USTA rating...and getting bumped up

[smoothasmecir]

Anyone out there know how the DNTRP works and how it calculates your current rating on a per match basis. My question is how to avoid being bumped up to the next level before the season or regionals are over. Does it take into account your match scores (i.e how many games you lose vs how many you win). If you are beating an opponent soundly....does it help if you intentionally lose a couple of games to preserve your current NTRP rating.

[cak]

Someone posted this awhile back, get out your calculater...

http://www.wetennis.com/rate.htm

If you are good enough to lose just the right number of games to preserve your current NTRP rating without losing the match you are most likely good enough to win a few the next level up, and it's always more fun to go for the big win rather than trying to lose some.

[moonshine]

Everything runs down from the Nationals Visual Ratings. Visual ratings are given to each player at Nationals. Every match that person played previously is then compared according to the (very complicated) method cak listed in the post above. Each opponent is given a computer rating. Then every person the opponent played is given a rating based on their match outcomes. Then their opponents...you get the picture.

The issue is that you do not know what score you need to get because you do not have access to a person's actual numeric rating. For example, an opponent you are playing in 4.0s may be computer rated 3.57 or 4.02. You do not know when you are playing what true impact the win will have on your rating. And unless you are a very accurate psychic, you are also unable to tell what meaning that win he had over the guy-who-went-to-nationals-and-got-visually-moved-up will have on his rating, and thus your rating.

A neat little trick arose though when my team went to nationals in 2002. My partner and I went into nationals computer rated 4.0 and 4.5 respectively. We were both verified there as 4.5. My partner, because of personal reasons, did not play a single USTA match the following year, and his rating returned to his 4.0 computer rating. Apparently, the visual rating only has an impact for the next year. The hope is that by playing matches at the higher level, the computer will keep the player at the new higher rating. If no matches are played, it seems to automatically revert back to the most recent computer rating.

From my experience with the DNTRP (playing in a pilot section and since), the best way to avoid the computer rating you up is to self-rate accurately, and to not play in higher rating divisions. If you are playing in your correct level, then go out and kick some tail. If you are "playing up" in USTA events, then you are probably not going to have a choice come next year. I hope this helps.