Pickleball Ratings: A Comprehensive Guide

Hey there, fellow pickler! Are you wondering about what a pickleball rating is? Whether you're a beginner, intermediate, or pro player, you must have heard about this a lot. Here, we will discuss everything you need to know about pickleball ratings. 

• What is a Pickleball Rating? 
• How are Pickleball Ratings Determined?
• Why are Pickleball Ratings Important?
• Pickleball Rating System
• To Sum It Up
• Frequently Asked Questions About Pickleball Ratings
• Key Takeaways

What is a Pickleball Rating?

Pickleball ratings are used to determine the players’ skill level to make sure that every player is put in the right pickleball bracket, ensuring fair and competitive play. A pickleball rating is also a way to track your progress, especially if you’re on your way to becoming a pro. 

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Newbies or beginners will start with a low score, while experts or pros often have higher scores. The more you play, especially in tournaments or leagues, the higher and more accurate your score will be. Of course, it still depends on whether you have more wins or losses. The more you win, especially against those who have a higher rating than you, the higher your score will be. If you have more losses than wins, it will also affect your pickleball rating.

How are Pickleball Ratings Determined?

There are a few ways to determine pickleball ratings. Of course, different types of pickleball ratings may have different ways of determining your pickleball rating. These are the most common ways:

• Self-Rating: Many players self-rate themselves when just starting the sport. While this is a common starting point, the self-rating option isn’t that reliable since players may over or underestimate themselves.
• Tournament Ratings: This is one of the most common ways to determine your pickleball rating. Major pickleball tournaments require you to be registered to their preferred pickleball rating. They will also upload your scores after matches, which will result in a more accurate rating.
• Pickleball Rating App: There are apps where you can upload a video of your match to get rated.

Why are Pickleball Ratings Important?

• Fair Play: Pickleball players have pickleball ratings so that they are matched with opponents of their own skill level.
• Skill Development: Tracking your pickleball rating can help you see your progress, especially if you’re into competing professionally.
• Determining Tournament Bracket: Usually, your rating is used to determine which bracket in tournaments you can join. For example: In the upcoming 2025 US Open Pickelball Championships, you can join brackets for your age group (19 and under, 20+, 25+, etc.) or the split events (One player must be 49 and under; One player must be 50 and over), but you’d still have to compete against other players of your skill level.
• Building Connections: You can meet other players of your skill level and connect with them. For example, in the DUPR app, you can reach out and connect with other players around your area to join any games they might host (or you can host your own and invite others!).

Now that we’re clear on what pickleball ratings are and what they are for, let’s check the most popular pickleball ratings.

Pickleball Rating System

A pickleball rating system is a tool used to determine players’ ratings. You can usually access these rating systems through their official website or an app. 

DUPR

The Dynamic Universal Pickleball Rating, or DUPR, is the pickleball system used by the PPA Tour, Major League Pickleball (MLP), and United Pickleball Association (UPA). 

How to Get Rated

This pickleball rating system uses this scale:

• Not Rated (NR)
• Novice: 2.00 - 2.99
• Intermediate: 3.00 - 3.99
• Advanced: 4.00 - 4.99
• Professional: 5.00 - 8.00

There are a few ways to get rated using this pickleball rating system. 

• Self-Posted Match: You can post videos of your matches through the system to get rated. 
• Club Match: If you joined a pickleball club and they use this rating system, they can upload your scores. 
• Tournaments: If you join professional tournaments like the PPA Tour, these tournaments will automatically upload your scores. 

If you play against a player with a higher rating and win, your rating will increase more than if you win against someone with a lower rating than you. 

Reliability Score

The reliability score is a 0 to 100% number that you can see on the corner of your profile. This indicates how confident this rating system is with your rating (a higher score means a more reliable rating). Your match results and connectivity with other players impact your reliability score, and you will have a separate score for singles and doubles. 

UTR Pickleball Rating

UTR Pickleball Rating, or UTR-P Rating, is the pickleball rating system by UTR Sports, the global rating system for tennis. UTR Sports aims to grow tennis and pickleball 

by connecting players worldwide. UTR pickleball is the official pickleball rating system of USA Pickleball (USAP) and the Association of Pickleball Players (APP). 

How to Get Rated for UTR Pickleball?

This pickleball rating system uses a 1-10 scale.

• 1: Beginner
• 2: Social or Casual
• 3: Intermediate
• 4.0 - 4.9: Advanced
• 5.0 - 10.0: Expert or Pro

You can get two ratings from UTR-P, depending on where your match results are coming from.

• Verified UTR-P Rating: This will include your scores from tournaments and leagues like the USA Pickleball and APP-hosted tournaments and leagues.
• UTR-P Rating: This comes from your self-posted scores or casual matches.

Both scores will still count toward your UTR-P rating, but only those from verified sources will count toward your verified UTR-P rating. Your verified UTR-P rating is the one that will be used when you want to compete in sanctioned tournaments. Your scores from unverified sources will not affect your verified rating; however, unverified matches are still encouraged so players who are not into competitive playing can still use the UTR pickleball rating system and connect with other players.

UTR Pickleball Reliability

With the UTR pickleball rating, your score becomes more reliable as you play more matches (especially verified ones). If you’re a beginner and have no rating yet, you can get a “projected” rating after just one match. You can play as much as you want to get a more reliable rating, however, the system’s algorithm will only use a maximum of your 30 most recent matches in the last 12 months.

Feature	DUPR (Dynamic Universal Pickleball Rating)	UTR Pickleball Rating (UTR-P)
Used By	PPA Tour, Major League Pickleball (MLP), United Pickleball Association (UPA)	Official rating system of USA Pickleball (USAP) and the Association of Pickleball Players (APP)
Rating Scale	Not Rated (NR), Novice (2.00 - 2.99), Intermediate (3.00 - 3.99), Advanced (4.00 - 4.99), Professional (5.00 - 8.00)	1 - Beginner, 2 - Social or Casual, 3 - Intermediate, 4.0 - 4.9 - Advanced, 5.0 - 10.0 - Expert or Pro
How to Get Rated	Self-Posted Match (videos), Club Match (through participating clubs), Tournaments (PPA Tour and similar automatically upload scores). Rating increases more when winning against higher-rated players.	Verified UTR-P: Tournaments and leagues (USAP, APP). UTR-P (Unverified): Self-posted scores, casual matches. Both count towards overall UTR-P, but only verified sources count towards the verified rating used for sanctioned tournaments.
Rating Types	Single rating for each player (separate reliability for singles and doubles).	Verified UTR-P: From verified events. UTR-P (Unverified): From self-posted/casual matches.
Reliability Score	0 to 100% indicating confidence in the rating. Influenced by match results and connectivity with other players. Separate scores for singles and doubles.	Rating becomes more reliable with more matches played (especially verified). Beginners can get a "projected" rating after one match. Algorithm uses a maximum of the 30 most recent matches in the last 12 months.
Key Claim/Benefit	World's most accurate pickleball rating system because it includes all your matches to calculate your rating, allowing you to track progress.	Considered the best pickleball rating system because it prevents sandbagging by prioritizing verified match results for competitive play while still allowing recreational players to engage with the system.
Focus on Match Data	Emphasizes including all matches (self-posted, club, tournament) in the rating calculation.	Differentiates between verified and unverified sources, with verified results carrying more weight for competitive ratings. Encourages posting all matches but uses a limited recent history for calculation.

To Sum It Up

Pickleball ratings are important in the pickleball world, and everyone benefits from it. For players, a pickleball rating is used to track your progress, ensure that you only play against those of your skill level, and connect with other players. Tournaments use ratings to seed the players and ensure fairness in every match. There are two major pickleball rating systems used: DUPR AND UTR-P. Both aim to provide a fair experience to every player, however, they have major differences, like which matches count towards the rating and reliability score.

Frequently Asked Questions About Pickleball Ratings

What is a pickleball rating, and why is it important?

• A pickleball rating is a numerical representation of a player's skill level.
• It's important for:
  • Fair Play: Matches players of similar skill levels.
  • Skill Development: Tracking progress.
  • Tournament Brackets: Determining appropriate competition levels.
  • Building Connections: Finding and playing with players of similar abilities.

What are the common ways pickleball ratings are determined?

• Self-Rating: An initial, less reliable assessment by the player.
• Tournament Ratings: Ratings based on results from sanctioned tournaments.
• Pickleball Rating Apps: Some apps analyze match videos to provide a rating.

What is DUPR (Dynamic Universal Pickleball Rating)?

• DUPR is a pickleball rating system used by major professional tours like PPA, MLP, and UPA.
• It uses a scale of Not Rated (NR), Novice (2.00-2.99), Intermediate (3.00-3.99), Advanced (4.00-4.99), and Professional (5.00-8.00).
• Ratings are influenced by all match results, with wins against higher-rated players increasing your rating more.
• It features a "Reliability Score" (0-100%) indicating the confidence in your rating.

How can I get a DUPR rating?

• Self-Posted Match: Upload match videos for rating.
• Club Match: If your club uses DUPR, they can upload match scores.
• Tournaments: Participating in DUPR-sanctioned tournaments automatically uploads your scores.

What is the UTR Pickleball Rating (UTR-P)?

• UTR-P is the official rating system of USA Pickleball (USAP) and the Association of Pickleball Players (APP), powered by UTR Sports.
• It uses a 1-10 scale (1-Beginner to 10-Expert/Pro).
• It offers two rating types:
  • Verified UTR-P Rating: Based on results from sanctioned tournaments and leagues.
  • UTR-P Rating: Includes self-posted scores and casual matches.
• Only verified matches count toward your Verified UTR-P rating, used for sanctioned tournaments.
• It uses a maximum of your 30 most recent matches in the last 12 months to calculate your rating.

How can I get a UTR-P rating?

• By playing in verified tournaments and leagues (contributes to Verified UTR-P).
• By self-posting scores from casual matches (contributes to your general UTR-P rating).

What is the UTR Pickleball Reliability score?

• Your UTR-P rating becomes more reliable as you play more matches, especially verified ones.
• A "projected" rating can be obtained after just one match.

What is "sandbagging", and how does UTR-P aim to prevent it?

• Sandbagging is intentionally lowering one's rating to compete against less-skilled players.
• UTR-P's algorithm, which considers all match results and focuses on recent performance, makes it difficult to artificially lower your rating effectively.

What are the key differences between DUPR and UTR-P?

• Scale: DUPR uses a 2.00-8.00 scale, while UTR-P uses a 1-10 scale.
• Data Inclusion: DUPR includes all matches in its calculation, while UTR-P primarily uses the last 30 matches in the past year.
• Verification: UTR-P distinguishes between verified (sanctioned events) and unverified (casual) matches for its primary rating.
• Official Affiliations: DUPR is used by PPA/MLP/UPA, while UTR-P is the official rating of USAP/APP.

How can understanding my pickleball rating benefit me?

• It helps you find appropriate competition and fair matches.
• It allows you to track your improvement over time.
• It's necessary for participating in many organized tournaments and leagues.
• It helps you connect with other players at your skill level.

Key Takeaways

 

Key Takeaway	Description
What is a Pickleball Rating?	Numerical representation of a player's skill level for fair and competitive play.
Importance of Ratings	Ensures fair play, tracks skill development, determines tournament brackets, and helps build connections.
Ways to Determine Rating	Self-rating (less reliable), tournament ratings (most accurate), and pickleball rating apps.
DUPR (Dynamic Universal Pickleball Rating)	Used by PPA Tour, MLP, and UPA; scale of NR, 2.0-8.0; rating based on all matches; reliability score (0-100%).
Getting Rated in DUPR	Self-posted matches, club matches, and tournament results.
UTR Pickleball Rating (UTR-P)	Official rating system of USAP and APP; 1-10 scale; Verified (tournaments/leagues) and unverified ratings.
Getting Rated in UTR-P	Verified ratings from sanctioned events; unverified from self-posted/casual matches.
UTR-P Reliability	Rating becomes more reliable with more matches (up to 30 recent in 12 months); prevents sandbagging.
Key Differences (DUPR vs. UTR-P)	Matches counted, reliability score calculation, scale used, and official affiliations.
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