Curious about how pickleball ratings are calculated? Watch the following videos for an overview and FAQ of the pickleball ratings system (UTPR) used for tournament play. The USA Pickleball (USAPA) Tournament Player Ratings or "UTPRs" were designed and funded by the USA Pickleball Association (USAPA). The USA Pickleball Ratings Committee works diligently to ensure that the UTPR is current and updated on behalf of the tournament player based on the tournament results provided by tournament directors.
There are three benefits of UTPRs:
- UTPRs are an objective measure of a player's skill
- UTPRs are used to register players in events at the correct skill level
- UTPRs are used to seed competitors at a tournament where UTPRs are available for:
- Gender Doubles
- Mixed Doubles
- Gender Singles
To preset your UTPR prior to your first tournament, please contact ratingsadmin@usapickleball.org When members do not request to preset their 4-digit UTPR with their determined self-rating, their initial 4-digit start rating becomes the average of the players playing in their first event bracket, hence a higher than expected UTPR was generated.
The first 2020 video below introduces the basics of the Elo Algorithm used to create the ratings. The ratings are based on the expected outcome of the match. The points at stake in any individual match are determined by the gap between the two teams' averages. The winning team always gains points and the loosing team always loses points. If a higher rated team wins, fewer points are exchanged than if a lower rated team wins. That is, the more expected the win, the fewer the points exchanged. The more surprising the win, the more points exchanged.
Video Disclaimer: *Beginning 4/1/2021, we are offering 100% UTPR Credit towards Sanctioned Tournaments*