App to prevent getting skill-level catfished

[ryohazuki222]

For those that don’t know what being catfished means… well the short version is that someone represented themselves online as something they are not — which you find out after wasting the time to meet them in person.

This has become a problem in finding new hitting partners. You put out a call for hitting partners, set out your criteria (ie; looking for 4.0, 5.0, etc). And you get responses from people that claim to be that level but are actually far below it.

Well no more…! I’ve built an app that background checks these hand raisers so you can verify them as worthy or not.

The app auto-integrates into UTR, USTA, and other databases to instant background check their ratings and results and spits out a “skills legitimacy” pass/fail before you respond to them.

Before using this app, I was catfished too many times. But where the line was crossed for me and I decided I needed to do something about it is when a person tried to catfish me for the second time without even bothering to change their name/profile. I was asking for strong 4.5-5.0 ntrps 7-9 utrs. And got more 4.0c ntrps and 3.5s ntrps responding saying they can hit. One of which was someone who tricked me before…!

I don’t understand the motivation of the catfish, but it sucks to be duped like that and have to give free lessons or make up excuses to bail. Or be a “jerk” and deliver the news to their face that they are hurting the sport.

The app is available in the iOS App Store as of today. DONT GET SKILLS-LEVEL CATFISHED ANYMORE!!!

For those wondering if this is real or an April fools joke …. Well this is definitely an April fools joke. Happy 4/1/25!

 

[socallefty]

Can you use your app to check this guy? He doesn’t seem legit.

I’m just starting to get back into competitive tennis after a long break. Self rated at 5.0 because I still haven’t lost any sets to 4.5-5.0 dubs teams despite being extremely rusty at dubs (I’m a singles guy) and messing around with rackets and shoes in the process. Going to play 5.0 USTA league coming up. And there’s no way I’m a 5.5 - though I should be able to get at least 2 games consistently against 5.5s per set.

I found a local 4.0 ladder and joined it. Want to try and play with the Saber. I can’t see myself winning ever at 4.5. I can be competitive at 3.5. 4.0 might be a stretch or might not.

Since I’m already going to probably annoy/offend some players because of the equipment… I’m at least trying to avoid being in the wrong level. I could drop down to 3.5 but was thinking it’d be more fun to get by ass beat at 4.0 first and then drop down.

It’s not an official league or anything but if I played too well somehow, they’d look me up and see I’m a 5.0 playing a 4.0 league and maybe I get kicked out.

Also, since it’s not an official league, I suspect some of the “4.0s” are really 3.5s with vanity ratings — hit the ball well and think they are better than they are but aren’t consistent enough or match smart enough to close the win.

 

[ryohazuki222]

Can you use your app to check this guy? He doesn’t seem legit.

That dude is all talk. 3.0 ntrp masquerading as a higher level player.

Higher doubles rating but app shows it’s only because he plays with much stronger partners.

Recommendation: proceed with caution

 

[BenC]

A few steps ahead of you there. My next generation AI will

1) crawl talk tennis warehouse for meaningless GOAT arguments (known to be inversely correlated to intelligence)

2) use hacked security camera footage for gait analysis to identify fitness level and undisclosed injuries

3) impersonate their friends and family to get an honest 3rd party evaluation ("tennis? pfft, he can't even cook an omelette without burning himself.")

 

[ryohazuki222]

A few steps ahead of you there. My next generation AI will

1) crawl talk tennis warehouse for meaningless GOAT arguments (known to be inversely correlated to intelligence)

2) use hacked security camera footage for gait analysis to identify fitness level and undisclosed injuries

3) impersonate their friends and family to get an honest 3rd party evaluation ("tennis? pfft, he can't even cook an omelette without burning himself.")

Hahahhahhaha

 

[movdqa]

I just ask my hitting partners what another player is like. Most reliable approach I know of.

 

[ryohazuki222]

Next release scheduled for 4/1/2026 will include new “phone a friend” feature.