Every number comes with how much of it has been confirmed on court: confidence goes up with each recorded match, and the phase shows how far along that confirmation a player is.
I picked up a racket not long ago. I know what the glass is for, but I still don't know what to do when the ball hits it.
I can keep a rally going from the back if nobody speeds it up, and the back glass is no longer a scare.
Padel has started to make sense: serve and net go together, and the lob has become my way out when things get tight.
I play every week and I build the point: I know when to come in, when to drop back and when to lob instead of taking a risk.
In tournaments I play 7th or 6th category in my city and win matches there.
I have a repertoire: bandeja to hold the net, chiquita to bother them, and I vary the ball on purpose. Against faster players, I still make more mistakes than I'd like.
In tournaments I'm competitive in 5th category: I win often and now and then reach the final rounds.
The net is mine. I make few mistakes, I set the pace of the match and I use the glass and the fence to attack as well.
In tournaments I play 4th category regularly and can win it; in 3rd I win matches but don't yet go all the way.
I play at high intensity against any style and I'm strong in the points that decide. Defending has become a way of attacking.
In tournaments I play 3rd-category finals and have started playing 2nd.
I'm a reference in my state's amateur scene. I have no weak shot, and whoever plays me needs a plan.
In tournaments I play 2nd and 1st category and compete in the strongest amateur state and national tournaments.
I make a living from padel or I'm on that path: I train as an athlete, with a team and a planned season.
In tournaments Open, Pro or the international circuit (Premier Padel, FIP or the national equivalent).
How each level reads in other systems players already know. It is an approximate reading, not an equivalence between federations.
| Level | Rating | Spanish category | Argentine category | Brazilian category |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1–13 | 7ª | 8va | — |
| 2 | 14–20 | 6ª | 7ma | — |
| 3 | 21–34 | 5ª | 6ta | — |
| 4 | 35–48 | 4ª | 5ta | 7th / 6th |
| 5 | 49–62 | 3ª | 4ta | 5th |
| 6 | 63–76 | 2ª | 3ra | 4th |
| 7 | 77–88 | 1ª | 2da | 3rd |
| 8 | 89–97 | Pro Nacional | 1ra | 2nd / 1st |
| 9 | 98–99 | Pro Premier Padel | Pro | Open |
Match results weigh the most. Matchely uses Glicko-2: beating someone above you moves the number more than beating someone below you, and each match counts for more while the system still knows little about how you play.
The people you play with count too. After matches, partners and opponents rate your level, and that rating enters the calculation with less weight than results.
If you have a coach on Matchely, their evaluation counts too. It only applies after you accept the link, and it weighs less than results.
The self-assessment from sign-up is only the starting point. With each recorded match it weighs less, until it has almost no effect on the number.
The rating goes through four phases: calibration (up to 10 matches), transition (up to 30), stable (up to 60) and mature (beyond that). Early on the number still moves a lot; later it only changes with a consistent run of results.
Confidence says how much of the number has been confirmed on court. A 60 with high confidence has been tested over many matches; a 60 with low confidence is still an estimate.
Rating is not ranking: rating is the player's level, and ranking is the points they have piled up over a period, in their city.