Padelground · The Rating System
Your rating is how we find you games worth playing — matched to your level, every time you book.
01
Think golf handicap
Your padel rating is a single number, from 0 to 7, that estimates how strong a player you are right now. It works like a golf handicap: a living number that everyone understands, that moves as you improve, and that quietly makes every game and mixer better matched.
It exists for one reason — to put you in games you will enjoy. Too easy is boring. Out of your depth is no fun either. The rating is how we land you in the middle: close games, against players around your level, where the padel is good.
"A low number is not a bad thing and a high number is not a prize. It is a matchmaking tool, not a report card."
02
Where you sit
Everyone lands somewhere on the same ladder. You will see your tier on your player profile in the app, with your exact number to two decimals underneath.
03
Four steps, then it tracks you
Under the hood it is an Elo engine — the same family of maths that rates chess players and tennis pros. You do not need the maths. Here is what happens.
1
You get a starting number
When you join, you tell us roughly where you are at — or bring a rating you already have from another app. That is the system's first guess. It is deliberately rough; your games sharpen it fast.
2
You play
When you play an open match — a game booked through the app with a score entered — the result feeds the engine: who played, and how it went.
3
The number adjusts
Win against stronger players and it climbs faster. Lose and it eases back. Beating someone rated well above you moves you more than beating someone below you — the result has to be earned to count for much.
4
It settles, then follows you
Early on your number can swing a fair bit while the system works you out. The more you play, the more confident it gets — and the gentler the moves become. After that it just quietly tracks you as you improve.
04
Confidence
Next to your rating you will see a confidence badge. It tells you how sure the system is about your number — and it is the reason early games move you more than later ones.
New
Just starting out. The system does not know you yet, so your number can move in big steps as it calibrates.
Settling
A handful of games in. The picture is forming. Moves are getting smaller and more accurate.
Established
The system knows your level well. Your number is stable and only shifts as your game genuinely changes.
So if you are new
Do not read too much into your first few games. A big jump or drop early on is the system finding you, not a verdict. Give it about ten to fifteen matches and your number will be a true reflection of where you play.
05
Start here
Two ways in, depending on where you are at.
If it is your first racquet
The first-timer
Set your starting point. Pick the level that sounds like you when you sign up. Honest and rough beats precise — the games do the fine-tuning.
Just play. You do not manage your rating. Book games, enter scores, and it looks after itself.
Ignore the early swings. A New badge means big moves are normal. That is the system learning you, not judging you.
Use it to find your people. Your number quietly points you at mixers and clinics pitched at your level, so your first games are fun, not brutal.
If you already play
The advanced player
Bring your rating in. Already have a Playtomic or DUPR number? Import it at signup so you start calibrated, not from scratch.
It is a genuine Elo engine. 0.01 precision, opponent-strength weighted, with the swing on each result scaled to how confident the system already is about you.
Margins are earned. Beating players above your level is what moves an established number. Grinding wins against weaker opponents will not inflate it.
Matchmaking respects your level. Open-match suggestions target players within about a point of you, so you get contested games — not walkovers in either direction.
06
Questions, answered
How do I get my first rating?
When you sign up, you either pick the level that best describes you, or import an existing rating from another padel app. Either way it is a starting guess that your first games refine. You only set this once — after that, your rating is earned through play.
Can I just set my own rating higher?
No — and that is on purpose. If everyone could type in their own number, the whole system would be meaningless within a few weeks and matchmaking would stop working for everybody. Your starting point is a one-time thing; from there the number reflects your actual results.
I already have a Playtomic or DUPR rating. Does it carry over?
Yes — you can bring it in when you join, as a one-time calibration so you do not start from zero. It seeds your Padelground number, then your games here take over. Imported ratings are capped partway up the scale; if you are genuinely at the top end, that is confirmed through play and coaching, not a screenshot.
Why did my rating jump around so much at the start?
Because the system did not know you yet. While your badge says New, it moves your number in bigger steps to find your level quickly. Once it says Settling and then Established, the moves get much smaller. Early volatility is the system working, not a mistake.
Which games actually count?
Right now, open matches booked through the app with a score entered are what move your rating. Casual hits that are not scored through the app do not feed the engine. More ways to build your rating — leagues, coached assessments, competitive bookings — are on the way.
Is a low rating something to be embarrassed about?
Not remotely. It is not a grade — it is just where you are today, and its only job is to find you good games. The players having the most fun here are the ones matched well, at every level of the ladder.
How do I move up?
Play, and test yourself against players a bit better than you — that is what moves the number most. Clinics and coaching sharpen the game behind the number. There is no shortcut, which is exactly what makes the number mean something.
My rating looks wrong. Can it be fixed?
If your number genuinely does not reflect your level, talk to a coach or the front desk. Coaches can make verified adjustments where it is warranted. You cannot edit it yourself — but you are never stuck with a number that is clearly off.