The Dynamic Computer Tennis Rating (DCTR) program is a program developed in conjunction with the USTA NorCal. The DCTR program rates players based on the score of every match entered into the system. The program gives a player an individual singles rating and a doubles rating. It will also rate each doubles team. This program has many benefits for the individual player, club manager, section and USTA.

How the Program Works
DCTR is a dynamic rating that can change with every match played. Since every match is taken into account the rating should be an accurate indication of the players' level of play. Every match played is entered into the system, but is not given equal weight. The USTA NorCal has decided that for the next year, there will be four different levels of play. "Daily, Practice or Social" matches will be given the least amount of weight in determining a players rating. "Non-USTA league or tournament" matches will be given a little more weight. "USTA League" matches are given more weight than the "Non-USTA" matches. Finally, matches played during a "USTA Tournament" are given the most weight.

The weighting factor is determined by the owner of the program and can be changed at their discretion. Flexibility is the key to this program. You also have the flexibility to put in more or less than four weighting categories.

Singles Ratings
When a singles match has been played, the players fill out a card showing the scores of that match. These results will then be entered into the system. The date of the match, players' names (identified by USTA number or membership number) score of match and type of match are entered. The computer will show the players' ratings prior to the match and will also show their new rating based on the result of the match just entered.

Doubles Rating
A doubles match is entered into the system in the same manner as a singles match. The computer will calculate a rating for each doubles team. In addition a doubles rating for that individual player will be calculated. If a player teams up with a different partner their individual doubles rating may change. The doubles rating for a team will only change when that team plays together. There is no limit to the number of different partners a player may have.

Calculations of Ratings
Ratings are calculated based on the prior ratings of the players, the score of the match and the type of match played (which determines weighting). For every match, there are expected outcomes of the match based on the ability of the players. If the actual results of the match are the same as the expected values, then the players will not have any movement in their rating. If the outcome does not meet the expected value, then the players' ratings are adjusted accordingly. With the DCTR program there is a great deal of flexibility in determining movement of ratings. The amount of movement can be adjusted by the owner of the program so that players ratings will change more rapidly or more conservatively.

Besides adjusting the amount of movement, the owner of the program has the option of setting limits on movement. In the DCTR program, it is possible to limit the difference in player ability for an acceptable match. For example, USTA NorCal has set the limit as .5. A player with a 3.000 rating may play against a player with a 3.500 rating and the results of the match will be used to determine any movement for the players. If a 3.000 player plays against a 3.501 player, the match will be recorded, but no movement will be calculated since this match is beyond the range of acceptable matches set by NorCal.

Another option in the DCTR program is determining the movement of the higher rated player in a match. If the higher rated player loses a match to a lower rated player, their rating will go down. However, if a higher rated player wins a match should their rating change? And if their rating changes, should it go up or down or should the rating only go up? These are variables that are decided by the owner of the program. USTA NorCal has decided that if a higher rated player wins a match, their rating may go up depending on the score, but it will not go down. Again, this is an option available on the DCTR system and may be easily changed.

EXAMPLES
#1
Player A (rated 3.652) plays Player B (rated 3.482). Player A beats Player B 6-2,6-2 in a social match. The DCTR program would expect that players with these ratings would have had a closer match (6-3, 6-4 for example) Since the match was not within the expected range the ratings will change. Based on the weighting for a social match, Player A’s rating changes to 3.682 and Player B’s becomes 3.452. If your organization decides that this is not enough movement, it can easily be adjusted.

#2
Jim (4.500) beats Bob (4.732) 6-4,6-4 in a USTA Tournament. In this example, the higher rated player lost the match. Based on the score and the weighting for a USTA Tournament match, the DCTR program changes Jim’s rating to a 4.575. Bob drops to a 4.657. Jim’s first victory over Bob does not place his rating above Bob’s.

Suppose these two players played again in a tournament and Jim once again prevailed 6-4, 6-4. The DCTR program will now rate Jim as 4.635. Bob’s rating falls to 4.597. Jim’s rating is now above Bob’s.

If your organization decides that this is not enough movement, it can easily be adjusted.

Benefits to Players
Tennis players will be able to see how the results of their match affect their rating. Feedback will be immediate upon entry of the match into the system. In addition, players will know that their rating reflects how they have performed in all of their matches instead of just a few. The DCTR system will take into account "best of three set" matches as well as five set matches, split set matches, and pro sets. It is very easy for the player to go through all of their matches and see how their rating has changed over time.

Benefits to Club Managers / Community Professionals
The DCTR system will make forming teams very easy for club managers and professionals. It is possible to print out a report which shows the current ratings for all members of a club active in the system. Forming teams becomes very objective, based solely on ratings.

Divisions for in-house tournaments can also be based on the ratings. If a club has a "club championship" tournament, players can objectively be placed into different divisions based on their ratings. As it is now, it is sometimes difficult to tell a person that they should play in the "C" division instead of "B" and vice versa.

Their are a variety of reports available to the owner of the program. In one report the DCTR program will print out address labels. The report can be limited by opting to print only the labels of singles players (or only doubles players.) In addition, the list of available players can be defined by age groups (including juniors) or rankings. This will make it very easy for a club to send out promotional information for which they want to target a specific group.

An option available to players is that they can enter the time of day they would like to play matches into the system. The owner of the program can produce a report which shows players of similar ability that are also available at this time. This is a tremendous service to offer to a tennis player.

In the DCTR program a player can be assigned to a specific group. This designation may represent all players that take lessons. Or it may be the group of players that take lessons from a specific professional. It may be used to designate people who frequently make purchases from a shop. Another possibility is to designate players who played in a tournament. It is then possible to produce reports using the "group" designation.

Another report available in the DCTR system is called "Statistics." This report shows how many matches were played per week. The report is broken down into "singles" and "doubles" and also by gender. This report will be very helpful to club managers who want to see if a promotion had any effect on the amount of play.

There is one other report that bears mentioning at this time. This report is called "Points." In this report it is possible to award points based on number of matches played and success in those matches. "Success" can be defined as simply doing better than expected rather than actually winning a match. This is a great method for recognizing the achievements of players that may not necessarily be at the top of the ratings.

Benefits to Organizations
The benefits to the your organization is increasing membership. For players, it is hoped that the DCTR ratings will be seen as a very accurate assessment of a players’ skill level. Players will accept their rating as accurate because they will be able to review their history and see how that rating was obtained.

It is possible for players who are not a member of your organization to play matches against members and have that information put into the DCTR system. However, they will not be able to view their rating or see how their rating changes over time. This should serve as an incentive to become a member. When the player decides to become a member, you will have some background information on their ability.

The DCTR system keeps a "player profile" on all players in the system. You may choose to print out these profiles on a regular basis and make them available to members. "Player profiles" may be especially important to Junior players. These reports can be produced for the players or their parents and could even be made available to colleges wishing to recruit tennis players.

Summary
It is anticipated that the DCTR ratings will create enthusiasm among tennis players. Ratings will be assigned that are accurate and fair. In addition, there is the opportunity for club managers and other professionals to benefit from the information provided by the DCTR program. Finally, it is hoped that all the benefits to players will increase membership in your organization.

System Requirements
IBM compatible.
386 or above processor.
4 Meg or more of memory.
3 Meg of free disk space.
Windows 3.1 or greater.

Return to Home Page