Why would the couple of guys who don’t win any 5.0 matches be on the 5.0 ladder? Sounds like they should exactly be the kind of guys who should play on the 4.5 ladder??
I think I’m starting to crack the code of the TTW lingo to describe the three categories of rec players at each level.
1. Hits hard, loses a lot and turns into an error-machine in any serious match - ‘Ball-basher‘ or ‘aggressive baseliner‘ or ’heavy ground-stoker’ or ‘Serious tennis player‘. Seems to describe many TTW posters.
2. Does not hit hard or hits at pace appropriate for level, wins a lot and is consistent - ‘Pusher’
3. Hits hard, wins a lot and is consistent - ‘Sand-bagger’
The first category of player plays with a RF97 or a precisely-matched 360 SW racquet that will help him to improve his game eventually (presumably before his hair turns gray or he goes bald) unlike the ‘mugs’ winning most of their matches with lightweight ‘granny sticks’ that will prevent them from ever improving to the next level. Plays only with poly or a poly/gut hybrid, claims he breaks all strings known to man within 5 hours and has experimented with a minimum of 25 strings in the last couple of years. Either is refining his ‘ATP takeback modern-FH’ or has given up on the ‘ATP takeback’ and now argues that it is not appropriate for any coach to teach that to Adults and especially women. Believes that strategy/tactical adjustments are over-rated and are not needed at the rec level.
The second category of player is always described as devilishly fast and does not understand the spirit of how ’true tennis’ should be played. He might be a junker, hacker, moonballer or be able to hit good top-spin only down the middle and can hit 20-25 shots in a rally without missing even though he is always described as having 3.5 level strokes - somehow ‘pushers’ always have magical shot-tolerance powers irrespective of their low level even though they are presumably defending on every ball against the heavy topspin, textbook swing, high-pace balls being hit by our ’serious tennis’ playing poster. They probably have a racquet bought used or for $40 at the nearby big-box sporting goods store and haven’t ever changed their strings or broken them either - might even be playing with the dreaded Babolat PD or PA and doesn’t know that he will get ‘tennis elbow’ soon. Opponent always claims he has no strategy except to wait for their errors - although spectators notice that he can actually locate his serve anywhere within the box, hits short slices/dropshots/lobs and makes his opponent constantly hit shots on the move or draws them to the net and then passes/lobs them.
The third category of player has no business playing at a particular level even though he might have had a computer ranking at that level for a decade and the USTA has never deemed him worthy of being bumped up. He is a sandbagger because ‘I say so‘ - I mean how else could he easily beat me when he is hitting too hard to be a ‘pusher’?
Tongue firmly in cheek