Should I appeal up?

[HowardH]

Last year was my first year playing tennis and I self rated at 3.0. I won a few matches and lost some, lost most due being new at tennis and learning how to be match tough. Well I've played a lot, have taken private lessons, really applied myself, played with 3.5 players and do well now.
I would like to play on a 3.5 team for the better competition and to play more people that play the way I do but not sure if having a 3.0 rating will hurt my chances of finding a 3.5 team to play on.

What's better, a 3.0 C or a 3.5 A?

 

[JavierLW]

Last year was my first year playing tennis and I self rated at 3.0. I won a few matches and lost some, lost most due being new at tennis and learning how to be match tough. Well I've played a lot, have taken private lessons, really applied myself, played with 3.5 players and do well now.
I would like to play on a 3.5 team for the better competition and to play more people that play the way I do but not sure if having a 3.0 rating will hurt my chances of finding a 3.5 team to play on.

What's better, a 3.0 C or a 3.5 A?

3.5 A and people will most likely think you have appealed down from 4.0. Until they look up your record they will think you are a hot commodity.

Sounds like a plan to me. It doesnt hurt as long as you really dont want to play 3.0, but if something happens and you cant find a 3.5 rating, it could hurt your chances of playing at all.

You should watch out though, there are probally a million people who think they are going to do well but when they get into the real matches it's actually a lot harder (because of the pressure).

Have you been playing singles or doubles lately?

 

[raiden031]

I realized that it doesn't matter what your rating says in tennislink. When you are looking for teams, chances are you will not be drafted based on your tennislink rating but based on how well you play with people on the team during tryouts or social matches or whatever. My rating still says 3.0 but I have had several 3.5 captains asking me to join their team after I play with them in fun matches and they see that I'm alot better than my rating and even my previous record shows.

Also, you have more flexibility by keeping the 3.0 rating because you can play 7.0 mix and pair up with both 3.5 and 4.0 players and such. I would prefer to have the 3.5 rating myself, but I chose not to appeal up because I want to earn it by playing well enough on record that the computer grants it. No doubt I'm still planning to play up though.

 

[HowardH]

I've been playing singles and doubles, mostly singles. Still try to play a couple of times a week when I can, even though it's cold at night under the lights. I only have one practice partner that will go out in the evening when it's below freezing to play. It's funny because we usually have the entire tennis complex to ourselves and they have to turn the lights on just for us, but they stay open.
I guess I will stay where I am and see what happens. I may just play 3.5challenge ladders and tournaments if I can't find a 3.5 league team to play on.

I hope I don't sound like I think I'm better than I am but I really don't want to play below my level of ability now. I know there are some good 3.0 players out there, like myself, that will get bumped up next year but I really love the challenge of 3.5 right now.

 

[raiden031]

I've been playing singles and doubles, mostly singles. Still try to play a couple of times a week when I can, even though it's cold at night under the lights. I only have one practice partner that will go out in the evening when it's below freezing to play. It's funny because we usually have the entire tennis complex to ourselves and they have to turn the lights on just for us, but they stay open.
I guess I will stay where I am and see what happens. I may just play 3.5challenge ladders and tournaments if I can't find a 3.5 league team to play on.

I hope I don't sound like I think I'm better than I am but I really don't want to play below my level of ability now. I know there are some good 3.0 players out there, like myself, that will get bumped up next year but I really love the challenge of 3.5 right now.

Why don't you reach out to some 3.5 captains and ask if they will give you a tryout for their team to prove you are at their level? That way if none of them want you, you can play 3.0 still. Or would you rather not play league at all rather than play 3.0?

 

[Droofin]

Leave it 3.0 and play 6.5 combined doubles in addition to 3.5 league. You'll be a hot commodity. Just let the system work; it'll eventually bump you up.

 

[HowardH]

Why don't you reach out to some 3.5 captains and ask if they will give you a tryout for their team to prove you are at their level? That way if none of them want you, you can play 3.0 still. Or would you rather not play league at all rather than play 3.0?

I'm going to do that. That's how I found a 3.0 team last year. I just called every team captain on the list until I found one that needed players.

As far as playing 3.0, I'm not sure I want to. Their are many good 3.0 players that have been playing 3.0 for years and are good at playing 3.0 with great lobs, flat strokes and slices but I don't want to play that way any more. Not to say those players aren't in the 3.5 because I've played them but the majority of 3.5 players I've hit with, hit like myself, topspin forehands with decent topspin backhands and can play a more strategic game rather than pushing everything back until a mistake is made.

I'm afraid that my game won't advance as fast as I want it to if I go back to playing 3.0 so I probably won't play 3.0 league tennis even if that's my only chance.

 

[Nellie]

There is no need to appeal up, unless you want to play 8.0 mixed. You can play on any 3.5/4.0 team that will take you, and as noted above, the captains will take you according to your skill and not your NTRP rating.

Also, you do not seem to have a basis for appealling up - were you injured or otherwise limited in your results? The coordinators no longer visually evaluate you.

If you want to move up, play some competitve matches at 3.5 and you will move up fast, even if you lose.

I agree that you will improve fast if you start playing at higher levels. I notice, for example, that you would need to be more consistent, use better strategy, and return serve better.

 

[Swissv2]

Can't you play up a level or so?

 

[HowardH]

Can't you play up a level or so?

Yes I can play up but when I start calling captains of 3.5 teams and I let them know I'm only 3.0 they may not even give me a chance but if I'm a 3.5 even a 3.5 A at least I can tell them "yeah, I'm 3.5" and may at least get to try out.

 

[tennis-n-sc]

You need to have some tournament results or something, I would think, to warrant an appeal up. Around here the upward appeals simply aren't taken seriously and very rarely approved. You can play up and if you have improved as much as you say, you won't have any trouble finding a 3.5 team. You say you are playing and beating some 3.5's, get them to recommend you to a captain. As has been pointed out, if you are playing 3.5 level with a 3.0 rating, you'll be a hot comodity come combo season.

 

[JavierLW]

You need to have some tournament results or something, I would think, to warrant an appeal up. Around here the upward appeals simply aren't taken seriously and very rarely approved. You can play up and if you have improved as much as you say, you won't have any trouble finding a 3.5 team. You say you are playing and beating some 3.5's, get them to recommend you to a captain. As has been pointed out, if you are playing 3.5 level with a 3.0 rating, you'll be a hot comodity come combo season.

Actually, this is the same everywhere.

Appealing up is just like appealing down. If you are within .05, it will automatically accept it.

Nobody really knows that but it's because most people wouldnt think of appealing their rating up.

Which is why I dont mind saying that if this guy wants to do it and the computer gives it to him, big deal.

If people think it's okay to appeal down just because you fell within .05 (which is 5% over), then it should be perfectly fine to appeal up as well, as long as they didnt intend on playing the lower league.

I had a player on my 3.0 team get rated down to 2.5 once. He only played 3 matches and I really felt it was a statistical fluke because he was a solid 3.0 player on other years.

I happened to be disolving the team that year so I recommended he appeal up. There is no 2.5 Men's tennis here, so having a 2.5 rating (which is rare in our league) sometimes makes it look like you are the definate worst player in the entire league.

The OP's situation is probally different though.

 

[Nellie]

According to the facts in the original post (win some/ lose some) it does not appear to be the case where the poster would be on the cusp of getting bumped up as needed for an authomatic appeal. You cannot get bumped even if you are enormously better than the competition - you need match results. Thus, SC is likely right that some wins in 3.5 tournements are needed.

 

[JavierLW]

According to the facts in the original post (win some/ lose some) it does not appear to be the case where the poster would be on the cusp of getting bumped up as needed for an authomatic appeal. You cannot get bumped even if you are enormously better than the competition - you need match results. Thus, SC is likely right that some wins in 3.5 tournements are needed.

He can still appeal though. If the system lets him, it lets him. If it doesnt, it doesnt. (you may be right, it likely wont)

He didnt ask if he would win the appeal, he just asked if he should do it.

Tournaments dont count toward your rating everywhere. (here most of them do not count, just certain Section championship events)

Besides if he's not even close, he'd have to win quite a few tournaments. Luckily we are in the new year, so if he had a big win in a 3.5 tournament match, that would go huge into his rating for this year.

Also Im not even sure it effects his ability to appeal. Appeals are based on a number from last year, it doesnt care what you've done this year yet. It just may help him end up with a 3.5 year end rating.

 

[Cindysphinx]

My understanding is that an appeal up would be granted if you are close enough to the line.

Whether it is smart to appeal up depends IMHO on how well established you are. If lots of people know you and have seen your progress, you can network your way onto a team even if you'd technically be playing up.

If you are new and don't know many 3.5s yet, then having 3.0 next to your name can be a real impediment, especially if captains will see unimpressive TennisLink results. Around here, captains receive a list of available players. When I get the list, I look for computer-rated players who are playing on level. Next best is self-rated. Next best is people playing up with good Tennislink results. Least attractive are people playing up with poor Tennislink results.

In a large league like yours, captains can't see everyone so they have to be selective. Appealing up would make sense if your league does things like ours. Otherwise, your phone might not ring at all.

I know of two people who appealed up. One was a self-rated 2.5 woman who joined my fall combo team last year. Combo doesn't count toward one's rating. For the winter season, she appealed up so she could be partnered with 4.0 guys in 7.0 mixed. The appeal was granted.

The other person I know who appealed up was a woman who had hoped to be bumped up but wasn't. All of her friends were bumped, so she wanted a "3.5" next to her name too. She got it.

 

[HowardH]

I guess it really doesn't matter much. I'll have to prove myself either way. I might have to just play 3.5 tournys to try and establish my ability with numbers and go from there. I'm entered in 3.5 tournament on the 19th, so we'll go from there.

 

[fe6250]

I was in a similar situation last year and had no problem finding a team at the higher level as people were familiar with my game. Staying at the lower level allowed me to play in multiple leagues and gave me more options at mixed and combo too. If they aren't familiar - you might think about captaining a team!