So What is DUPR?

DUPR stands for Dynamic Universal Pickleball Rating. It's a global rating system used to measure a pickleball player's skill level, similar to how rankings work in sports like tennis or chess.

A big challenge being faced by all Australian state bodies for pickleball is the adoption of DUPR as the primary rating system for player ability. This is a significant and welcome announcement from Pickleball Australia (PA). 

So Pickleball Australia is now using the DUPR rating system to determine which skill level a player can enter a Pickleball Australia-sanctioned tournament.

However, there will be a rocky transition period as players DUPR rating evolves to reflect their current ability. Players current PA ratings and DUPR ratings are often not the same. This results in players having to shift brackets, or tournaments adjusting the rating eligibility to match the current ratings.

Key Features of DUPR:

• Dynamic: Your rating updates in real time based on match results.
• Universal: It works across all levels (from beginners to pros), age groups, and genders.
• Points-Based: It takes into account who you played, their rating, the match score, and whether you won or lost.
• Single Rating: Players receive one rating (not separate singles and doubles ratings), although some platforms may break it down further for tracking.

Rating Scale:

• The scale typically ranges from 2.0 (beginner) to 8.0+ (elite pro level).
• 2.0–3.0: Beginner
• 3.0–3.5: Intermediate
• 4.0–4.5: Advanced
• 5.0+: Expert/Pro

How It's Used:

• Tournaments and leagues often use DUPR to place players into fair brackets.
• Recreational players use it to find similarly skilled opponents.
• You can create a free account and track your rating via the DUPR app or DUPR website.

How to Get a DUPR Rating:

1. Sign up on DUPR.
2. Play matches (recorded and submitted with accurate scores).
3. Your rating adjusts based on results over time.

Where to find your DUPR Rating:

Your Pickleball Australia DUPR rating can be found in the Clubs tab of the tournament website at https://pickleballclubs.com/clubs/pickleball-australia-association.  Click on your profile icon at the top RHS of the page, and then select My PickleBall.

How to Improve Your DUPR Rating:

Focus on:

• Competing against higher-rated opponents.
• Enhancing consistency and strategy in competitive games.
• Playing regularly in DUPR-tracked matches and tournaments.

IN SUMMARY:

The best way to ensure your DUPR rating reflects your ability is to enter more results, be they tournaments, leagues, or even social play. 

When looking at a player’s DUPR rating, the higher the reliability score, the better. The more DUPR matches you play, the more accurate it will be. 

When registering in current tournaments including QPT and QPC events, note that Tournament divisions are broken into DUPR rankings, and every tournament has at least under 3.4 and over 3.5 skill levels, some have under 2.99 as well. 

And don’t forget, when playing Doubles, you MUST sign up at the skill level of the higher-rated partner.