Help & FAQ

The Auckland Tennis Ladder connects tennis players across the city for casual and competitive singles matches. Here's how it works:

1. Create an account with your location and skill level.
2. Find opponents near you using the search filters.
3. Send a challenge and propose times that suit you.
4. Play your match and record the result.
5. Your rating updates once both players confirm the score.

Go to Find Players from the navigation bar. You can filter by:

• Distance — how far you're willing to travel.
• Rating difference — find players at a similar level.
• Availability — match your free times with theirs.

Make sure to set your availability so others can find you too.

We use the Elo rating system, the same system used in chess. Key points:

• Beating a higher-rated player earns you more points.
• Losing to a lower-rated player costs more points.
• New players have a higher adjustment factor so their rating settles quickly.
• Your starting rating is based on the average of recent players at your skill level.

The blue checkmark means a player has been verified by an opponent after playing a real match. It tells the community this is a genuine, fair player.

New players get verified when someone they've played against confirms they were a good opponent.

Your starting rating is based on the self-reported skill level you chose when signing up. We look at the average rating of recent players who selected the same level and have played enough matches for their rating to be meaningful.

If there aren't enough players at your level yet, we use these defaults:

• Beginner: 1200
• Intermediate: 1400
• Advanced: 1600
• Competitive: 1800

After playing, either player can go to Record Match and enter:

• Your opponent
• The winner
• The score (e.g. 6-4 7-5)
• The date and venue

The other player will then see a confirmation prompt on their dashboard. Ratings only update once both players confirm the result.

If a match result looks wrong, you can Dispute it from your dashboard before confirming. This removes the unconfirmed result so you can re-record the correct score together.

Separate sets with spaces. Examples:

• Standard sets: 6-3, 7-5, 6-0
• Set tiebreak: 7-6(7-5) — the score in brackets is the tiebreak score (must reach 7 with 2 clear, e.g. 7-5, 8-6, 7-3)
• Match tiebreak: [10-7] — square brackets, only valid as the deciding set in best-of-3 (must reach 10 with 2 clear)
• Forfeit / Walkover — select from the match format dropdown for incomplete matches

Full examples:

• Best of 1: 6-4
• Best of 3, straight sets: 6-4 7-5
• Best of 3, with tiebreak: 6-4 6-7(5-7) 7-6(7-3)
• Best of 3, match tiebreak: 6-3 4-6 [10-8]

Visit the player's profile and click the Report button. Select a reason and add any details. An administrator will review your report.

Reasons you can report for include unsportsmanlike conduct, no-shows, harassment, and cheating.

An admin reviews every report and may take action including warnings or banning the player. Banned players are removed from the ladder and cannot log in or be found in searches.