Ratings

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RATINGS

2008 Ratings available for this year league play!

To file an appeal,

you will do this on TennisLink. Please enter your usta number into find a rating. You will then be able to appeal your computer generated rating right away. You will be informed within seconds of your appeal status.

For self-rate players; please be sure to appeal your rating as soon as you have completed the questionnaire. You need to be careful about this. If you miss appealing your self-rate on TennisLink; then please contact flight coordinator.

The only appeal to be filed by email is a medical one. Please download the form and email the DLC.

Understanding the mysterious Dynamic NTRP rating system for USTA

USTA League Tennis is an avenue to provide tennis players nationally an opportunity to play competitive matches. In order to accomplish this goal the Dynamic NTRP rating system was implemented in 2003. The system is purely mathematical. Although players tend to take their ratings personally, there is nothing personal about the system. It is simply crunching numbers after every match played, re-calculating a new number after every match.

Every player has an individual rating. Your rating reflects your level of ability. There is a broad range. Suppose you have a 4.0 rating. Your individual dynamic NTRP rating can be anywhere from 3.51 to 4.00 and it may fluctuate after every match played. The same range applies to all levels. Every match played in the adult, senior league counts. Super senior match results will be a part of generating a player's year-end rating (6.01D5). Mixed(unless a player is exclusively mixed-5.01D5) and combo league play do not enter into the calculations. The computer considers your rating, your partner’s rating, your opponent’s ratings, the match score and the closeness of the scores. The computer does not care if you win or lose, nor what court you are competing on, all courts count the same!

The computer is looking for “competitive” matches. A competitive match can have a broad range too. The score could be 6-3 5-7 1-0. The computer calculates this as 12-10. This is competitive. 6-4 6-4 is 12-8 also competitive. 6-1 6-2 is 12-3 could be competitive if your opponents have significantly lower ratings than you. It simply calculates games, not sets or match breakers. A match breaker is considered a game. It considers you and your partner’s ratings and weighs that against your opponent’s ratings, tosses in the total of games and recalculates everyone’s individual rating. If it is a competitive match and your opponents have similar ratings to yours, there may not be any movement in your new dynamic NTRP for that match. It does not necessarily move every match; it simply recalculates. The more matches played the greater the chance for movement.

Match results in championship play are used to establish bench marks. Bench marks do NOT mean that a player is at the top of the level in that NTRP level. A bench marked player simply played in a championship match and their rating could be anywhere within the range for that level (ex: 4.0 = 3.51 to 4.0).

When you use “find a rating” on TennisLink there is a code that you will see. Here is the explanation of that code.

S – self rated
SM – medical appeal – approved by the section.
A – appealed – rating appeal on TennisLink and approved.
B – bench mark – played in a championship round – does NOT mean top of level
BA – district level championship match played
BR – state level championship match played
BS - sectional level championship match played
BN - national level championship match played
C – computer
M – Mixed Exclusive Year-End rating
T – Tournament Exclusive Year-End rating

To learn more about the dynamic NTRP this is an excellent link:

http://www.usta.com/leagues/custom.sps?iType=930&icustompageid=1482

Remember this system was introduced to level the playing field nationally. The system does seem to be working although there are always going to be a few players that might be manipulating the system and temporarily slipping through the cracks. It is important to believe in/help maintain the integrity of the system and monitor such players. A grievance may be filed against the eligibility of a self-rated player. Instructions on this procedure can be found on our local NEOTA website: www.neoatl.com under forms. A grievance may NOT be filed on a player with a computer rating.

If a player is performing at a significantly higher level of play than their rating level, a strike is possible. Warnings or notices of strikes are not permitted by National league rules. Three strikes against a player and the player is promoted to the next level. If this happens, all matches played at the lower level are reversed. This can change the team match results and team standings. This is a National rule, new this year. Again, this is all done in an effort to even the playing field and keep the matches competitive at the appropriate levels. A self-rated player is most vulnerable to strikes; computer rated players are much less likely to receive a strike. This is more evidence that the dynamic NTRP rating system is working.

If you wish, you may file an appeal anytime online at TennisLink under Find a Rating. This process will only take a few minutes and you will have your answer. The Local league administrators have NO control over this system other than helping process an appeal (especially medical) based on strict mathematical guidelines and criteria set forth by the National USTA league administration.

Thank you in behalf of the NEOTA.

If you need or wish further information: please contact the USTA National league office.

Thank you to Vickie Medlar and Michael Sandercock for their contribution to this page.

Important information for all team captains and team members: Beginning with the 2008 league season - those ratings earned for play in any 2008 championship will not be appealable when the 2008 league season ratings are posted in November
of 2008.

This means that if your match that you have played is listed in the championship section of TennisLink; you will be affected. If you do participate in a match in the championship, you will earn a bench mark rating; thus will not be able to appeal your rating for one year.

Any questions about this; please contact your level coordinator.