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Abstract:
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Most competition tennis players play in graded competitions, playing against players of hopefully similar ability. One of the most complex tasks of the organizing association is setting up the grades for each tennis season. For example, the North Suburban Junior Tennis Association, based in Melbourne, organizes two seasons per year, involving over 1500 players, 300 teams, and 40 grades each season. Getting the grading right is important to the players. Being graded in either too high or too low a grade can affect the motivation of players, their self-esteem, and enjoyment of the game. This paper describes an analysis of the last four seasons' match results using a modified Bradley-Terry model. Apart from improving the grading process, the model allows tracking of the improvement of individual players over time, as well as separate performance measures for singles and doubles.
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