tennis, life and a few things in between

National Tennis Rating Program Guidebook defines each playing level (1, 1.5 .. to 7, total 13 levels) on page 10 and 11 in great details – see the chart below.

In an effort to avoid disqualification when players are rating themselves and they question which level they should play, they should place themselves in the higher level of play.

USTA emphases on Players must rate themselves in accordance with the NTRP. Leveling the playing field is absolutely vital but at the same time, does it get abused? How do they justify the above level playing allowed in the league?

Players who are good athletes and intend to spend a great deal of time taking lessons and practicing should be aware that their improvement may be significant enough to surpass their original self-rate level.

A question: Jane is a new player who picks up a tennis racket and self rated herself and joins a league. Then she finds herself in love with the game or talented, takes lessons and improved tremendously in just a couple of months. Instead of waiting for complaint to come she goes to the coordinator and asks to be placed at a higher level while the season has not ended. The league grants her wish. Now do the matches she played stay or being reversed?

Some helpful links and musings..

• How to rate yourself: Various NTRP Playing Levels
• The rating and the alphabets
• Dynamic NTRP  and Dynamic Ratings Calculation
• Who Can Be Dynamically Disqualified?
• FAQs about the National Tennis Rating Program
• FAQs about the Dynamic NTRP
• Three strikes, you’re out
• General & Experienced Player Guidelines Supplemental to the NTRP Guidelines
• Leveling the playing field
• Remington Steele
• The gang of four: the first season bump ups
• Is this fair?
• My wish has come true, Dec 16, 2011

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Last month the NTC held a fund raising night for the wheelchair tournament that’ll be held in second weekend of June. About two dozen pedestrian players showed up plus three wheel chair players. We mixed and matched with different partners thought out the night. At one point, I teamed up with a dude who looked like never seen the tennis court in his life but we ended up won 6:1, beating a some kind of pro. Unreal.

USTA used to offer rating session at NTC but no longer did which’s a shame; inconvenient many players who would rather be ‘certified’ by a NTC pro to ride doubts and whispers.

Sandy said 10 years ago she joined the league and was desperate wanted to be a 3.5 to play on the 3.5 team she desired. But unfortunately the pro would only issue her a 3.0 card. Couple of years ago, one day she was cleaning the house and saw the card again; debated as to keep it or toss it into the garbage can. No she didn’t remember which way the card went: up in the shelf or down in the can.
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Self Rate Guide
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Usta Self Rate Guide

Self Rate Questionnaire

USTA Self Rate Questionnaire

Oh boy .. the form that get many in trouble or weeding out cheaters.

USTA Grievance complaint

2010 Metro USTA Leagues Queens Mixed Playoff Regulations
Gee, the Rules wasn’t enough?

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usta Q playoff10qnsmxd

Our match against Kings Park was pretty competitive. Their captain teamed up with a young guy whom I questioned if he’s just out of college. He laughed and said ‘I wish’. Oh well, guess I forgot my 老花镜 presbyopic glasses.

We won first two games but then lost the set at 2-6. I thought .. .. it’s going to be over soon because the kid is really good, could fly, jump and dump, basically getting to everything, and the lady was a solid 3.5. But then my partner who did most lifting (as usually) came alive in the second set, sealed it with a assertive backhand cross court.

Wow .. we actually won it 6:4.
Was it mental or physical? Perhaps both. My partner’s enthusiasm certainly boosted my energy level too. But unfortunately I ran out of steam in the third set super tie break – lost it at 10:5.

Afterward, when I checked their rating did I realize that their combined rating was 7.5: he’s newly minted 4.0 but playing as 3.5 . So it was 6.5 vs 7.5. One of the match I played in January, my partner was a 4.0 and we faced 4.0 guy and 3.5 gal: 7.0 vs 7.5.
Those occurances were due to year end rating because Long Island and Manhattan start their Mixed Doubles league before the year end ranking becomes available. So whomever joined the team at their then-current level could play at that level regardless they were upgrade to a higher level or down graded.  I was very surprised to see this happening. On one hand the USTA obsessively promotes and guards the NTRP to even out the playing field while on the other hand allows this kind of open cheating – potentially 8.0 too, plays in a 7.0 league. It seems very hypercritical.

Why doesn’t the league add a provision that should a player get bumped up at year end, s/he either resigns from the team (but the matches played stay; and fees refunded) if s/he couldn’t find appropriated ranked teammate OR play with their new ranking?  Isn’t this the whole point of having a rating system in the first place??? – than openly cheat for a season?
Beam enlighten me up, Scotty