Universal Tennis expands into pickleball with new rating system, event management software

WATCH: New docuseries RIVALS showcases the many ways great rivalries transcend time and borders, shape mass culture, affect millions, and even reach into the worlds of business and politics.

RIVALS debuts nationally on Tennis Channel this Sunday at 7 p.m. EST.

Pickleball, the fastest growing sport in America, has also had a fast-growing problem: player skill ratings.

As pickleball finds its feet at the elite level amid dueling pro tours and another league that has attracted headline-grabbing celebrity investors, the demand for better organized play—along with an accurate rating system—at all levels of the game has grown along with it.

Enter Universal Tennis, who created the UTR Rating, the world’s most accurate tennis rating system. The company announced on Thursday it was officially entering pickleball, and bringing its game-changing event management software and skill rating to the sport.

“Our customers and communities across the U.S. are asking for a solution for pickleball,” said Universal Tennis CEO Mark Leschly.

“We provide long-term valuable, reliable solutions to our partners, and we are excited to launch pickleball in our digital marketplace centered around fun, level-based play and anchored by a new world-class pickleball rating solution.”

Universal Tennis’s goal is to serve as a one-stop shop for all pickleball and tennis tournaments, including matchplay, draws, results, schedules, statistics, player profiles, ratings, and more.

This will also enable local communities—including clubs, recreational centers, academies, colleges, high schools, and more—to use the pickleball rating and a familiar event management software to organize accessible and competitive level-based events, and lets players track their progress as they improve.

"Universal Tennis has created the gold standard in tennis, and all the technology and solutions are perfectly transferable to pickleball,” said Ken Solomon, Universal Tennis board member and President of Tennis Channel.

Universal Tennis’ new pickleball rating and integration is set to go live in early 2023.