On Episode 12 of The Tennis Files Podcast, I spoke with Dave Fish, coach of Harvard University Men’s Tennis, about the Universal Tennis Rating system (UTR).
UTR provides tennis players worldwide a common scale to determine their level of play based on actual match results without regard for age, gender or where the matches are played. Dave also answered audience-submitted questions on what it is like to be on the Harvard Men’s Tennis Team.
The UTR system helps facilitate more competitive matches and gives players a more accurate way of determining their skill level. Even John McEnroe is a fan of UTR because of its ability to provide players with more competitive local-based matchplay. With UTR, tennis players can compare their skill level with other players from all around the world.
UTR is not only a wonderful resource for tennis players, but it helps coaches, parents, tennis associations and tournament directors more accurately gauge players’ tennis abilities based on UTR’s 16 level-scale. College tennis recruits can use UTR to figure out the ratings of a team’s roster and help them decide whether that school is a fit for them and their tennis skills.
On this episode, you will learn:
and more!
UTR is an exciting new rating system that is revolutionizing the game of tennis. And the basic subscription to UTR is free! I highly encourage you to check out the Universal Tennis Rating website and use their free or premium services to more accurately determine the true tennis skill level and rating of you and your peers.
Many thanks to Dave for spending the time to talk with me on the show, and best of luck to Harvard Tennis for the rest of the season!
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Links Mentioned in This Episode
Universal Tennis Rating Website
UTR’s 50 percent solution article
TFP 426: How We Came Back From 0–3 to Win a Mixed 9.0 Match (Strategy Breakdown)
TFP 424: The Only 4 Areas Amateur Tennis Players Should Focus on in 2026 (with Peter Freeman)
TFP 422: How to Grow the Game — Tara Fitzpatrick-Navarro on Expanding Tennis for Kids and Adults
TFP 421: Bridging the Gap Between Recreational Players and Creator-driven Tennis Content with Alex Chan
TFP 420: From D1 Tennis to Content Creator with Kevin Hsieh
TFP 419: How We Won Super Tri-Level Sectionals + Top Lessons Learned