Why Does Everyone Think I’m A 3.5 When I Know I Am A 4.0?
The United States Tennis Association (USTA)’s National Tennis Rating Program (NTRP) rates tennis players based on their skill level ranging from beginner (1.5) to touring professional (7.0).
Of course, the ATP and WTA have a far more sophisticated ranking system for people like Jannik Sinner, Carlos Alcaraz, Alexander Zeverev, Aryna Sabalenka, Coco Gauff, and Jessica Pegula, but all of us care about our rank. Whether you’ve spent time at your local court or on Center Court, you know firsthand just how obsessed avid tennis players can be about their rank.
Ideally the rating should be used to level the competition, enabling players to be matched with suitable competitors of similar skill and experience. But it’s not always that cut and dry. For starters, there’s an element of ego involved. Who among us wants to admit they’re not a 5 who could easily be a 7 if not for that pesky day job? Can I really be trusted to accurately assess my own tennis ranking?
Fortunately, the dynamic rating system of the USTA is largely based on match results, closeness of the individual match, and the relative skill level of the player. If someone plays in a lot of USTA tournaments you can look up their rating on USTA Tennis Link
You might, however, also find a self-generated rating that might not always match the computer-generated rating. As an employee of Advantage Tennis Clubs, I can tell you that, no matter how hard you might try to dissuade us, we will always use the computer-generated rating. It’s important to us that everyone has access to players with whom they are likely to have their best competitive match.
But that’s not always what players want. There are people who just want to win no matter what it takes. And if that means “playing down” just for the sake of winning, they’ll profess to have a lower rating and, hopefully, walk out of the club with one in the win column. Conversely, there are others who cannot accept the fact that they may not be the 4.0 they think they are and find themselves “playing up” and getting walloped. The problem with that strategy is there’s a player who is playing down without knowing it and really not getting the match they wanted to play.
A big part of our job at the Roosevelt Island Racquet Club (RIRC) is ensuring a satisfactory experience for all of our members, non-members and guests. It can be especially challenging when matching people or groups based on their ratings because of the subjective nature of said ratings. Tony Huber, the Director of Adult Programs at RIRC, and his team of tennis professionals at RIRC are often the recipient of the wrath of a tennis player arguing their rating or the group class they’re assigned to. It’s gotten so bad at times that folks have actually quit the club because they wanted a higher rating that they really weren’t ready for. Some have even vented on Yelp or left Google reviews about fictional favoritism when it comes to their “low” ranking. Ratings can change over time. The more you practice and play, the better you get for the most part. Although I have seen some players remain at a level or even go to a lower level over time. Perhaps age has something to do with this. However, with steady play, skill drills, lessons, and sweat equity it is fairly common for a player’s rating to increase. Similarly, if you stay away too long, you might find yourself performing at a different level than you were at your peak.
I bumped into an old friend on the street the other day and the subject of tennis came up. Being a division 1 player in college, he was automatically a 4.5. Forty years and three kids later, he was proud to say he was still a 4.5. When I asked him when the last time was that he played, he mumbled something about many years. He knew that I knew he was no longer a 4.5. Obviously he was ashamed of his questionable rating status.
In a June 20, 2024 blog post Some Things Money Can’t Buy – How About a USTA 5.0 Tennis Rating, Financial Samurai chronicled the journey of a long-time amateur tennis player to the top of the rating mountain. He admits that getting there was “no fluke” and though he stayed there for nearly five years he is once again a 4.5 and happy. CourtSense at Tenafly Racquet Club in New Jersey has developed a rating system based on the developmental needs of each player. They contend that, “Since the NTRP rating system is solely based on match play we do not use it to place a player into our programming. A player can ‘hide’ their weakness while playing points and be competitive but our CS levels are based on the fact that the player needs to work on that weakness.”
Ironically, the programs at the Billie Jean King National Tennis Center don’t use the NTRP ratings of the USTA. Their Adult NTC Ratings are called Intro 101, Novice 102, Rally, Bronze, Silver, and Gold. Everyone above beginner level must be evaluated to obtain a rating as they are required for participation in any program they offer.
Does changing the names or the methodology of the rating system do anything to reduce the drama surrounding them? Is there less stigma equated with being rated a Bronze than a 2.5? Does being a New York 4.5 even mean anything outside of the City limits?
The truth is that if you’re not being honest with yourself, or the rest of us for that matter, once you get out on that court your real rating will be revealed. Find your true rating (if you even want one) and find your tribe. Play the best game you’re capable of for the love of the game. Lessons, clinics and plenty of playing will undoubtedly improve your level of play and possibly your rating. But if you’re not a 4.5, you’re not a 4.5.
And that’s okay… I’m not a 4.5 either.
