The objectives of the ITN are to:
- Encourage increased participation of tennis
- Unite tennis under a common rating language
- Encourage National Associations to implement a competitive tennis rating system in their own country
- Promote a variety of tennis competition formats which are linked to the tennis rating system
- Give more options for finding compatible playing partners and therefore more enjoyable competitive play
- Facilitate the movement of all levels of players between countries
What is a rating and how does it differ from a ranking?
A rating is a description of standard that is used to determine the general competitive level of a player. It groups players of a similar level together within a category / band. The most famous example of a global rating in sport is the golf handicap. The relative level of players within each band is not determined by the rating system. This is the job of a ranking system.
A ranking is a more accurate estimate of the relative standard of players, based usually upon specific tournament results or competitions. A ranking is a comparison of similarly ‘rated’ players based on results of players within a specific rating category. For example in the proposed ITN 1 rating category, ATP / WTA rankings would represent a ranking within this rating category.
Most countries use rankings that they produce on a regular basis at various levels of their national game. However the ITF estimates that there are less than 20 countries worldwide that have a national rating system.