« Home | SINGAPORE IMPLEMENTS A NEW RATING SYSTEM TO RATE ... »
INTERNATIONAL TENNIS NUMBERS (ITN) - description of standard
INTERNATIONAL TENNIS NUMBERS (ITN) - description of standard
The chart below is the description of abilities for each I.T.N. level as provided by the International Tennis Federation.
General competitive level
ITN 1
- Currently holds or is capable of holding an ATP / WTA ranking.
- A world-class player who is committed to tournament competition on an international level and whose major source of Income Is tournament prize-money.
- Has extensive professional tournament experience.
- Can analyze and exploit an opponent's weakness.
- Can vary strategies and style of play and is capable of hitting dependable shots In stressful situations.
- Usually a highly ranked national player.
- First and second serve can be relied upon in stressful situations and can be hit offensively at any time.
- Has developed good anticipation for both returns.
- Can pick up cues from an opponents preparation, toss, back swing and body position.
- Capable of hitting dependable shots in stressful stations.
- Can attack, counter-attack and defend effectively with both forehand and backhand.
- Can play a full range of shots.
- Hits slice or drive approaches.
- Anticipates well at the net and has good court sense.
- Can use angles or play deep effectively.
- Volleys aggressively.
- Overhead is invariably a winner.
- Backhand overhead is also strong.
- Improvises and passes very well off both sides and from the return of serve.
- Is able to use the two-shot passing combinations very effectively.
- Good shot anticipation and frequently has an outstanding shot, consistency or attribute around which a game may be based.
- The player is 'match wise', plays percentage tennis and can regularly hit winning return of serve or force errors In the return of serve from short balls.
- Serve Is placed effectively with the intent of hitting to a weakness or developing an offensive situation.
- Has a variety of serves to rely on.
- Good depth, spin and placement on most second serves to force a weak return or to set up the next shot.
- Can mix up aggressive and off-paced return of serve with control, depth and spin.
- Forehand Is strong with control, depth and spin.
- Uses forehand to set up offensive situations.
- Backhand is used as an aggressive shot with good consistency.
- Has good direction and depth on most shots.
- Has developed good touch.
- Varies spin.
- Approach shots are hit with pace and a high degree of effectiveness.
- Can hit most volleys with depth, pace and direction.
- Plays difficult volleys with depth.
- When given the opportunity, the volley Is often hit for a winner.
- Overheads can be hit from any position.
- Hits mid-court volleys with consistency.
- Consistent on passing shots and hits them with pace and a high degree of effectiveness.
- Can lob offensively
- Consistent play, capable of generating power and spin effectively and has begun to handle pace.
- Has good anticipation, sound footwork and covers up weaknesses well.
- Can control the depth of shots and is beginning to vary game plans according to opponents.
- Although tentative on difficult shots, this player can hit first serves with power and accuracy and place the second serve.
- Aggressive net play is common in doubles.
- Has an aggressive serve and commits few double-faults.
- Power and spin can be used effectively to set up offensive situations, especially on first serves.
- Second serves are typically well placed and deep.
- Often hits aggressive return of serve.
- Can take pace off with moderate success in doubles.
- Can chip and drive and chip and charge with success.
- Very consistent (dependable) forehand.
- Uses speed and spin effectively.
- Controls depth well, but tends to over-hit when rushed or when pressing.
- Offensive on moderate shots.
- Backhand can control direction and depth but may break down under pressure.
- Has a reasonable slice.
- Approach shots hit with good depth and control.
- Can handle a mixed sequence of volleys.
- Has depth and directional control on backhand volley.
- Can consistently hit volleys and overheads to end the point.
- Developing touch and good footwork, however the most common error Is still over-hitting.
- Able to lob defensively and offensively.
- Able to pass the net player with a reasonable amount of effectiveness.
- Good consistency (dependable strokes) including directional control and depth on both forehand and backhand sides on moderate shots, although rallies may be lost due to impatience.
- Ability to use lobs, overheads, approach shots and volleys with some success.
- Developing court coverage, experienced and tactically aware but not yet playing good percentage tennis.
- Occasionally forces errors In return of serve when serving.
- Teamwork in doubles is evident
- Placement of both first and second serve is evident
- First serve is often hit powerfully.
- Some use of spin.
- Has a dependable return of serve
- Can return with depth In singles and vary the return in doubles.
- Forehand is consistent and hits with depth and control on moderate shots, but placement can suffer when under pressure.
- Backhand can direct the ball with consistency and depth on moderate shots.
- Developing spin and may be able to use a bit of both topspin and slice.
- Follows aggressive shots to the net.
- Has depth and control on the forehand volley.
- Can direct backhand volleys, but usually lacks depth.
- Is developing wide and low volleys on both sides.
- Can put away easy overheads
- Can poach In doubles.
- Beginning to finish point off.
- Can hit to an opponents weakness.
- Able to lob defensively on difficult shots and offensively to set up the point.
- Has achieved improved stroke consistency with directional control on moderate shots but with little depth and variety.
- Court coverage is improving yet there remains some hesitancy in moving forward.
- Is developing teamwork In doubles.
- Starting to serve with control and some power.
- Developing spin.
- Can return serve consistently with directional control on medium-paced shots.
- Forehand is quite consistent, varied on moderate shots and is played with directional control and some spin.
- Backhand is hit with directional control on moderate shots however difficulty Is experienced on high and hard shots, which are often returned defensively.
- Will use either backhand drive or slice almost exclusively.
- Is developing approach shots and starting to look for the opportunity to come In to the net.
- More aggressive net play.
- Can direct forehand volleys, controls backhand volley but with little offence.
- Has difficulty in putting volleys away and in playing half volleys.
- Is capable of covering some passing shots and typically uses proper footwork.
- Consistent overhead on shots within reach.
- Can lob fairly consistently on faster paced shots.
- Developing basic passing shot ability but has difficulty in playing a pass with the backhand.
- Fairly consistent when hitting moderately paced shots but Is not comfortable playing all strokes and can lack control when trying for direction, depth or power.
- A singles match will be played almost exclusively from the baseline, whilst the most common doubles formation is one-up, one-back.
- Is developing a rhythm, although is less consistent when trying far power.
- Second serve is often substantially slower than the first serve.
- Can return serve with reasonable consistency with the majority returned to the middle of the court.
- Forehand is fairly consistent with some directional intent but has little control of depth.
- Backhand Is starting to become fairly consistent on moderate shots with most of the balls directed to the middle of the court.
- Approaches the net when play dictates It but needs to improve its execution.
- Has a consistent forehand volley, but is less consistent on the backhand volley.
- Has difficulty volleying shots played low and wide.
- Sometimes caught out of position and can tend to take too large a swing.
- Can lob fairly consistently on moderate shots and often uses It on the return of serve Instead of a drive.
- Learning to judge where the ball is going, although court coverage needs to be improved substantially.
- When playing with other players of the same ability this player can sustain a short rally of slow pace with modest consistency.
- Usually remains in the initial doubles position during doubles play.
- Attempting a full swing.
- There is little difference between the pace of first and second serves.
- Gets the ball in play at a slow pace.
- Toss needs to be more consistent.
- Can return a slow paced serve.
- Will often have an abbreviated follow through.
- Forehand form is developing.
- Player is positioned and prepared for moderately paced shots.
- Backhand grip and preparation problems may be evident and the player will often choose to hit a forehand instead of a backhand.
- Approaches the net only when forced to.
- Needs to spend more time at the net to build some confidence.
- Is currently uncomfortable at the net, especially on the backhand side and will frequently use forehand side of the racket face to play backhand volleys.
- Can make contact on overhead.
- Can lob intentionally but with little control.
- Will often play back to the opponent.
- Needs on-court experience.
- While strokes can be completed with some success, stroke weaknesses are evident.
- Is familiar with basic positions for singles and doubles play, although needs better positioning and may even prefer to play both back.
- This player has begun to engage in match play.
- Is learning the basic rules and scoring.
- Service motion Is not continuous and needs more co-ordination.
- Toss needs to be more consistent and controlled.
- Double-faults are quite common.
- Return of serve needs to be more consistent in order to reduce unforced errors.
- Will attempt to return almost exclusively with forehand.
- Forehand needs to have a more complete swing and more directional intent
- Reluctance to play backhand is clear and experiences several technical problems on this side (i.e. grip, swing, contact).
- Not yet familiar with approach and net play.
- Will look to play forehand volley exclusively and has problems making contact on overheads.
- Experiences difficulties lobbing intentionally.
- Is not accustomed to playing a pass and will typically hit the ball straight back to the opponent.
- This player is starting to play competitively (can serve and return / rally) on a full court using a normal ITF approved ball.
- The player is able to rally with movement and control.
- The ITN 10.a to 10.c categories will usually involve playing in a modified environment e.g. using transition / soft balls on a reduced court and / or using adapted rackets as appropriate.
- The player has developed some simple tennis-specific skills in hitting an oncoming ball regularly, however rallying with movement and control is not yet achieved.
- The player is in the early stages of tennis skills development and is primarily learning simple tennis co-ordination tasks / exercises.
