Wednesday, November 30, 2016

2016 USTA NTRP year-end ratings are published!

The wait is over, the USTA has published the 2016 year-end NTRP Ratings.  At least some are now showing at 2016 year-end ratings.

USTA League players may now furiously go check their rating on TennisLink and see whether they were bumped up or not and begin figuring out what team(s) they can play on.

Stay tuned for more details as I look at the ratings and do my analysis.

Monday, November 28, 2016

BREAKING NEWS! 2016 year-end ratings may not be published today!

I wrote yesterday that folks should be ready for ratings to come out today as that is the traditional timing for them, but that I'd heard rumors of a possible delay.  I've now had several other sources seemingly confirm that, although the exact day is still not known.  I've heard everything from this Thursday, this Friday, and next week.

I now believe that while I'm sure the USTA will try to get the ratings out as soon as they can, it likely won't be today.  In the past, I recall a notice showing up on TennisLink indicating when they planned to publish and I do not see that yet, so either they don't know for sure or are choosing not to share and keep us in suspense.

I'll post more as I learn more as well as soon as I see any new ratings published.

Update: As of 10am PDT on 11/28, my LC informed captains that National plans to publish the ratings this Thursday 12/1.  She emphasized it is a planned date and could change and she does not know what time on Thursday.

Sunday, November 27, 2016

Are you ready for 2016 USTA year-end NTRP ratings? Teams are forming now for 2017!

Thanksgiving has passed and that means we now anxiously await year-end NTRP ratings to be released by the USTA as they are traditionally published this week.

I would expect them to be released on Monday, but a few players from sections other than my own have told me they heard it will be later in the week.  I'd still expect them earlier than later though.

And this is important in many sections as teams may begin playing their 2017 season right away in January, so teams are forming now and recruiting is taking place.  In fact, in my area (Pacific Northwest, Northwest Washington) our team forms are due in one week, so even if ratings are out on Monday we don't even have a full week to make sure a team can be fielded, and those players bumped up or down may be in hot demand or have to find a new team to play with.

Stay tuned to this blog or the NTRP Ratings Facebook page as I'll announce as soon as I hear/see ratings are out and follow that up with a variety of analysis on the year-end ratings and what we can tell from them.

Thursday, November 24, 2016

Happy Thanksgiving, another Black Friday sale on Estimated Dynamic NTRP Rating Reports!

It is Thanksgiving, that means the USTA will be publishing 2016 year-end ratings soon, and as I did last year, I'm offering some discounts on Estimated Dynamic NTRP Rating Reports Friday the 25th through Sunday the 27th.

Not only does a report give you a very good idea of where your rating will end up, but also shows a bevy of statistics for your 2016 season including a chart showing match by match how each match rated and affected your dynamic rating, plus you get a partner report showing how your matches rated when playing with your different doubles partners.



This year, I am again offering discounts on new individual reports of 25% off and new team reports of 33%.  And if you have the need for a custom report for recruiting, I'll give discounts on those too.

Sunday the 27th will come soon, so don't delay in requesting a report.  Contact me if interested (ratings@teravation.net), and have a great Thanksgiving weekend!

Wednesday, November 23, 2016

Predicted bump statistics for USTA League 2016 year-end ratings

Year-end ratings for 2016 are due soon from the USTA, but as a little preview, here are what my estimated ratings predict will happen regarding bumps up and down by level.

At the 2.5 level, I have 32% of players being bumped up and 68% staying 2.5s.

For the 3.0s, just under 5% will be bumped down, 18% should be bumped up, and the remaining 77% stay the same.

The 3.5s are less volatile with 84% staying the same, but still more bumps up than down, 9% to 7%.

The 4.0 level has more bump downs than up, 13% to 4%, with 83% staying the same.

At 4.5, just over 2% should be bumped up and a whopping 21% bumped down, 77% staying the same.  Personally, I doubt the USTA will let this happen and will make adjustments to keep more up as they want to avoid a glut of players at 4.0.

When ratings come out, I'll report back.

Monday, November 21, 2016

There is still time to get an Estimated Dynamic NTRP Rating Report for 2016

It is almost Thanksgiving and Adult and Mixed Nationals are complete for 2016.  That means the USTA will be publishing ratings soon.  Specifically, I expect they'll be published the Monday or Tuesday after Thanksgiving.

But if you are curious about where you'll end up and can't wait, or perhaps more importantly you want to see far more detail than the USTA will give you into why your rating is where it is, or how close you are to the top or bottom of your level, there is still time to get an Estimated Dynamic NTRP Rating Report for 2016.

Getting a report now includes my year-end calculations which factor in playoff results through Nationals.  Yes, my reports always include all relevant playoff matches played through Nationals including giving them extra weight as part of the year-end calculations.  If this isn't done, the calculated rating simply can't be accurate.

Plus, I just updated what is included in an individual report with more detail in the chart and summary.  These details will be included in all reports going forward.

Contact me if interested in a report.

Sunday, November 20, 2016

Individual Estimated Dynamic NTRP Rating Reports updated with more detailed information

I'm always looking to improve the reports I generate, and I just added some more details to the individual report format.

See the example report for all the details, but here is a summary of what is new.

First, the chart has more details in it more clearly identifying different rounds of playoffs and showing wins and losses in the chart.


In the chart above this player's local playoff matches are annotated with an L, their Sectionals matches with an S, and their Nationals matches an N.  If they had played in a Districts/States/Regionals match, they would have been annotated with a D.  The matches they won are indicated with a 4-pointed star and their losses with a triangle.  These additions allow you to get a more complete view of a season by identifying matches more easily.

Next, the summary stats that are shown now not only show the average match rating in singles vs doubles, but also split it out by level.  So you can clearly see if playing up is helping or hurting your rating, or how your results compare in the 18+/40+ leagues vs 55+ if you play 55+.

These additions will be part of all reports I generate going forward.  Contact me at ratings@teravation.net if you are interested in a report, or if you've gotten one before, I can always do an update for you.

And if you have any suggestions on what to include in any of my reports, let me know.


2016 USTA League Nationals are complete - Southern is Section of the Year

I'm delinquent in writing about this, but the last Mixed Nationals finished last weekend and with them, Nationals are complete for 2016.

Several sections did well in Mixed, notably Eastern, Mid-Atlantic, Northern Cal, Southern, Southern Cal, and Texas.  But Southern was clear and away the best winning four of the nine titles and nearly doubling up the points on second place Northern Cal.

Couple that with Southern running away with 18+ and doing well in 40+ and 55+, and it appears Southern can take home being my unofficial "Section of the Year".  Southern finished a close second to Southern Cal last year but takes it all this year.

Monday, November 7, 2016

The first 2017 USTA League Mixed National Champs are Crowned

With the Adult (Men's/Women's) Nationals complete, the first of two weekends of Mixed Nationals was played this weekend with four champions crowned.

In the 18 & over division, the 7.0 level was won by Southern 2-1 over Middle States, after each had won their semis 2-1.  Texas took third with, yes, a 2-1 win over Midwest.

The 9.0 level of 18 & over was won by Southwest in a 3-0 win over Mid-Atlantic, but two courts were match tie-breaks.  Northern California took third with a 2-1 win over Southern.

The 40 & over 6.0 level was won by Southern over Southern California 2-1, both won courts in match tie-breaks.  Midwest beat Northern California for third.

The 8.0 level of 40+ found Southern beating Florida 2-1 for the title while Texas beat Hawaii for third.

The Southern section is off to a quick start with three titles and another semi-final appearance!

Mixed Nationals wraps up this coming weekend as the 18+ and 40+ divisions play the other levels.

Friday, November 4, 2016

2016 USTA League Mixed Nationals is underway

With Adult Nationals complete for 2016, Mixed Nationals commences this weekend.

Arizona is the home for Mixed Nationals with the 18 & over 7.0 and 9.0 levels taking place in Tucson and the 40 & over 6.0 and 8.0 levels being played in Surprise.

Good luck to all!