Tennis Australia becomes first governing body to adopt UTR as official rating system nationwide

The Australian Open might have come to a close on Sunday, but the sport is more alive than ever Down Under in 2022. Tennis Australia is partnering with Universal Tennis by adopting the UTR Rating system this Summer. UTR will also be introduced at team events and leagues throughout the year and has already begun phasing out the National Rating System.

Tennis Australia is the first governing body to make this transition.

UTR will be incorporated into Australia's all-new "Competitive Play" and offers level-based competition and opportunities for everyone. Tennis Australia believes the use of UTR and Competitive Play will provide a clear pathway from a player picking up a racquet for the first time to the WTA and ATP Tours. This "New Aspirational Player Pathway" features junior events, money tournaments, college, and the pros.

“We’re excited to extend and expand our partnership with Universal Tennis to deliver the new rating system to support player development and all forms of competitive play in Australia,” Tennis Australia Chief Tennis Officer Tom Larner told Universal Tennis. “Since beginning our partnership with Universal Tennis in January 2019, they have been pivotal in helping tennis to open up more opportunities for both the everyday player and performance athlete in a time highly affected by the pandemic.”

Tennis Australia didn't just jump into making such a major change, back in 2020 they created a project focused on finding the correct system that aided long-term health of the game in Australia—based on the community's feedback. What they found was a resounding desire to drop the rankings system and switch to one rating.

All players are rated on the same 16-point scale regardless of age, gender and location. UTR's algorithm is based on each player's 30 most recent results in the past 12 months. It's not necessarily about winning matches, but rather how many games the player has won and the rating of their opponents.

Overall, this exciting partnership will contribute to more people taking to the courts and enjoying the sport of a lifetime by grabbing competitive match play and comparing skillsets with players around the world.