DUPR Is Now the Official Ratings Partner of USA Pickleball

Less than 18 months after announcing a partnership between UTR Sports, USA Pickleball, and the Association of Pickleball Players (APP) Tour, this is a major shakeup in the ratings landscape.

Dynamic Universal Pickleball Rating (DUPR) is partnering with USA Pickleball as the official ratings system of all USA Pickleball owned events moving forward.

According to a DUPR blog post, all match results from USA Pickleball-owned events, including its Golden Ticket tournaments where medalists earn their way to The USA Pickleball National Championships, will count toward players’ DUPR ratings.

The two organizations are partnering to create a clearer, more connected competitive pathway and reduce fragmentation across the sport.

According to Mike Nealy, CEO of USA Pickleball:

“This is a pivotal moment for pickleball. Our goal is to deliver consistency, fairness and clarity for players at every level, from Golden Ticket qualifiers to the USA Pickleball National Championships. Adopting DUPR gives us a reliable rating language across the board. It strengthens competitive integrity and reinforces the entire ecosystem of sanctioned play.”

What this means for the sport

DUPR is the pickleball ratings system utilized by a vast majority of the world's amateur and recreational pickleball players. It's also the official rating system of the preeminent pro tours: Major League Pickleball and the PPA Tour.

USA Pickleball's shift from their previous ratings system, Universal Tennis Rating (UTR) Sports, to DUPR brings more consistency in ratings than there ever have been before.

Less than 18 months after announcing a partnership between UTR Sports, USA Pickleball, and the Association of Pickleball Players (APP) Tour, this is a major shakeup in the ratings landscape.

This move has me asking two questions.

Is USA Pickleball still partnering with the APP Tour to run its Golden Ticket tournaments?

The answer: Yes.

With this announcement, DUPR will be the official exclusive rating system for all USA Pickleball-owned events (Golden Ticket and Nationals). We are excited to continue to partner with the APP to provide a full slate of Golden Ticket tournaments across the country.

— Jennifer Rogers, Director of Communications and PR for USA Pickleball, in an email to The Dink

What does this mean for the ratings system of the APP Tour?

Again, for the past 18 months, UTR Sports has been the ratings system used by both USA Pickleball and the APP Tour.

With the announcement of the partnership of DUPR and USA Pickleball AND the fact that USA Pickleball confirmed its continued partnership with the APP Tour, that leads me to believe the APP Tour will also start using DUPR as its official ratings system.

And that appears to be the case: an APP spokesperson confirmed to The Dink that DUPR ratings will be available to players competing in APP events in 2026.

At the time of publishing, the APP Tour had not responded to a request for comment on this. This article will be updated with any comment received from the APP Tour.