Interesting USTA League Stats - Histogram of NTRP ratings down to the tenth

Next in my series of posts on interesting stats from the data I collect for the Estimated Dynamic NTRP Rating reports I generate, I took a look at how many players are at each rating level down to the tenth.

Why down to the tenth?  There was a discussion on Talk Tennis about the issues with the new "plus" leagues where it was hypothesized that there were clusters of players in certain ranges and how, naturally or otherwise, a slight movement of the range for each NTRP level might result in better alignment with those groups of players.  With my ratings, we should be able to chart the ratings rounded to the tenth and clearly see if and where there are any clusters.

Here is the chart:

From this, it doesn't appear there are any abnormal peaks or valleys that would indicate such clusters exist.  There is a peak at 3.2 a slight dip at 3.4, then another peak at 3.5, but this could potentially be explained by the fact that this chart includes both men and women, and perhaps women have their peak at 3.2 and men at 3.5 and when put together, you get the chart above.

So we don't see any odd clusters.  It could be that my ratings aren't accurate and so don't show them, but given my accuracy in predicting DQs and bumps, I think it is more likely that my ratings are pretty accurate and there aren't any significant clusters of players around a particular rating other than the normal large group of players at the NTRP 3.5 and 4.0 levels.

A team report customer wins USTA League Nationals

I had a number of teams that purchased reports from me to aid them in scouting opponents as well as their own teams, several advanced in the playoffs, a few made it to Nationals, and today one of them won it all.  They've made nice comments about how much the reports helped them scout and plan, and I appreciate them, but the players still had to go out and win the matches and that is what they did, so kudos to the whole team!

The last 2013 USTA League Nationals are going on now

Ok, it isn't really the last, as there are some mixed and perhaps other leagues that have their Nationals in November, but for the 18 & over and 40 & over leagues, this is the last weekend of Nationals in what has been an October (and bit of September) packed with play.  With the introduction of the 40 & over league this year, there was a bunch more play.

In Tucson this weekend is the 18 & over 3.5 Nationals.  I have a team I've helped with reports playing there so will be following it closely.

Then in Indian Wells is the 40 & over 4.5+ Nationals.  I also have a team I've helped playing there so will follow as well.

Stay tuned for updates as I'll likely take a look at how my ratings do prediction matches.

Another Estimated Dynamic NTRP Rating Report Customer Reaches USTA League Nationals Semis

Several more USTA League Nationals are taking place this weekend and I was pleased to see another one of my customers having made the semis.  Good luck guys!

Now available, Mixed Exclusive Estimated Dynamic NTRP Rating Reports for USTA League

Most people that play USTA League plan in a men's/women's league, but many also play in a mixed doubles league.   There are some that only play mixed though, and for these, the NTRP ratings are calculated a little differently.

If you play in at least three men's/women's matches, your rating will be calculated based on only those and your mixed results aren't factored in.  However, if you only play mixed, you will be given a Mixed Exclusive (M) rating.

A mixed exclusive rating is used only for mixed leagues, and if you have one and decide to play a men's/women's league, you have to self-rate for that league.

So, these M ratings are a bit unique as they would seemingly have to be calculated for everyone who plays mixed in case they don't play men's/women's, but then they aren't used.  In theory, a player could be a 4.0C (men's/women's rating) but a 3.5M based on their mixed matches if they hadn't  played men's/women's.

I've toyed with calculating M ratings for awhile now, but believe I have something working reasonably well now, so if you only play mixed, or play both mixed and men's/women's and just want to know what your M rating would be, I can now calculate these as part of my Estimated Dynamic NTRP Rating Reports.  If you are interested in a report, contact me.

When will USTA 2013 year-end NTRP ratings be released?

Most of the National Championships for USTA League tennis are being played this month, and with their completion, year-end ratings can be calculated.  Here is my understanding of the timeline.

• September / October - Adult 18 & over and 40 & over Nationals take place.
• End of October - The "USTA year" comes to a close and with that, the last matches to be included in year-end calculations have been played.
• November - Year-end calculations are performed including benchmark calculations taking into account the Nationals that were just completed.
• End of November / Early December - 2013 year-end ratings are published and available on TennisLink.

The exact "USTA year" may vary a bit and depend on when exactly the last Adult Nationals finish and when the last weekend of October or first weekend of November falls.  And the year-end ratings are usually released on the Monday after Thanksgiving, but I don't know that there is a guarantee of that.

Many players aren't going to Nationals and aren't playing in a fall league that counts towards their rating, so all the matches that count for them have been played.  If you are one of these and are anxious to know what your year-end rating may be, or just want to know more accurately where your rating falls within your level, an Estimated Dynamic NTRP Rating Report is a great way to find out.  The report will show you your rating and how it changed, match by match, and I'll also comment on the likelihood that you get bumped up or down.  Contact me if you are interested.

Update: I've confirmed the last matches for the 2013 league year were played on 10/27.  Click here for more information.

A report customer wins a National Championship

I did several reports for a player in my section earlier this year, and was pleased to find out this morning that her team won Nationals last weekend.  Congratulations!