Page 72 - Tennis Magazine April 2019

UTR’s greatest impact may currently be felt in college tennis.
Coaches have a standard rating to measure potential recruits against,
and players have more opportunities to find comparable competition
to better their skills and their rating, no matter where they live.

college player, had trouble finding always guaranteed, but it’s much “We’re not here to change the ATP
a decent group of practice partners harder to game the UTR system. or WTA rankings,” he said. “Theirs is
close to home. With UTR, he learned More important, perhaps, is the based on point accumulation. Ours
there was a pool of over 20 ideal way UTR can help players aspiring to is different. At the pro level we tell
candidates nearby. As any club or go pro with the ITF Transition Tour. an interesting narrative that compli-
organization is free to host an official The pathway onto the ATP is now ments the rankings. The ATP tells the
UTR tournament, the opportuni- much narrower. story of how far you went at major
ties for a player to improve at little “The chance for a college player to tournaments in the last 12 months.
expense grows exponentially. excel up through the game without “UTR is about how you’re compet-
“My kids are crazy about UTR,” wild cards is virtually non-existent ing, especially in relation to other
says Kamau Murray, currently the on the transition tour,” Leschly says. players. Which seems better? It’s in
coach of Olympic gold medalist “We’re trying to create a pathway the eye of the beholder.”
Monica Puig. He’s also the CEO of with UTR.” Leschly’s disclaimer doesn’t
XS Tennis, a well-funded program change the fact that UTR features its
that targets the underserved youth The ATP and WTA Indian Wells pro ratings prominently on its home
of Chicago. “They love it. It lowers a tournament will not rely in any page. The ratings are similar enough
lot of barriers to getting noticed and substantial way on UTR—at least to the tour rankings to be relevant,
maybe earning a scholarship.” not this year. But it almost seems different enough to be compelling.
UTR may be having its great- inevitable that at some point it will. In addition to the overall rating,
est impact in the collegiate game. Larry Ellison, the owner of the popu- each player has a three-month
As Leschly puts it, how is a coach lar March event, is an innovator. He’s trending rating. In UTR, a slumping
supposed to compare a player with also the founder of tech behemoth player isn’t living off points earned
a high national ranking in Romania Oracle, which powers UTR. nine months earlier, nor punished
to a player from the always-strong People always ask Leschly if UTR when results from long ago drop off.
NorCal USTA section? The integrity is “better” than the ATP rankings, or To be sure, a few aspects of UTR
of tournaments and rankings isn’t if UTR hopes to replace them. can and probably will be tweaked.

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