Platform Tennis Index (PTI) Overview

The APTA has teamed up with league website Paddlescores.com to offer Platform Tennis Index (PTI), a new feature for all APTA members who play in APTA leagues. League administrators, team captains, tournament directors, and teaching pros will find the PTI to be a valuable tool for the sport.

How does the APTA/Paddlescores Platform Tennis Index (PTI) Rating System work?

What is it, and what does it mean? A player’s PTI is a number generally ranging from 0 to 80. Similar to a golf handicap, better players have a lower PTI.

  • An 80 represents a player who has never played paddle before and who has very little experience playing any other racquet sports.
  • A 0 represents a highly skilled player who can compete at the national level.
  • It is possible to have a negative PTI.

PTI Casual Matches at EPTC

Everyone has the ability to enter Casual Match scores into the site.  Casual catch scores can count toward your Player Rating (PTI), though Casual (non-League, non-Tournament) matches are only given half (50%) the weighting of a League or Tournament match.

To enter a Casual Match score, login to the PTI site… go to the Casual tab… click on Enter Scores…enter the players and set scores…then submit your score through the Save Scores button.  Once you submit the score, emails are sent out to everyone else on the scorecard for score confirmation.  Only one person on the other team is needed to confirm (they will click on the link in their email, view the scorecard and click confirm).  If a scorecard is changed, then emails are sent back out and the other team will have to confirm the card before scores are officially registered for PTI.

It is a very good policy and strongly recommended by EPTC to have all players agree before a match that you will be entering the match results into the PTI site.

Good reasons for entering Casual Match scores:

  • Some players may feel their PTI rating is “off” and league or tournament matches aren’t providing enough opportunities to improve it.
  • EPTC league captains may want to have “challenge matches” for players on their team, which can count toward ratings to help stack rank and appropriately level players on the team.
  • Create “League Match” conditions in the spirit of friendly competition.

Good reasons NOT to enter Casual Match scores:

  • Just looking to play some fun paddle.
  • Looking to work on different shots without worrying about your PTI.

At is important all players agree prior to the match that the match’s results will be entered into the EPTC PTI system; if one of the four players objects, then the score should not be entered as a PTI-bearing result.  Additionally, scores are entered into the PTI system and must be verified by the other team in order for the results to count toward PTI; in other words, there’s a check-and-balance approach before anything is formally registered to a player’s PTI profile.  For weekly games coordinated by an EPTC director where scores are posted for PTI, players should contact the director if they object to having their scores counted toward their PTI.

While the developers of the PTI program have not revealed their rating algorithm, APTA has published some details on the PTI system on their website.  Players who participate in EPTC play will benefit from taking a moment to review this information.

How does a PTI adjust?

PTIs are dynamic and adjust after match results are posted. The PTI algorithm uses the match outcome (win/loss, and games won) and the relative strength of the teams to determine the adjustment. Winning/losing the match is the most important factor in determining a PTI change.

For example:

  • Player A (with a 20 PTI) and Player B (28 PTI) have a match versus Player C (24 PTI) and Player D (30 PTI). Team A/B has a combined PTI of 48 vs. Team C/D’s of 54. Team A/B has a lower (better) PTI and is favored to win the match.
  • If Team A/B wins, this is the expected outcome. PTIs for A and B will decline (improve) a small amount; PTIs for C and D will increase (worsen) by the opposite amount.
  • On the other hand, if Team C/D wins, this is an upset!  PTIs for C and D will decline (improve) by a more significant amount while PTIs for A and B increase (worsen).
  • Large changes in PTI are achieved through upsets or lopsided victories between closely-matched teams. A heavily-favored team cannot improve its PTI by feasting on weak opponents.

Get PTI instructions