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I know someone who started teaching in his late 50s. He called himself a 4.5 player but honestly he wouldn't even be a benchwarmer on some of the better 4.0 teams. But nonetheless he decided he was going to coach and went out and got some type of certificate. He is teaching mostly older 3.5-4.0...

The only problem I have with a 2.5 nationals is that a lot of people can legitimately go from 2.5 to 3.5 in one year pretty easily.

I guess if you know these guys well, you should be able to tell by their scores against various opponents if they are throwing match on purpose, because that is really the only ethical question here, not arguing about what is their "true" rating.

In my experience this can happen at 3.0 and 3.5 much more so than at 4.0/4.5. People can maintain their rating and significantly improve when you are lower level. This is much less likely to happen at 4.0 and even less so at 4.5 where it is much harder to simply work on your game and become a...

But how did they get these guys to show up? They must be getting something- money, a free room and travel expenses, or why bother? Just noticed one of the captains of the NorCal teM is a 4.5, is he going to actually play?:)

Not really sure how they do mixed points at the pro level since there are so few tournaments with mixed.

Looking up their bios, the mixed doubles winners were both basically low level pros. The woman had a high ranking of 169 in the world in doubles and the guy won 7 futures doubles titles.

It is a rite of passage to get to 4.0 to be able to beat players like this. It sounds like you already know what you have to do.

People keep throwing out this $5/week figure as if that is the actual cost per match for playing a season of USTA. If my fees were $40, this would be my actual cost per match to play based on a recent season. $40 fee league $75 home court fee $12 for balls $60 gas This totaled and...

You really think that the number of guys playing tennis in their 20 and 30s has anything to do with old guys complaining? Sheesh. In this country people play other sports growing up and then take up tennis when they get older because the only sport you see old guys playing are golf and tennis...

Of course recruiting is part of the system. Someone who is gaming the system is taking players that are technically legal to take but pushing the boundaries of the rules. For example would you have any problems with any of the following recruiting scenarios: 1. Taking a player that lives 2...

It is all relative. If you were use to paying $25 for 13-15 weeks and a sudden change in price to $40 for 8 weeks might not seem like such a great deal especially if there are viable alternatives that cost less. OTOH, if you were paying thousands a year for a private club because there was no...

You asked whether or not you were gaming the system, not whether it is right or wrong. That is up for you decide. Some people might consider unsporting others may say it is fine because it is what you need to do to win or others are doing it so why shouldn't we? You have your own moral compass.

I am not sure how you can make meaningful generalizations based on your personal example of not sandbagging. How do you define gaming the system? I would define it as manipulating rules and procedures meant to protect the system in order to get a desired outcome. To me everything you write...

Sure if that is all you had to pay. But the reality you also have to cover court fees for your home courts, balls, possibly refreshments in some locales and gas costs. Some away matches can be an hour or more away. Also on the vast majority of teams you don't get to play every week. On a team...

Exactly. Texting death notices, breaking up with a chick and firing someone from a job is so much smoother and more genuine. Straight and to the point. Best of all you don't have to pretend you actually care like you do in person.

Video ratings are really only good to spot high level players 5.0+ and low level players 3.0 and lower. In the club level range 3.5 -4.5 they are unreliable gauges when compared against computer ratings. My guess is that you haven't seen much league tennis at the 4.0 level because if you did you...

I am still waiting for that quantum leap part.

Already been done on the pro level. Most recently by Evgenia Koulikovskaya who retired in 2004 high rank of 91 in singles. Giorgio de Stefani beat Fred Perry in 1934. Beverly Baker Fleitz got to Wimbledon final 1955. In 1972 two forehand only players met each other first round of Wimbledon- Lita...

Yes I have noticed the lower the level of play the worse the calls in general but I doubt that 7.0 is significantly better. I have also noticed mixed has more bad line callers than other divisions for some reason.

I am not sure I like that although it is better than weighting 3-2-1. You could have a deep team with depth overall but no ringers go undefeated and still come in second place to a team that had several losses just by having a couple ringers on their team that always won line 1.

Exactly. A good experience is what brings back people year after year. You want to be at tournaments that treat you the paying customer right. Some TDs treat the players that sign up like garbage and then wonder why fewer and fewer people sign up each year.

$100 in each division could be expensive. Each NTRP level men's and women plus open level and more if they include doubles could really add up. Personally I would not find small cash prizes as an incentive to join a tournament. I think whenever money is involved it brings out the worst in...

Lol damage control attempt. World tennis magazine (who?) posts an article this morning about how JMac is doing his part to help NYC poor kids get exposed to tennis. No mention or rebuttal of the allegations in the NYPost article.

Doesn't surprise me. A lot of charity are scams or just money raising ventures with only a small percentage of money going to the people that claim to be served by the charity.

For league rec players you are not going to see umpires except may be at sectionals/nationals. Some NTRP tourneys have roaming umps but the vast majority don't.

No as I said in a previous post I wouldn't drop shot any over and over because I can't hit a reliable drop shot from the baseline. I have already played the old dude who can't move in a tournament. Basically moved him corner to corner, short angles, bring him, drop shot him if he puts a drop...

I don't understand your argument. If an 84 year old chooses to enter a tournament where there are no age restrictions then other players should adjust their play for them, but it is ok if he drop shots you over and over? How about a strategy of hitting corner to corner or short angles forcing...

I am not sure anybody can define what is a "real" NTRP rating. USTA has a bunch of descriptors of each level which are entirely subjective. If you use an algorithm the levels of play are going to be determined by what algorithm is used and the ability of the pool of players that it is used...

I assume you are not a big team guy so that avenue of aiming for something bigger is out of the question? Just some random thoughts- Many districts have NTRP master tournaments at end of the year for the top point finishers in tourneys through the year. You got a small of points just for...