by Kelly Campbell
There’s at least one main thing that stands in the way of pickleball’s ability to be a mainstream sport in the US –– a standardized pickleball rating system.
As pickleball has grown in popularity and evolved, so have pickleball software, resources, and professional legitimacy. In recent years, numerous pickleball organizations have developed rating systems for pickleball players. They all vary in their methodology, numerical ranges, and accessibility, and some may provide more insight into player skill than others. Rating systems are crucial to pickleball development because they categorize pickleball athletes by skill, thus increasing pickleball competition. With a standardized ranking system, pickleball players can easily find appropriate tournament levels to enter, find similarly-ranked players to compete against, and can accurately compare themselves to other pickleball athletes. Pickleball rating systems have shaped major pickleball tournaments already, but different tournaments use different systems. While there are plenty of decent options out there for pickleball ratings, identifying one standardized rating system for pickleball is crucial for pickleball’s growth as a core professional sport.
Check out our list of the current top pickleball rating systems, rating methodology, and their pros and cons below.
DUPR is a standardized rating system that has gained a lot of traction in the pickleball community over the last few years. It’s free for all players and includes a player dashboard that can be accessed via their app, which is available on the App Store and Google Play. DUPR ratings are calculated by the margin of victory in matches, match outcomes, and the type of result (tournament play, league play vs. recreational). Currently, DUPR partners with PPA, MLP, NYC Pickleball, and more.
DUPR Pros
- Free
- Accessible to all –– you don’t need to be a tournament player to get ratings, recreational play counts
- Points in each match count, not just wins vs. losses.
- The DUPR database makes it easy to find similarly-skilled players to compete with
- DUPR helps people sign up for appropriate-level events and clinics for players, maximizing instructors’ ability to train
- Objective ratings –– players are rated solely based on player results via leagues, tournaments, and organized play run by DUPR
- All players regardless of their age, gender, location, or skill are rated on the same scale between 2.00-8.00.
- Players get access to win-loss records, ratings, match history, and analysis of results for themselves and other players
DUPR Cons
- This system is newer, and there have been some complaints about rating accuracy
- There have been some complaints about the site breaking or populating errors
IPTPA (International Pickleball Teaching Pickleball Association) is a rating system pickleball players and instructors have been using for years for consistent and objective pickleball ratings. IPTPA partners with organizations like ProPickleball, Gamma Sports, USPTA, and US Open Pickleball. Players can choose from two memberships –– individual and club. Individual memberships cost $25 and allow IPTPA-certified rating specialists to rate individuals in groups of one, two, or three with an already-rated player as the control. The club membership allows for long-term memberships for pickleball clubs. More information about memberships can be found here.
IPTPA Pros
- Objective and consistent
- Nationally (and internationally) recognized –– provides standardized ratings across countries. Any player in the world can use the IPTPA rating.
- Certified rating specialists make decisions about rating, not volunteers
- Works alongside IPTPA’s teaching programs. Instructors are trained to assess and evaluate players and can maximize instruction based on ratings
- There are specific guidelines (accessible to the public) for each rating tier
IPTPA Cons
- Designed only for players who compete in sanctioned tournaments
- There is a cost for membership
- A testing session for players can last around an hour and a half
- The rating process is not as simple/accessible as other rating systems
WPR (World Pickleball Rankings) was launched in 2021 by Pickleball Tournaments, one of pickleball’s most popular tournament hubs. WPR pulls from each player’s performance at major yearly tournaments and tours such as APP and PPA Tours, USA Pickleball Nationals, and US Open Pickleball Championships. WPR ratings are calculated using the Glicko-2 rating system. Four-digit ratings are calculated for singles, doubles, and mixed doubles matches for women and men. Two-digit ratings are calculated at the end of each calendar quarter based on players’ four-digit ratings. Ratings and results history are found on player profiles at pickleballtournaments.com.
WPR Pros
- Free
- No manual entry, results from any tournament run on the site are automatically considered for your rating
- PickleballTournaments.com is a huge database for pickleball tournaments, so most tournaments will count in ranking
- Significantly reduces sandbagging by eliminating self-rating for tournaments
- Incorporates a large sum of match results for sanctioned and unsanctioned tournaments
- New players will have a WPR calculated by first tournament results and their opponent’s rating
- WPR has a ratings appeal process for those who are unhappy with their ranking
WPR Cons
- Only for tournament players
- Tournaments need to have gender designation to count
The UTPR (Tournament Player Ratings) was created by USA Pickleball –– one of the most prominent pickleball organizations in the country –– to prevent sandbagging (playing down in skill level to win matches and medals). The rating is either two-digits (viewable to the public) or four-digits (viewable to individual players). UTPR is calculated based on your rating, your partner’s rating (if playing doubles), your opponents’ rating, and tournament type. Tournament type definitions/weight have changed over the years but are split into three categories: USA Pickleball sanctioned tournaments, USA Pickleball Medal Match Plus sanctioned tournaments, and unsanctioned tournaments.
UTPR Pros
- Easily accessible as USA Pickleball endorses numerous tournaments each year and is a significant pickleball organization
- Significantly more accurate than self-rating
- Ratings are accessible to other players
- No one match will alter a rating by more than .1
- USA Pickleball has a rating committee for feedback and continuous troubleshooting
- Frequently updated
UTPR Cons
- Only available for tournament players
- Performance is based on match outcomes, the scores of matches are not calculated in the rating
- Only available to members ($35 membership)
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