‘tanked’ matches
• Work in progress, always talking about ways to determine tanking
• Change dramatically
• Impact teams
• Adult levels don’t change dramatically
• Small, incremental changes
• Publish more than once a year
• Disruptive to team structure
• Changes focus from role of rating in Leagues-districts
• Hard
• Publish ratings to the hundredths position (question asked/answered)
• Too disruptive to league play, player comparison, difficult captain decisions

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How does it work?

• Rating(s) before a match
• Predicts outcome
• Analyzes actual outcome
• Adjusts ratings
• Dynamics(4)
• Year-End(3) Win/loss record
• Play history Playing up
• Partner rating and status (self-rated) Intentional loss
• Opponent rating and status
• Start rates
• Included results (Midwest Section 18&O, 40&O, 55&O, 65&O, Tri Level)
• Moving up and down/Partners

DQs and Appeals

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• What is DQ?
• Why do we have DQ’s?
• How does someone get DQ’d
• Computer generated strikes
• Who can be DQ’d?
• Who cannot be DQ’d?
• What happens when a player is DQ’d?
• Section specific
• Midwest reverses wins in current season or Championship

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Appeals

• Self-rate appeals
• Evaluated by a volunteer committee
• A granted self-rate appeal doesn’t exclude player from dynamic disqualification
• Automatic appeals
• Online, based on most recent year-end rating
• Once denied, decision won’t change until new year-end rating is published
• Medical appeals
• Not meant for a player to convalesce at a lower level
• Must be a permanently, disabling condition
• Age-related appeals-see next slide

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Age Related Appeals

• In most (younger) cases, player must have been moved up at year-end.
• Any player who is clearly above level under the applicable Computer Methodology procedures, as define in the Glossary, will be denied an appeal of his or her year-end rating under 2.05E(1), 2.05E(2) and 2.05E(3).
• NTRP Dynamic Disqualification procedures as outlined in 2.04B(3) apply.
• Again, players who receive an age-related appeal ARE subject to Dynamic Disqualification.
• Finally, age-related appeal info has been removed

from National Regulations but still exist.

Age Related Appeals (continued)�in most (younger) cases, player must have been moved up……�

2.05E Age–Related Appeals of Players 60 or Over. A player may appeal their rating at any time if they have reached the minimum age. 

2.05E(1) Any player who is 60 to 64 years of age or older prior to, or during, the calendar year in which such player plays his or her first local league match and has achieved the same rating level or lower for his or her three most recent year-end ratings, without benefit of an age-related appeal of the player’s year-end rating level, if promoted will automatically be granted an appeal (A rating) of their current rating back to their previous valid year-end rating level, subject to 2.05E(5) below. NTRP Dynamic Disqualification procedures as outlined in 2.04B(3) apply. 

2.05E(2) Any player who is 65 to 69 years of age and has not been granted an age-related appeal of their year-end rating level in the last three years, if promoted, will automatically be granted an appeal (A rating) of their current rating back to their previous valid year-end rating level, subject to 2.05E(5) below. NTRP Dynamic Disqualification procedures as outlined in 2.04B(3) apply. 

2.05E(3) Any player who is 70 to 79 years of age and has not been granted an age-related appeal of their year-end rating level in the last three years, will automatically be granted an appeal (A rating) of their current rating to the next lower level, subject to 2.05E(5) below. NTRP Dynamic Disqualification procedures as outlined in 2.04B(3) apply. 

2.05E(4) Any player who is age 80 or older and has not been granted an age-related appeal of their year-end rating level in the last five years, will automatically be granted an appeal (A rating) of their current rating to the next lower level. NTRP Dynamic Disqualification procedures as outlined in 2.04B(3) apply. 2.05E(5) Any player who is clearly above level under the applicable Computer Methodology procedures, as defined in the Glossary, will be denied an appeal of his or her year-end rating under 2.05E(1), 2.05E(2) and 2.05E(3). 

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Rating Types & Expiration

• Self-rate
• Player is new to USTA Adult Leagues,
• Player completes self-rate questionnaire,
• Receives self-rate based on these answers,
• see General & Experienced Player Guidelines, aka, THE CHART:

https://www.usta.com/content/dam/usta/pdfs/10013_experience_player_ntrp_guidelines.pdf

• Self-rate expires 2 years, to the date of self-rating (not year-end)
• Year-end, Computer Rating
• Good for 3 years, except for players 60+
• Year-end, computer rating expires at year-end
• Year-end, computer rates for players 60+ expire at year-end, in 2 years
• Mixed and Tournament Ratings
• Mixed rating is granted for players who play exclusively in Mixed Leagues,
• Players with M rating must self-rate to play in USTA Adult Leagues
• Tournament rating is granted for players who play exclusively in Tournaments,
• Players with T rating must self-rate to play in USTA Adult Leagues

All matches competitive? Or Compatible?

• 3.5 Player means a player may be 3.01……3.25……..3.50
• There are 50 levels within an NTRP rating
• Why am I not moving up? I win at 1^st Singles or 1^st Doubles
• You may be at the top of the rating level, beating players lower than you
• What can you do?
• You need to beat players who are higher rated than you, how?
• Play up a level
• How do I know if a player is higher rated than me?
• Unfortunately, you don’t, but
• You can check World Tennis Number (WTN) for you, your partners and your opponents.
• See more on WTN later

OTHER Rating Sites?

• Tennis Record (old TLS)
• A daily rating, in hundredths
• Does NOT have USTA algorithms, daily dynamic and year-end
• 40-60% incorrect, out of level
• Doesn’t have all the Sectional specifics on what matches are included
• Scraping data from USTA
• Tempting but not reliable, bunny slipper basement dwelling
• UTR
• This is a tennis technology system that runs events and offers ratings
• Different segment than USTA
• Founded through college tennis
• precise algorithm for high performance juniors and collegiate

ITF World Tennis Number�

• Not a competitor of USTA’s NTRP, but rather a partner with USTA
• Went live June 2022, updates weekly
• A Global scale, regardless of age, gender or ability
• Includes league play from 2016, directly from USTA
• Has a Singles number and a Doubles number
• Range of 40-1, the lower the number, the higher the player
• Find your Game Zone
• Track your progress through the year while you wait for year-end rating

Top 3 Myths

• All of my matches should be competitive
• My win/loss record is factored into my rating
• Playing up or giving games to my opponents are good ways to manage my rating level

DLC’s Reminders to ALL players

• A polite reminder to all captains AND players to be POLITE
• Read the local rules and Friend at Court (The Code)
• 25 seconds between points, allow time to retrieve ball but no stalling, server’s pace
• 90 seconds on change overs, from the final hit of the game to the first hit of the next game
• but no ‘break’ after first game of a set, 90 seconds after 3^rd game, quick drink of water ok, no sitting
• 2 minutes between sets
• NO timing of restroom breaks, players are able to use the restroom when needed, between sets is best but on a changeover is ok
• Try timing yourself on changeovers, 90 seconds is a very long time, most players only take 30-45 seconds so when 90 seconds is taken, opponents get frustrated
• Foot faults should NOT be called in the absence of a trained Official, assigned to work an event
• You can politely warn the other player, but don’t you dare take a point
• Be reasonable when assessing late penalties
• Be courteous when you know you will have to Default a court(s)
• Be Kind, we are paying to play
• Be grateful, playing in the Ohio Valley District is the best in the Midwest Section and the Midwest Section is also the best

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And finally, some info for GCTA players

• First, know GCTA is no longer running summer USTA leagues and Flex Format Singles in Columbus
• Summer USTA is now coordinated by Columbus Area Indoor Tennis Association who runs Fall and Winter USTA
• GCTA runs a comprehensive, local summer leagues in Columbus
• GCTA uses USTA’s NTRP system to provide competitive leagues with competitive & compatible matches
• GCTA players who do not participate in USTA Adult Leagues are required to self-rate according to The Chart mentioned earlier
• Self-ratings expire 2 years to the rating date (not year-end)
• It’s possible for a self-rating to expire anytime during the GCTA season
• GCTA players who do not play in USTA Adult Leagues won’t see any changes in their ratings
• If a GCTA player participates in at least 3 USTA Adult League matches, he/she will receive a year-end, computer rating, good for 3 years from the year-end it was published
• And while, USTA would love to have GCTA players participate in Adult Leagues, I am not shamelessly plugging USTA Adult Leagues, but rather trying to share information with GCTA players so they understand the NTRP rating system.

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Final thoughts……….. ��Always go to your Local League Coordinator first (In Columbus, please go to your club USTA rep first, then the corresponding LLC for the league):��Ohio Valley has a newly designed website which includes pages for Charleston, Cincinnati, Columbus and Dayton.��www.ohiovalley.usta.com��For National Regulation questions/interpretation, District Championship questions, ratings questions, please contact DLC, ovtaleagues@gmail.com, 937-886-8633 (☺ no texts, this is a landline ☺)�Please DO NOT use my personal cell phone (I only use it during Championships & for my convenience).��How can you help? Become a USTA Official! �Just ask me how! Train online, work when you want, get paid AND appreciate this difficult job!!��