Tennis News You Can Use
Last Wednesday the USTA sent out an email to Adult tournament participants entitled “Upcoming Shadow Rankings: What You Need to Know.” That email contained what is believed to be an error in the first sentence, indicating that the communication was to inform the recipient about “2020 USTA Junior Tournaments Shadow Rankings.” The first paragraph also included verbiage about “players and parents.”
Subsequent paragraphs contained information indicating that the shadow rankings would be published for Adult age-divisions 30-90. I can’t speak for all of my Adult Senior tennis peers, but having my parent understand the rankings structure is not really a priority. The communication was clearly intended for Senior Adults rather than Juniors.
It is likely that some of the target audience of that email read the first sentence and decided that the message was not applicable to them. It is not clear whether the USTA is aware of the “cut and paste” error that might be causing confusion. No correction has been issued in the interim.
Shadow Rankings are only pertinent to players that have played a Senior Adult division tournament in 2020. They are irrelevant to Adult players who only competed in NTRP divisions. Shadow Rankings are only applicable to divisions which have an existing National Ranking system.
It is stated in the email that Shadow Rankings are being produced for informational purposes so that players can get a feel the new rankings tables. It simulates the rankings as if the 7 tier consolidated structure and associated points schedules had been in effect during 2020. The Shadow Rankings will only include tournaments from January 1 through November 9. It is not for the entire year.
Additionally, clicking through and examining all the referenced material in the email, the USTA may use the Shadow Rankings lists to evaluate and make changes to the current points schedules in the National Ranking tables. In other words, they are going to look at the rankings that the new point schedule produces and see if it makes sense.
No one has asked for my opinion, but I would strongly lobby against making any modifications prior to determining what impact the new changes have on player behavior. The consolidated National Rankings Points are an incentive that gets players to play tournaments. I am anticipating that the new points schedule will change the playing decisions of tournament players. I don’t believe that it would be valid or advisable to change the system without seeing how players first react to the new points schedule as reflected by actual play.
For example, yesterday I wrote about how I won an extremely small draw Senior Major Zone in Texas this year which is likely to be slotted into a Level 4 tournament in 2021. It is possible that someone may look at the rankings list and make the same realization that I did. Specifically, that under the new consolidated points structure that I won a lot of points for essentially nothing.
However, had the new consolidated points structure been in effect this year when the tournament was played, it is likely that more players would have entered. As I wrote about yesterday, I am anticipating that the new points schedule will drive increased participation.
An alternate reaction would be that the points are “too easy” in the current schedule and that the points schedule needs to be modified. An additional modification might be to lower the “Level” of existing tournaments with low participation numbers. If either of those changes were to come to fruition, then the incentive for Senior play at the Sectional level would potentially evaporate before even being given a chance.
My take on that is that there will be a preliminary Shadow Rankings used test the system that may results in some tweaks to the points schedules. At the end of the year all 2020 results will fold into a 12 month rolling rankings list that is likely be used for seeding as some events.
2020 was a weird year with a lot of cancelled events and small draw sizes. I don’t see how any rankings list under any system possibly makes sense. A better idea might be to bounce the new system off 2019 which contained a full slate of events and more normal levels of participation.
I guess you could say that I am afraid of my own Shadow Ranking.
- 2021 USTA Adult Tournaments Ranking System, USTA national website hosted document, viewed 11/6/2020.
