Padel
How padel levels work
Your padel level is a number from 0 to 7 with a reliability percentage next to it, the scale padel players already use. Here is how RankedCourts moves it, in plain words first and then the math.
Status: these are the published RC-Padel v1 rules. Until the padel engine ships (the next release), padel games are rated with the same Glicko-2 core as tennis on the same scale, and the level is shown with the mapping below.
The rules, in plain words
- Nothing counts until the other side confirms the score. Guests never rate.
- You start at level 2.50 with low confidence, or a little higher if you take the five-question quiz. Starting low on purpose stops inflated levels.
- Your partner counts. Winning with a much stronger partner earns little; winning as the underdog pair earns a lot.
- A win never lowers your level and a loss never raises it.
- Short games, the same opponents again and again, and easy wins against much weaker pairs count for less. Farming does not work.
- Reliability grows with games against different people, not just with games played.
- Time off makes your level less certain, never lower.
- If your results keep beating (or trailing) your level, it re-opens so you get to the right number in a few games instead of fifteen.
- Casual and competitive games have separate levels, like tennis.
The scale
Level = rating × 7 / 3000, two decimals. Every sport shares one internal scale (1500 = level 3.50). Reliability = 100 × (350 − RD) / 320; your level is shown ± RD × 7 / 3000. You are provisional below 10 games or above RD 150, and on the ladder from 5 games at RD 180 or lower.
| Band | From level |
|---|---|
| Starter | 0.00 |
| Beginner | 1.00 |
| Improver | 2.00 |
| Intermediate | 2.50 |
| Intermediate+ | 3.50 |
| Advanced | 4.50 |
| Competition | 5.50 |
| Elite | 6.50 |
Band edges follow Playtomic's help-centre bands so the number travels. No official conversion exists between padel rating systems; treat comparisons as rough.
The math
Glicko-2, with one rating period per game (or per event night), on μ = (r − 1500) / 173.7178 and φ = RD / 173.7178. For you (i) with partner j against opponents k and l:
μA = (μi + μj) / 2 μB = (μk + μl) / 2 φB = √(φk² + φl²) / 2 φJ = √(φB² + φj² / 4) g(φ) = 1 / √(1 + 3φ² / π²) E = 1 / (1 + exp(−g(φJ) · (μA − μB)))
Your performance score s from the result, margin-aware and length-aware:
dominance = (winner − loser) / (winner + loser) games or points length = min(1, total / REF) REF 12 (sets) · 24 (points) · 2N − 1 (race to N) marginMult = 1 / (1 + (E_winner − 0.5)) if the favourite won, else 1 s_winner = 0.5 + 0.5 · 0.8 · dominance · length · marginMult s_loser = 1 − s_winner win: s = max(s, E) loss: s = min(s, E)
Each game carries an evidence weight w:
w = source (match 1.0 · event 0.7) · max(0.2, 0.6^k) k = earlier games vs the same pair, last 90 days · max(0.4, 0.9^max(0, n − 6)) n = games with this partner, last 30 days · 0.25 if the favourite won and the gap ≥ 700 points
v = 1 / Σ w · g(φJ)² · E · (1 − E) Δ = v · Σ w · g(φJ) · (s − E) σ' = Illinois solve (τ = 0.5) φ* = √(φ² + σ'²) φ' = 1 / √(1/φ*² + 1/v) μ' = μ + φ'² · Σ w · g(φJ) · (s − E) rating' = clamp(1500 + 173.7178 μ', 0, 3000) RD' = clamp(173.7178 φ', max(40, 350 / (1 + distinct opponents, 180 days)), 350)
Idle more than 45 days: RD = min(350, √(RD² + 50² · idle months)) before your next game. Mis-rating self-heal: if your average (s − E) over the last 8 weighted games is beyond ±0.15, RD jumps back to at least 200 once (60-day cooldown).
Get your own level. It takes one confirmed game.