Fiend at Court Unplugged
Last Friday I wrote an essay highlighting how early entries into tournaments encourage other players to also participate. That post ended with a call to action for the tournament community to enter tournaments early and often. As it turns out, it is unlikely that I will be entering any NTRP tournaments early this year. The reason is fragmentation.
The good news for me in 2022 is that the secret algorithm that determines USTA NTRP ratings decided that I am now down to 4.5. The even better news is that I also eligible for USTA 55+ divisions this year. That means that I have a cornucopia of playing opportunities in both tournaments and leagues.
Unfortunately, that comes with some bad news. When I enter an NTRP 4.5 tournament, I also have to make a decision of whether to play 18+, 40+, or 55+ divisions. That decision is a dilemma. What is best for me personally is not what is best for maximizing participation.
I play tournaments for the competition. I want to play in a large draw with the strongest players. That means that I am unlikely to throw an entry into a tournament until I see where everybody else elects to play. Coincidently, the effect is the same for players that want to duck competition.
“Enter Tournaments Early, Enter Tournaments Often” isn’t an effective strategy when fragmentation of divisions creates so many playing choices that players are incentivized to see what everyone else does first. It is likely that other players have already figured out the same thing.
It might be tempting to think that the younger divisions will automatically be stronger than the older tiers. However, since all players are constrained into the same NTRP band, that simply isn’t the case. If there is a significant difference in strength of play, it is an indictment against the NTRP system.
There are two other pretty significant drawbacks to splitting standard draws into three pieces. Saturday we will talk about how fragmentation hurts younger players. Sunday will be a math lesson on how dividing draws always results in less tennis.
