Universal Tennis and the Florida High School Athletic Association (FHSAA) announce the adoption of the UTR Rating as the primary rating for district and state championships.
The FHSAA provides opportunities for high school students in Florida to participate in interscholastic athletic programs, sponsoring over 3,500 championship series games through which 144 teams and 294 individuals are crowned state champions in 32 sports each year.
Created by Universal Tennis, the UTR Rating system rates all players – professional, collegiate, high school, junior, and recreational – on the same 16-point scale, regardless of age, gender, or location. A player’s UTR Rating reflects their current skill level based on actual performance.
“Since the FHSAA implemented the use of the UTR Rating in 2019, it has proven to be effective in ensuring that team lineups are set in an appropriate way while also providing coaches with confidence in utilizing it as a tool for seeding,” said Corey Sobers, Director of Athletics, Florida High School Athletic Association. “As a result, the FHSAA has expanded its use of the UTR Rating, and tennis coaches around the state consider it the most accurate and objective method of rating a player’s ability that is currently available.”
For next spring’s individual FHSAA State Championship, singles players and doubles teams will be seeded according to UTR Rating, not USTA standings lists.
Seeding for the Top 4 teams for the team FHSAA State Championship will be determined by UTR Power 5, a metric developed by Universal Tennis to measure the strength of a high school team. A team’s UTR Power 5 is calculated by adding up the UTR Ratings of the top 5 players and then rounding the sum to the nearest integer.
“We are thrilled to be partnering with the Florida High School Athletic Association,” said Chase Hodges, Universal Tennis Vice President. “High school players and coaches will benefit greatly from having clarity over tournament seeding. The UTR Rating is the most accurate way for these young players to track their development as they ultimately pursue college tennis.”
The FHSAA will continue to leave seeding for the 2024 FHSAA District Tournament up to each district's discretion based on what is agreed upon at the upcoming planning meeting. FHSAA has determined that if rankings or ratings are used, the UTR Rating must be prioritized first.
The integration of Universal Tennis ensures all of Florida high school tennis has one rating system for state championship seeding, with a clear method for tracking player and team development. With the UTR Rating being the gold standard of college recruitment, the FHSAA partnership opens up more opportunities for student-athletes.
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About Universal Tennis
The mission of Universal Tennis is to connect and grow the sports of tennis and pickleball with innovative events and a global digital marketplace centered around level-based play. The Universal Tennis Engagement Platform is anchored by the UTR Rating, the world’s most accurate singles and doubles tennis rating system. Universal Tennis provides the tools and solutions to make the UTR Rating relevant and valuable to players, coaches, and organizers in their local tennis communities. Universal Tennis is creating opportunities and pathways, including the UTR Pro Tennis Tour, for players from all over the world, in all stages of life, to find better matches and unlock a more fun and flexible tennis experience.
New since 2023, Universal Tennis is offering one home for tennis and pickleball, beginning a new chapter by bringing pickleball rating and technology solutions to another racquet sport. Universal Tennis enables its customers to use its UTR Pickleball Rating and event management software to create accessible, competitive level-based events.
Media Contact:
Ben Makarenko, bmakarenko@universaltennis.com
Photo Credit:
Gary Bassing