Tennis Ireland sets the pace with World Tennis Number adoption
As the World Tennis Number (WTN) continues to embed itself across the global tennis landscape, 2025 marked a significant milestone in Ireland. Tennis Ireland became the first national association to fully commit to the WTN, integrating it across competitions, clubs and the wider playing community and the results over the past year underline the impact of that decision.
From opening access to new players to empowering clubs with better data and engagement tools, the WTN has become a central part of Tennis Ireland’s digital ecosystem, supporting participation and connection at every level of the game.
Opening the door to the wider tennis community
A key development came in mid-2025, when registrations were opened to the Irish tennis community, allowing players to sign up to the WTN quickly and easily. This move not only simplified access for existing players but also proved effective in attracting new participants into the Tennis Ireland ecosystem.
Over 200 new Irish players have since been added to the Tennis Ireland community, while hundreds of friendly matches have been submitted by players - a strong indicator of growing engagement beyond formal competition. The ability to record meaningful match play and receive a globally comparable rating has resonated with players looking for flexibility, fairness and relevance in how they compete.
My Matches and My Club features
Ireland also became the first nation to launch the My Club feature, allowing players to directly register their clubs within the WTN. Within one month of release, around 640 players had registered their clubs, representing 12 per cent of the total WTN user base in Ireland.
Alongside this, the introduction of My Matches has enabled players to log friendly and competitive results, helping build more accurate ratings while encouraging regular play at club level. Together, these features have strengthened the link between players, clubs and the national association, providing Tennis Ireland with deeper insight into participation patterns across the country.
To support clubs in making the most of the WTN, Tennis Ireland hosted a dedicated webinar for more than 200 clubs, focusing on the benefits of the system and how it can be used to encourage participation, organise play and retain members. Club feedback has highlighted the value of having a clear, trusted rating system that supports inclusive and flexible formats.
Strong player and club engagement across 2025
Feedback from players and clubs throughout 2025 has underlined the impact of the World Tennis Number across the Irish tennis community.
Players described the WTN as a clear and motivating way to track progress, understand expected opponent levels and build confidence when competing, with the My Matches feature proving a popular and accessible tool for recording results and development. As one Irish player noted, “It provides healthy motivation to improve my game. It also helps to build an expectation of an unknown opponent.”
Clubs also reported clear benefits following education sessions and webinars. Several have already adopted the WTN, with some noting how it helped manage club events. For example, one club explained, “We used the WTN to gauge entries and seeding for our open, which was really useful.” Others praised the platform for its ease of use and its role in promoting inclusive and flexible play at the adult level.
Looking to 2026
The integration of the World Tennis Number will continue into 2026, with Tennis Ireland confirming that its Senior Tour will be powered by the WTN. This next step reflects confidence in the system’s ability to deliver fair competition, enhance player experience and support long-term participation.
The success has been underpinned by close collaboration between Tennis Ireland and the ITF, with both organisations aligned on the shared goal of growing the game through accessible, data driven solutions.
Paul Lifton, Senior Project Manager World Tennis Number, said: “Ireland’s adoption of the World Tennis Number is a powerful case study for national associations. By integrating the WTN across clubs, competitions and community play, Tennis Ireland has driven real engagement and measurable growth. It demonstrates how the WTN can be used not just as a rating, but as a tool to strengthen the entire tennis ecosystem.”
Kevin Quinn, Tennis Ireland CEO, said: “Working with the ITF to support the roll-out of the World Tennis Number has been very positive for tennis in Ireland. WTN gives our Clubs and players a shared, easy-to-understand measure of playing level. Players use WTN to find the right match faster. Closer match-ups provides improved playing experiences, which keeps players coming back to play, driving increased participation. We’ve seen strong engagement and growing adoption for WTN across our clubs and competitions. 2025 saw the introduction of two great new WTN features, ‘Post Your Score’ and ‘My Club’, and the feedback from our active playing community has been really positive. We’re looking forward to building on our shared momentum in 2026.”