Do you want to know the NTRP level of your opponents?

[Cindysphinx]

I had an interesting match today, 3.5 ladies dubs.

I was captaining the match, so I had the scoresheet. I knew this team had a couple of 3.0 players. I also knew the opposing team was undefeated. When we exchanged scorecards, I didn't even look at the NTRP level of my two opponents. (This would have required me to pull the reading glasses out of my purse!).

We played the match and we won, 7-6, 5-3 timed. There was all kinds of weirdness.

One of the opponents liked to hit the ball crazy-high into the air. I would call it a lob, but lobs are lower than these balls. I'm talking straight up, straight down. Even her second serve was 30 feet over the net. This caused my partner some trouble (she likes pace), but I just kept bouncing these balls and then hitting crosscourt groundstrokes. I assumed she was doing this to mess with us.

In fact, it may not have been a trick. I discovered after the match that she is a 3.0 who plays a lot of 3.0. So this could well just be how she hits and serves.

I wonder if my partner and I would have had an easier time had we known she was playing up? I've been trying to think what we would have done differently -- other than assume she was the weaker player and send her more balls? Or send her more spin on the theory that a 3.0 doesn't often see a lot of spin?

Usually, I don't want to know the NTRPs of my opponents, but maybe that would be useful information more often than not?

 

[Spokewench]

I don't think it really matters if I know what NTRP. I think it could hurt you if you went into a match thinking you were going to dominate and then had trouble.

I usually can tell if someone is a lower level and that hitting high balls is a real indication sometimes of a lower level player. Although I don't think I've ever seen anyone hit them that high!

And, I'm really glad I did not know my opponent who I played in singles at 4.0 this weekend (i'm a 3.5) has won several matches at 4.5 dubs, and lots of matches at 4.0. I just played as hard as I could and let the crumbs fall as they would! I could have been very intimidated if I had known her record.

 

[Timbo's hopeless slice]

It is an interesting thing to view from afar, as it were. Although here in Australia we do use ITN numbers occasionally for tournament classification, for the most part nobody ever 'knows' their opponents rating. You just assume they are somewhat similar to you or they wouldn't be playing in that competition and go out and try to beat them.

I think it is probably a healthier sytem, to be honest, as there are such disparities between how some players 'look' and how they actually perform, ie, where the ball ends up. Allied to this, with NTRP computer ratings, the system seems quite flawed with 'sand baggers' and 'self rated players' thrown into the mix. In our leagues, people who are clearly playing at the wrong level, either up or down are just moved straight away to the grade in which they belong. This fixation with NTRP seems to be peculiar to the States, thankfully.

I would rather just go out and play my best tennis, since knowing the opponents 'rating' won't magically either remove them from the court or change the shots they play...

At the day, you have to beat the person across the net, regardless.

 

[skiracer55]

What he said...

It is an interesting thing to view from afar, as it were. Although here in Australia we do use ITN numbers occasionally for tournament classification, for the most part nobody ever 'knows' their opponents rating. You just assume they are somewhat similar to you or they wouldn't be playing in that competition and go out and try to beat them.

I think it is probably a healthier sytem, to be honest, as there are such disparities between how some players 'look' and how they actually perform, ie, where the ball ends up. Allied to this, with NTRP computer ratings, the system seems quite flawed with 'sand baggers' and 'self rated players' thrown into the mix. In our leagues, people who are clearly playing at the wrong level, either up or down are just moved straight away to the grade in which they belong. This fixation with NTRP seems to be peculiar to the States, thankfully.

I would rather just go out and play my best tennis, since knowing the opponents 'rating' won't magically either remove them from the court or change the shots they play...

At the day, you have to beat the person across the net, regardless.

...forget about NTRP, theirs and yours, because all that does is produce all kinds of "woulda shoulda coulda" thinking. Just play your best tennis, believe in yourself, and, most of all, have some fun on a tennis court, which is an opportunity that a lot of the world does not have, and the results will take care of themselves...

 

[dizzlmcwizzl]

To me it rarely matters if I know or not. From my past results I generally say that if I am playing someone weaker than me I will crush them. Rarely have I had lower ranked players stay competitive against me.

The flip side is that I am not the kind of guy to pull out the big upset win over someone clearly better than me. I feel like I am a good benchmark of 4.0 players ...

If you handle my game easily you are probalbly soon to be a 4.5 ... if we are close you are probalbly also near the top of 4.0. If I thump you you could be anywhere from a middling 4.0 to a 3.5 wannabe.

 

[tennis4josh]

I had an interesting match today, 3.5 ladies dubs.

I was captaining the match, so I had the scoresheet. I knew this team had a couple of 3.0 players. I also knew the opposing team was undefeated. When we exchanged scorecards, I didn't even look at the NTRP level of my two opponents. (This would have required me to pull the reading glasses out of my purse!).

We played the match and we won, 7-6, 5-3 timed. There was all kinds of weirdness.

One of the opponents liked to hit the ball crazy-high into the air. I would call it a lob, but lobs are lower than these balls. I'm talking straight up, straight down. Even her second serve was 30 feet over the net. This caused my partner some trouble (she likes pace), but I just kept bouncing these balls and then hitting crosscourt groundstrokes. I assumed she was doing this to mess with us.

In fact, it may not have been a trick. I discovered after the match that she is a 3.0 who plays a lot of 3.0. So this could well just be how she hits and serves.

I wonder if my partner and I would have had an easier time had we known she was playing up? I've been trying to think what we would have done differently -- other than assume she was the weaker player and send her more balls? Or send her more spin on the theory that a 3.0 doesn't often see a lot of spin?

Usually, I don't want to know the NTRPs of my opponents, but maybe that would be useful information more often than not?

I don't think you can make a plan simply based on someone's rating on paper. What matters is how the opponents match up to you and which one of them is giving you more trouble. You have to also see what they are good at, some players are good from the baseline but not very sharp at the net. You have to also consider what is working and not working for you and your partner. You may have a good plan but if you cannot execute it, its no good. So where to hit the ball is a real time decision.

Before going into an important match I do some research before the match. I look at players on the opposite teams roster, records of individual players and so on.

-Josh

 

[Timbo's hopeless slice]

...forget about NTRP, theirs and yours, because all that does is produce all kinds of "woulda shoulda coulda" thinking. Just play your best tennis, believe in yourself, and, most of all, have some fun on a tennis court, which is an opportunity that a lot of the world does not have, and the results will take care of themselves...

isn't that what I said? I just wondered why you quoted me instead of the OP, that's all..

 

[SmoothOperator]

Doesn't matter to me if I know there ratings beforehand. I'll figure it out soon enough once the balls fly for real. I have on occasion looked up opponents after the match to see their rating and rating type. I'm usually pretty good at guessing who's self-rated.