Why is UTR Sports adding pickleball?
UTR Sports communities want to organize and play pickleball. UTR Sports is excited to begin the next chapter by bringing a new pickleball rating and technology solutions to support our communities.
What is the UTR Pickleball Rating (UTR-P)?
The UTR Pickleball Rating (UTR-P) is a categorical rating for pickleball players who want to play casually or compete in pickleball tournaments. The UTR-P rating is determined by self-reported questions during registration/onboarding and places players into four categories ranging from P1 to P5.
UTR-P Rating Levels
- P1 - Beginner Player
- P2 - Social/Casual Player
- P3 - Intermediate Player
- P4 - Advanced Player
- P5 - Advanced Player
I’m a competitive tennis player, but I’m just starting in pickleball. Will I be rated as a beginner?
If we have a known UTR rating, we will use that information to accurately place you in a UTR-P category (P1-P5) at the time of rating calculation. After a few matches, this converts to a number rating (1-10).
How do I get a UTR-P Rating if I am new to UTR Sports?
Go to UTRSports.net. If you are a new player, create your UTR Sports account and make a new profile. You’ll be able to self-rate by selecting the pickleball sport type and following the registration flow.
How do I get a UTR-P Rating if I have an existing player profile on UTR Sports?
If you have an existing player profile on UTR Sports, go to your player profile page or home feed and select “Get Rated” underneath the “UTR-P” rating section. This will take you through the UTR-P Rating self-rating questionnaire.
How do I find and play Pickleball events?
Go to UTRSports.net and then in the top search bar select “Pickleball”. Once on the event search page, in the top left you will see a new “Sport” filter where you can specify whether you are looking for events that are tennis, pickleball, or both.
You will also see on the event cards either a pickleball or tennis sport type label which will let you know whether that event is a pickleball or tennis event.
Lastly, if you’d like to further customize your event search and home feed to either show or hide nearby pickleball events, you can do so by going into your account “Settings” where you can toggle pickleball and tennis on or off to customize your event results.
Am I restricted to playing in pickleball events that are only for the UTR-P Rating level?
It depends on the event. Organizers on the platform will have the option to recommend a particular UTR-P Rating level for players; however, they can also leave events open to all players or a range of players. We always recommend reaching out to the event organizer if you have any questions on the recommended rating level for an event!
I have a UTR-P Rating, but it is not displaying on my profile, how can I change this?
On your player profile, select “Edit Profile” and go to the “Your ratings” section. You will then see the option to either check on or off the “Display my UTR-P (pickleball)” rating on your player profile and home feed.
If your UTR-P Rating display checkbox is selected and you are still not seeing your UTR-P Rating, please reach out to our support team at [email protected].
I am not interested in having a pickleball rating, can I remove it from my profile?
Yes. On your player profile, select “Edit Profile” and go to the “Your ratings” section. You will then see the option to either check on or off the “Display my UTR-P (pickleball)” rating on your player profile and home feed.
If de-selected, you will no longer see the option to “Get Rated” for a UTR-P pickleball rating or the UTR-P rating you may have already received from the “Get Rated" questionnaire. If you change your mind and would like to later turn it back on, you can always do that too!
Note: You cannot deselect your “Display my UTR (tennis)” rating if you have any results recorded.
Does UTR Sports support any of the large-scale tours?
In addition to being the rating standard of USA Pickleball, UTR Sports and the UTR-P Rating is also the official rating of the APP (Association of Pickleball Players). This includes the APP Tour, APP Next Gen, and all other APP pickleball play.
What matches count towards the UTR-P Rating, and what is verified vs. unverified?
The results are categorized as either verified or unverified scores, based on whether the match or tournament was played according to verified rules or if it was a player-organized, social, or recreational event for which scores are unverified.
All events owned by USA Pickleball, APP events, and UTR Sports events are considered verified. The algorithm takes into consideration at least a year of results or the past 60 games.
A verified UTR-P Rating that is fully reliable is represented by a checkmark badge on a player’s profile. This badge signifies that the UTR-P algorithm is highly accurate for this player. Ratings are subject to change dynamically as new results are taken into account.
Will my rating go up if I win? Or down if I lose?
Not necessarily. To provide the most accurate rating, the UTR-P algorithm calculates your rating based on your performance vs. the expected outcome of a game. For example, if you are victorious over a lower-rated player, but only by a slim margin, your rating may not increase.
Is the UTR-P Rating for singles or doubles?
Both! UTR-P Ratings are separate for singles and doubles. UTR Sports considers each doubles game as two individual games which allows for connection across genders and more accuracy.
Why isn't there a separate gendered doubles rating and mixed doubles rating?
The UTR-P rating was specifically developed with sophistication around the data science needed to provide for an accurate genderless doubles rating. Meaning, you can rely on the UTR-P double ratings for gendered or mixed doubles. This way, finding a good mixed doubles partner is simple — just look for a person with a UTR-P rating around your level in doubles either male or female. The UTR-P Rating reflects how you individually play in a doubles match.
What does it mean for a rating to be Projected?
When you see “Projected” then it means there are not yet enough results to have complete confidence in the rating, but there are enough results to display a projection. Approximately 4-6 results are needed before a rating becomes fully reliable.
What does a reliable UTR-P rating mean?
Rating reliability is a measure of our confidence in the rating, and it is influenced by the number of matches a player has played. When the rating is considered fully reliable, it means that the UTR-P is considered an up-to-date and accurate representation based on the eligible matches on the profile.
I don’t think my rating is accurate. Can I appeal it?
You are welcome to reach out to the UTR Sports Support team to inquire about or request an investigation. The UTR Support team will be happy to review your rating with our data scientists and ensure you’re rated accurately. Contact support by emailing [email protected].
How does the UTR-P Rating solve for sandbagging?
The UTR-P Rating is built on large volumes of high-quality score data. The algorithm does not factor in self-reported results for its verified ratings, and players must be close enough in level for the match to count (ie. if ratings differ by 1.0 or more, it will almost certainly be a blowout). Players with fully reliable verified ratings are not impacted by playing against players with partially reliable ratings.
Why should I be confident in UTR-P rating?
UTR Sports is on a mission to support and promote fair, fun, and competitive play across the pickleball world. With hundreds of pickleball events run on and off the platform, contributing thousands of scores from around the world each month, there's a wealth of pickleball data to support the accuracy of the UTR-P Rating. We monitor the rating continuously and refine our analytics around the algorithm to watch for edge cases, inflation, and fraud. Our team of experts and our automated tools are continuously focused on the rating. We measure our accuracy against pickleball pro points rankings and have statistically significant advantages in predicting winners.
Can a player enter any division of a non-Nationals USA Pickleball event regardless of UTR-P Rating?
Within the platform, organizers of events have flexibility for how open or restricted their divisions are set up. It will be up to the organizer’s discretion and it is possible to have open divisions where players may be placed into groups within a division using their rating as a guide to ensure level-based play. For an organizer wanting to sanction their event with USAP, the event will be reviewed for approval by USA Pickleball. USA Pickleball membership verification is integrated into the platform.
Have more questions? Please email [email protected].