For Tennis Parents by a Tennis Parent

Here is Part 2 of Universal Tennis’s announcement regarding some major changes in 2018. You can read yesterday’s announcement here.

Network Introduces UTR Power Index On-Air and Online at Start of 2018 Season

Universal Tennis and Tennis Channel announced today they are joining forces to evolve and accelerate the growth of tennis by unifying the language of the sport through technology and media.

The collaborative partnership focuses on supporting more competitive play and enjoyment across the tennis community through the use of the Universal Tennis Rating (UTR), a revolutionary system that provides a single, unifying language and standard for tennis players independent of age, geography, gender or economics. Tennis Channel unveiled the UTR Power Index this week as part of its coverage of the nascent 2018 season, giving viewers a new snapshot of top tennis matchups, potential upsets and other trends.

“Tennis Channel uses the UTR Power Index to give our viewers a new way to track player performances throughout the season,” said Bob Whyley, senior vice president and executive producer, Tennis Channel. “It’s such a simple formula – Who did you play? How did you play? When did you play? – but it allows us to provide more precise, real-time analysis as we share the yearlong tennis journey each week.”

Today, UTR is powered by more than 6 million match results, across more than 600,000 players in nearly 200 countries. The rating isn’t just for comparing elite players, but anyone who plays tennis.

“Finding and playing with players at your level with a variety of styles, irrespective of gender or age, will make you a better player,” said Jim Courier, Tennis Channel analyst, former world #1 player and four time Grand Slam Singles Champion. “The bigger the UTR network gets the more powerful it will be to making the game better for everyone.”

Just as every golfer carries a handicap that’s applicable on any course, any tennis player can register and get started in establishing their UTR at www.MyUTR.com and see how they compare to other players worldwide.

Universal Tennis and Tennis Channel are committed to helping the sport of tennis’ growth — at all levels. They are joined by thousands of players, coaches and supporters from around the world.

“UTR is the new gold standard in college and junior tennis” explains Universal Tennis Chairman and CEO Mark Leschly. “Through our partnership with Tennis Channel, and broad support from others, we are committed to expanding the adoption of UTR across the tennis world for all players at all levels. We want everyone, everywhere to have a UTR Rating.”

Tennis Channel provides more television and digital tennis than all other U.S. networks combined. In partnering with Universal Tennis, they now also have the technology partner for deeper tennis coverage, data, player analytics and content drivers for increased engagement and socialization.

About Universal Tennis:

Universal Tennis is the company behind UTR, a revolutionary system that provides a single, unifying language and standard for tennis players across ages, geographies and genders. The company’s vision is to unify tennis for everyone by bringing cutting edge analytics and community based technology to players worldwide independent of level. UTR is a unique, algorithm-based system for tennis that allows anyone to measure, identify and track the level relative to other players, while also providing tools for coaches and organizers to run UTR Powered Events that are level based rather than age or gender driven. Today the UTR system is powered by over 6 million match results, across 600 thousand players in nearly 200 countries. The Company is owned by Iconica Partners (www.iconicapartners.com) and other seasoned investors and operators in sports, technology and media. Partners include Mark Hurd, CEO of Oracle; Tennis Media Company; Jan Leschly, former CEO of Smithkline Beecham and ATP Top 10; Ken Hao, Managing Partner Silver Lake Partners; Major League Baseball; and the LA Dodgers investment group. To sign up for UTR, please visit www.MyUTR.com.