11 July 2019

Introducing WTN, the ratings game changer

It's the Holy Grail of tennis, an accurate, dynamically updated assessment of your tennis standard that means better match ups and a guaranteed way of assessing your standard of play. Enter, WTN - the World Tennis Number. We think it will change tennis for ever and you played a part in making it happen...

At last we can share a secret we have been dying to tell you about! This week, the ITF and its partners (including the LTA, USTA and the French Federation ) announced the introduction of the World Tennis Number. 

WTN AND THE LEAGUES

LTL is in close contact with the WTN project with the intention of using it as a tool for giving players the most competitive matches we can

LTL want WTN to be as widely used as possible and will be discussing with players the best way of achieving this!

The intention is to revolutionise tennis ratings for all players and you were part of the inspiration for the project.

The World Tennis Number, says the LTA "will provide a more accurate measure of ability than the current system, and will record sets won as well as match wins.  It will also be updated more frequently, be easy to understand, and support all players from grassroots to national level in finding appropriate matches.  For the first time ever, the introduction of the World Tennis Number will mean that players can have a doubles rating as well as a singles one."   

The WTN directly follows on from a joint project undertaken by Local Tennis Leagues and the LTA. The LTA is the governing body of the sport in the UK, an official partner of Local Tennis Leagues and our leagues are its approved format for adult competition. 

It all started last year when the LTA funded a large-scale study of our match data. The aim was to see whether an algorithm could be developed that could be a guide to player performance and lead to the creation of an accurate player rating. The project, using anonymised data, was undertaken by Imperial College, London in conjunction with Local Tennis Leagues and the LTA. 

“One of the drivers for the WTN came from the work we were doing with Local Tennis Leagues and the relationship proved very valuable, allowing us to test the theories with a coherent set of data in a real-world setting”, says LTA Head of Competitions, Keith Carder. 

The WTN project is independent of Local Tennis Leagues but in a fashion similar to the work done with LTL match data will be "based on a mathematical calculation with a high level of accuracy to reflect the playing standard of each player irrespective of where they play and which competitions they play in, with sets rather than just wins taken into account".

Local Tennis Leagues has signed up as a partner to the WTN project and over the coming months we, with the LTA and ITF, will be telling you more about it.

The WTN promises to be the world’s most accurate tennis ratings system and the work done with Local Tennis Leagues means it will be of real value to everyday players. Further details about the new system, including confirmation of its launch date in 2020, will be available later this year.

We will be adding a Local Tennis Leagues and World Tennis Number update and an FAQ page to our site shortly. If you have a question or a suggestion let us know here. Your questions won't be answered individually but we will publish a representative selection on our site and with the help of the WTN project team answer as many of them as we can.

Your name and e-mail address are required in the event we need to contact you regarding your question or comment. Your details will not be shared with a third parties.
Your name and e-mail address are required in the event we need to contact you regarding your question or comment. Your details will not be shared with third parties.