ITN

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WHAT IS THE ITN?

 

The ITN is an International Tennis Number that represents a player’s level of play. It is hoped that in the near future every tennis player worldwide will have an ITN.

Since the initial meeting of the International Tennis Taskforce in July 2001, 35 countries have officially adopted the ITN as their national ratings scheme or recognize the ITN alongside their existing systems.

Under this system players are rated from ITN 1 - ITN 10. ITN 1 represents a high level player holding an ATP/WTA ranking (or of an equivalent playing standard) and ITN 10 is a player that is starting to play competitively (can serve and return) on a full court using a normal ITF approved ball.

To facilitate the rating of players the ITF has developed a "Description of Standards" and an objective "On-Court Assessment" both of which can be used to rate players in the absence of competition results.

 

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HOW WILL I BE RATED?

 

ITF recommends the use of the following methods to give a player his/her first ITN rating:

  • Players Competitive History: This is the best method . Recent results should be used whenever possible.

  • ITN On-Court Assessment: The ITF recommends that if insufficient results exist for a player to be accurately rated, the ITN "On Court Assessment" should be used as the next best way to rate the player.

  • Independent Verifiers/Classifiers: It is based on the "Description of Standards". It is a non-objective method, and tends to be less accurate than the previous ones. 

 

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WHAT HAPPENS NEXT?

 

Whichever method is used, once the player is rated and begins to play matches, his/her rating should move (according to the results against other rated players) to the correct ITN within a relative short time.

Only matches played in Open Tournaments and Club Events overseen by an official will be included. The recommended minimum of matches within the evaluation period is 6, but fewer matches are possible.

 

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RATINGS versus RANKINGS

 

RATING

 

A rating is a description of standards that is used to determine the general competitive level of a player. It groups players of similar level together within a category band:

ITN 1: Elite / High Performance

ITN 2 - 4: Advanced

ITN 5 - 7: Intermediate

ITN 8 - 9: Recreational

ITN 10: Starter

The most well known example of global rating in sport is the Golf Handicap.

 

RANKING

 

A ranking provides a more accurate estimate of the relative standard of players (based upon specific tournament results or competitions) within a specific category. For example ATP/WTA rankings represent a ranking within the ITN 1 category.

 

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THE ITN ON-COURT ASSESSMENT

 

Specially developed for the ITN, it was launched in September 2003. The assessment measures key strokes for consistency, accuracy and power. It also includes a mobility element.

Used by coaches in 190 countries, it has proven to be a good tool to enable players to compare their tennis skills against others around the world and track their own progress in an objective manner.

 

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