Everything you need to know about pickleball ratings

How do you find your pickleball rating?

You have a choice of two different ratings. You might prefer to go with the new UTR Pickleball rating, or UTR-P, which can give you a verified rating based on results from official matches as well as an unverified rating which is calculated on recreational or unofficial matches. The UTR-P rating has replaced the previous system endorsed by USA Pickleball. Another option is the Dynamic Universal Pickleball Rating, or DUPR, which is based on every match you play, whether in tournaments or casually with friends.

How does the UTR-P system work?

If you haven’t played any matches yet, quickly answer a few questions on the UTR Sports website and you will get a provisional rating from P1 to P5. While P1 is the beginner level and P2 is for social players, P3 is the provisional rating for intermediate players, P4 is for advanced players and P5 is for experts. Once you have a few results to put into the algorithm, you will get an actual rating, which will be between 1.0 and 10.0, with the ratings between 5.0 and 10.0 for those who are expert or professional players. Please note that the number of points you win counts towards your rating – it’s not just about whether you win or lose.

If you play more tournaments, there will be more data to work with and your rating will be a more accurate assessment of your level (up to 60 matches can count towards your rating). With the system updating every 24 hours, it won’t take long for you to get a new rating. You can get a rating for singles or doubles. Everyone is part of the same system, regardless of your gender, age and where you are in the world. If you’re playing in a sanctioned match, that will count towards your verified rating, while a casual match with friends will affect your unverified rating.

How good do you have to be for the different ratings?

P1: Beginner. You’re just getting started. You’re not just new to pickleball; you also haven’t played any other racquet sports before. You’re picking up the rules, learning to keep score and how to hit the basic shots. When playing with other beginners, you can play short rallies.

P2: Social. Your focus is on having a good time but you’re also improving your game as you have fun. You’re now capable of having longer rallies but you’re not always as consistent as you would like to be. One thing you’re on top of is keeping the score.

P3: Intermediate. Your game has improved to a level where you’re thinking about the strategy and also playing in tournaments – or maybe you’ve already started doing that.

P4: Advanced. A pickler at this level is consistent and has a strong understanding of the strategy required to win tournaments against other strong players.

P5: Expert or Pro. You’re playing some superb pickleball at a high level. You can play every shot you want and you hardly ever make any unforced mistakes.

How does the DUPR system work?

Record all your results – whether you’re playing with friends, in a league or in a tournament. The number of points you win will affect your rating; it’s not just determined by whether you win or lose. That information will give you a rating between 2.000 and 8.000. You can get a rating for both singles and doubles. If your opponent has an account – but they haven’t got a rating yet – you can still record a match.

What’s your rating?

Above all, playing pickleball should be about having a good time. Getting a rating can add to that fun, especially when you’re improving and moving up the levels.