Ever wondered where you stack up against other players from around the world? Now you can find out with the ITF World Tennis Number!
WHAT IS THE ITF WORLD TENNIS NUMBER (WTN)?
The WTN is a global rating scale that allows tennis players to find the right playing partner or program. It is a scale between 40 and 1, with 40 being a beginner player and 1 being an elite professional. This scale is for all players, regardless of age, gender, or ability. Players will have a separate WTN for both singles and doubles.
The WTN was developed by the International Tennis Federation (ITF) in partnership with leading tennis federations from across the world to enable a greater number of players of all levels to enjoy more meaningful tennis experiences, more often. To date over 160 nations along with Tennis Canada have enrolled into the ITF WTN program. This includes Grand Slam nations like the USA, Britain, and France.
WHO WILL RECEIVE A WTN?
WTN is based on previous match data. Therefore, any Canadian tennis player with results in the Tennis Canada or the ITF system may receive a WTN. This includes players who have participated in sanctioned provincial and national competitions across all categories (Junior, OPEN, Adult and Senior) and players who have participated in ITF tournaments.
If you are interested in bringing WTN to your club or league, please contact tournaments@tenniscanada.com
WHERE CAN I FIND MY WTN?
This summer, competitors registered with their respective Provincial Tennis Association (PTA) will be able to find their WTN for singles and doubles on their tournaments profile page via the Tournament Software website.
Later this year, registered Canadian competitors will also be able to find their WTN on the global WTN site which will be launched by the ITF. The global WTN site will include special features for tennis players.
WHEN will wtn be USED?
WTN will be used as acceptance criteria into ITF circuit events starting Spring 2022.
The WTN will also be provided as a resource to tournament directors across Canada to support the delivery of adult recreational tournaments and match play events.
WHY IS THE WTN IMPORTANT?
The WTN is a global initiative led by the ITF to bring the tennis community together. The WTN will allow tennis players across the globe to find the right person to play with and the right program to join. This enables level-based play to ensure everyone is enjoying the sport. The WTN initiative is a massive opportunity for tennis federations across the world to grow and unify tennis together
BENEFITS OF WTN
The WTN rating scale makes it easy to assess play and help in grouping, seeding, and selection for programming.
Online searchable community that lets players find suitable opponents wherever they are in the world.
A personalized range, Game zONe, helps players to identify opponents at their level for closer matches and more fun.
The WTN rating scale helps coaches to evaluate and track the progress of their players, and setup more meaningful matches.
Access to statistics to help players track their progress and improve their game, including head-to-head comparisons with other players and win/loss ratios.
Data is updated weekly with millions of player match results across the world which means more data points are analyzed with near real time accuracy.
WHO IS WTN FOR?
- PLAYERS can use WTN to find the right person to play with or the right program to join
- COACHES can use WTN to help organize programs and lessons based on skill level
- TOURNAMENT DIRECTORS can use WTN for entry and seeding criteria, and it can help them define tournament categories
- CLUBS/LEAGUE ORGANIZERS can use WTN to support the delivery of adult recreational leagues and match play events
As of April 2022, the WTN is being used by the ITF as the secondary entry criteria to determine tournament acceptance for ITF Junior events. Further details can be found in the ITF World Tennis Tour Juniors Regulations in regulation 43 – Criteria for Acceptances. The WTN is also becoming an important rating scale for NCAA coaches to use for university recruitment.
HOW CAN CANADIAN PLAYERS GET A WTN?
In order to obtain a WTN, players must be registered on the national-provincial matchplay platform and their match results must be recorded on this platform.
WHAT IS THE NATIONAL-PROVINCIAL MATCHPLAY PLATFORM?
The national-provincial matchplay platform has hosted all national and provincial sanctioned tournaments for the last 10 years allowing competitors to register for tournaments and view their tournament matches and results online. In 2022, Tennis Canada added a new ‘Flex Ladders’ section to the platform which now allows clubs and league organizers to input their matchplay results online. These new features in turn provide recreational players the opportunity to track their match results online and earn a WTN.
Learn more about the competitions and programs that players can participate in to have their match results recorded, to earn and build their WTN:
NATIONAL/PROVINCIAL SANCTIONED TOURNAMENTS
Match results for sanctioned national and provincial competitions (Junior, OPEN, Adult, Masters) are recorded on the national-provincial matchplay platform, giving players who participate an opportunity to build their WTN. See sanctioned tournament types or register for a sanctioned tournament below.
.
COMMUNITY TENNIS LEAGUES
Community Tennis Leagues (CTL) are for players looking to connect and organize friendly matches with similarly skilled players in their community. CTL match results are recorded on the national-provincial matchplay platform, allowing players to track their matches, scores, and progress while being able to build their WTN and win prizes along the way.
WTN CLUB MATCHPLAY
The WTN Club Matchplay program is for clubs looking to bring the WTN to their members. The program allows clubs to submit club league or matchplay results to the national-provincial matchplay platform and have the results count toward their members’ WTNs. The platform also helps clubs organize matchplay and simplify administration.
.
WTN CHALLENGE MATCHES
WTN Challenge Matches are an opportunity for competitive junior players to play additional quality matches and help them build their WTN. Coach 2s and higher have access to the national-provincial matchplay platform to get their junior high-performance players involved with the WTN Challenge Matches program.
PROVINCIAL TEAM LEAGUES
Select team leagues across the country record player match results on the national-provincial matchplay platform, allowing players to earn and build their WTN. Players can contact their respective Provincial/Territorial Tennis Association to find out which leagues submit their match results.
ITF TOURNAMENTS
Match results for ITF PRO and Junior events are recorded on the ITF system and will contribute to players’ WTN rating.
WHERE CAN PLAYERS FIND THEIR WTN?
Players can find their WTN for singles and doubles by visiting their profile page on the national-provincial matchplay platform. To build a WTN, players must opt-in to sharing their matchplay data with the ITF in the Account Settings section of the platform. Registered Canadian competitors will also be able to find their WTN on the global WTN site developed by the ITF. The global WTN site includes enhanced features such as player watchlists, game zones, and head-to-head comparisons.
The watchlist feature is now exclusively being offered to TPA active certified coaches, for FREE! To create watchlists to track multiple players’ WTNs, coaches will need an account created on the global WTN site. To get started, please email WTNmatches@tenniscanada.com
HOW IS THE WTN CALCULATED?
The WTN algorithm uses match results provided by national tennis federations to calculate ratings for players. For Canadian players, Tennis Canada has submitted results from January 2016 to date to help develop and initialize the WTN algorithm. Some key principles of the WTN algorithm include:
- Current match results carry more weight than older results. Overtime, a result carries less and less weight.
- Sanctioned competition results carry more weight than club/recreational results.
- Match results are analyzed at the set level; the algorithm takes into account each individual set as its own result.
- Pre-match ratings of both players are used by the algorithm to project the outcome of the match. A player’s WTN changes depending on the match score and how it compared to the projection.
For more details, see our FAQ.
Cover photo credit: Bronwyn Davies