You’ve worked on your serve and mastered a top-spin roll, and feel that your pickleball game has improved. But how do you really know your skill level?
Enter pickleball ratings systems, which track your improvement and help you find players at your skill level. And two of the most widely used systems are DUPR and UTPR. Each uses its own mathematical algorithm to calculate your rating based on actual match data.
In this article, I’ll go over how DUPR and UTPR work, what types of matches they include in their ratings, and help you figure out which one is best for your game.
Benefits of a pickleball rating
When you’re just starting out, you probably rely on a checklist to determine your pickleball skill level.
Can you sustain a dink rally? Can you get your serve in consistently? Hit a third-shot drop with accuracy? Add up your skills, and the checklist provides a rough estimate of your skill level (typically from 2.0-5.0) based on how well you’re actually playing.
But you’ll need hard data if you want a truly accurate, verified pickleball player rating.
With a verified rating, you can:
- Track your improvement over time.
- Make sure you’re entered in the correct tournament division.
- Join the right skill-based ladders, leagues, and open play sections.
- Find players at your skill level.
DUPR
DUPR stands for "Dynamic Universal Pickleball Rating" and calculates your rating based on how well you play in tournaments and recreational matches.
Started in 2021 by Steve Kuhn of Major League Pickleball, DUPR has quickly surged to the head of the pickleball ratings pack, with more than a million players getting their DUPR rating.
It’s used by more than 7000 clubs worldwide in 158 countries. To date, more than six million pickleball matches have been logged into the DUPR system.
One main reason for DUPR’s popularity is its dynamic rating system, which crunches data such as game scores, point differentials, opponent ratings, and match frequency to arrive at a precise, current picture of your pickleball skill level.
DUPR is considered an inclusive rating system because it doesn’t separate ratings by gender or match type. All verified singles, doubles, and mixed doubles results feed into one unified rating. And your DUPR rating is recognized wherever you play in the world.
It’s easy to get started. Just create a free DUPR account and start logging your matches using the DUPR app. For rec play, once all players verify the match score, results are incorporated into your official DUPR rating. In addition, pickleball tournaments, clubs, and leagues can log match results directly into DUPR.
UTPR
UTPR stands for "USA Pickleball Tournament Player Rating" and is the official rating system of USA Pickleball, the sport’s national governing body.
Introduced in 2019, it provides a standard for ranking players based on their results in sanctioned USA Pickleball tournaments. It’s considered the go-to ranking system for competitive tournament players.
USA Pickleball’s more than 80,000 active members receive a UTPR when they compete in a sanctioned regional or national tournament.
Unlike DUPR, UTPR generates separate ratings for singles, doubles, and mixed doubles, broken down by gender to ensure balanced and fair matches in sanctioned tournaments.
Separate ratings for each type of match (ex. women’s singles or men’s doubles) allow UTPR to provide more accurate ratings of players in a specific event. For example, instead of a single unified rating, you may have a higher UTPR for mixed doubles than your gender doubles rating.
After each tournament, results are submitted by the tourney directors, and your UTPR rating is updated by USA Pickleball.
Same match, two different ratings
You don’t have to choose between DUPR and UTPR, and many players get rated by multiple organizations. But it’s good to keep in mind that you might receive different ratings even when you submit the same match information to both organizations.
For example, say you play a USA Pickleball-sanctioned tournament and beat a higher-rated mixed doubles team, 11–9, 11–3:
- In UTPR, your mixed doubles rating may increase slightly based on the win and the opponent’s rating. Your singles and gender doubles ratings are not impacted.
- In DUPR, the same win may give you a higher unified rating because it factors in not just the win, but also the opponent’s ranking and the scoring differential. With DUPR, you receive credit for not just the win, but how you won.
| DUPR | UTPR | |
|---|---|---|
| Full Name | Dynamic Universal Pickleball Rating | USA Pickleball Tournament Player Rating |
| Created By | Major League Pickleball (MLP) | USA Pickleball (USAP) |
| Year | 2021 | 2019 |
| Rating Scale | 2.000–8.000 | 2.000–6.999 |
| Decimal | Three (e.g. 3.475) | Rounded to nearest 0.5 |
| Matches Included | Recreational, club, league, tournaments | USA Pickleball-sanctioned tournaments |
| Data Sources | Self-reported, club-verified results | Tournament director |
| Fee to Use | Free | Free with USA Pickleball membership |
| Gender Separation | No, unified system for all players | Yes |
| Best For | Rec or league play | USA Pickleball-sanctioned tournaments and events |
Which rating system is right for you?
Neither DUPR nor UTPR is better than the other. It’s a matter of choosing the rating system that’s most appropriate to your level of play and if you’re more focused on rec play or sanctioned tournaments.
DUPR is ideal for recreational players who want to track their improvement, find other players at their skill level, and want a single rating that takes into account the results of their singles and doubles matches.
Since UTPR is the official rating system for USA Pickleball-sanctioned tournaments, you’ll need one to get seeded correctly and to establish national ratings.
Tip: learn how to connect your DUPR score with Pickleheads.
Bottom line
The choice between DUPR and UTPR doesn’t have to be either/or. Many players use both, but each serves a different purpose to give you a more complete view of your game.
If you’re a rec or club player, DUPR gives you a free, inclusive, and real-time way to track your progress. If you’re competing in sanctioned tournaments, UTPR is essential for proper seeding and national ranking..
Do you know your DUPR rating? Do you also have a UTPR? Let us know your favorite pickleball rating system. And check out our favorite drills and strategy tips to take your game to the next level and boost your pickleball rating.
FAQs
