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 date over 140 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
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.
Looking for moring information, please visit the WTN FAQ section.
Cover photo credit: Bronwyn Davies