Methodology

Understand your TiQ rating at a glance.

TiQ is a score-aware competitive signal, not a replacement for your official USTA rating. It begins with factual USTA context when available, then learns from reviewed match results.

Start with the right baselineA confirmed USTA level anchors the starting band. Self-rated and unlabelled profiles stay provisional while match evidence builds.

Read the score in contextTiQ compares the score with what the matchup predicted. A close loss to stronger competition can still be a positive performance.

Doubles uses all four playersBoth teams shape the expectation. A stronger player is protected from a close-loss penalty when carrying a materially weaker partner.

Keep TiQ and USTA separateTiQ reads all reviewed competition. The USTA-proximity track reads eligible USTA results only.

Use factual source dataSource scorecards and factual USTA labels can support TiQ. TennisRecord’s estimated rating never sets or moves a TiQ rating.

Fix the evidence, not the numberIf a score, player, or team context is wrong, send it for review. Data Assist prevents changing tennis context unchecked, then TiQ recalculates from the corrected match record.Request a review

TiQ rating in plain English

What makes your number move?

Set a credible starting point

A computer-rated USTA level is a protected starting band. A self-rated or unknown player can settle faster as results arrive.

Compare performance with expectation

TiQ looks at the score, not only win or loss. Playing a stronger side close can help; underperforming against an expected matchup can trim the signal.

Build separate singles and doubles reads

Singles and doubles have their own history. Overall blends the competitive evidence without pretending the two formats are identical.

Let evidence—not time—do the work

A rating changes only when an eligible reviewed result is processed. Time away lowers confidence, not your demonstrated playing strength.

TiQ does not import or mirror TennisRecord’s estimated rating. It keeps TiQ, USTA-proximity, singles, doubles, and overall views distinct so you can see what the match evidence actually supports.

Show rating details

The rating scale

Ratings run from 1.5 to 7.0 and align with NTRP levels. Bands are spaced 0.5 apart (1.5, 2.0, 2.5 ... 6.5, 7.0). A profile with a factual USTA designation begins from that band. A profile without one starts provisionally at 3.5 until reviewed match evidence establishes a better read. The level-up meter shows the current TiQ signal against the next half-point marker; it does not replace an official USTA rating.

Two independent tracks

Every player carries two parallel sets of dynamic ratings: a TIQ track that updates from all matches regardless of source, and a USTA track that updates only from eligible USTA results, including reviewed local uploads and factual USTA-match evidence. TIQ ratings reflect full competitive activity across all leagues; USTA ratings mirror what a USTA-only result set would produce. Both tracks maintain separate singles, doubles, and overall ratings -- six dynamic values per player in total.

Expected performance

Before each scored match the system estimates each side’s expected share of games from their current ratings:

expected game share = 1 / (1 + 10 ^ ((opponent rating - your rating) / 1.6))

The rating change starts with actual game share minus expected game share. A result close to expectation makes only a small move. A lower-rated player who keeps a strong opponent close can therefore gain rating despite losing; a favorite who wins less decisively than expected can give some rating back. The Win% column remains a pre-match win estimate, separate from this score-aware performance calculation.

K-factors

The K-factor controls how much a single match can shift a rating. TenAceIQ uses three separate K values: 0.12 for singles, 0.107 for doubles, and 0.052 for the overall rating. For a usable score, the movement is roughly K x (actual game share - expected game share). When a score is unavailable, the system uses a conservative expected win/loss fallback.

New players are in a provisional phase where the K-factor is temporarily multiplied to help them converge to their true level faster:

Matches 1-9: 2x K (fast calibration)
Matches 10-19: 1.5x K
Matches 20-29: 1.2x K
Match 30+: 1x K (stable)

The confidence level shown on a player profile -- Low, Medium, or High -- reflects these phases directly. A Low confidence rating is still moving quickly toward equilibrium.

How the score changes the signal

A 7-6, 7-6 result between similarly rated players is nearly what the ratings predict, so it moves them only slightly. A 6-0, 6-0 result or a close loss by a substantially lower- rated player is more informative because the game share differs more from expectation.

Recent results carry somewhat more weight, and an upset win receives a modest additional boost. These adjustments refine the performance signal; they do not use an external source’s proprietary rating.

Doubles context

Doubles begins with the combined strength of both players on each side. TiQ then reads the result against that team expectation and maintains a separate doubles signal. When a stronger player has a materially lower-rated partner and loses a close scored match to a comparable pair, TiQ protects that player from a speculative negative adjustment.

Recency weighting

When ratings are recalculated, matches are weighted by how recently they were played. A match played today carries full weight (1.12x); a match played two or more years ago carries reduced weight (0.88x), with a linear scale in between. A player’s recent form therefore has more influence on their current rating than results from seasons ago.

Inactivity and confidence

Time away does not regress a player toward a default rating. TenAceIQ changes rating strength only when an eligible match result is processed. Match volume and the age of a player’s last result provide context for how much evidence sits behind that rating.

Score parsing and edge cases

Scores are normalized before processing. Tiebreak notation like 7-6(3) has the point score stripped, leaving 7-6. Match tiebreaks stored without brackets (e.g. 10-8) are excluded from the set-level calculation to avoid inflating game counts. A 7-5 set is treated as a regular set, not a tiebreak. Retirements and walkovers use the conservative win/loss fallback because they do not provide a complete game-share signal.