FAQ: Doubles Algorithm


How does the doubles algorithm work?

The singles and doubles algorithms are very similar. For doubles, the algorithm compares the average UTR Rating of Team A to the average UTR Rating of Team B. Given the UTR Rating difference between those two averages, the algorithm expects a certain percentage of games won. The team that performs better than the algorithm’s expectation will see their match rating go up. Both teammates see an increase or decrease by the same amount.

Are singles ratings used to calculate doubles ratings?

No, the singles and doubles algorithms are separate. Information is not passed between the two algorithms.

Why is my doubles rating higher/lower than my singles rating?

The singles and doubles ratings are on the same scale but are not meant to be directly compared to each other. It is common to see players whose singles and doubles ratings differ by more than 1.00. A player's doubles rating shows their doubles skill level relative to their peers.

How does the 2.00 UTR difference cutoff work for doubles?

Doubles matches are counted by the algorithm if 1) the average rating of Team A and the average rating of Team B are within 2.00 and 2) the ratings of teammates are within 4.00 of each other. Similar to how it works for singles, matches outside the 2.00 team average cutoff are only counted by the algorithm if the lower-rated team wins the match.   

How does the algorithm handle mixed doubles results?

The UTR Rating ignores gender, so a mixed doubles result is treated the same as any other doubles result. All mixed doubles matches count toward a player’s doubles rating.

Is there a separate mixed doubles rating?

No. All doubles matches, regardless of gender, go into the same doubles rating.

Do Mixed Doubles Contribute to the UTR Rating?

UTR Sports is now importing the USTA adult league and some USTA adult tournament mixed doubles results in addition to mixed doubles results from a few other sources. If you are missing mixed doubles league results, please reach out here to let us know - our data team will dive right in!

Note: Have the tournament URL handy and share it with us. The quicker we can locate the missing results the quicker they will appear on your profile.


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Is something wrong with your doubles rating? Send us a note here and we'll take a peek!

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