organizations
tennis governing bodies and resources
The tennis world is made up of many organizations and governing bodies. Since the game is global, it takes a lot of coordination among several groups to make the sport accessible to as many people as possible, and to enact the rules of the sport. But it can also be confusing to keep track of which organization is in charge of what! The following are some of the most notable organizations overseeing our sport:
USTA (United States Tennis Association)
The United States Tennis Association is the national governing body for tennis in the United States. A not-for-profit organization with more than 700,000 members, it invests 100% of its proceeds to promote and develop the growth of tennis, from the grass-roots to the professional levels.
One of the sectional organizations of the USTA covering six states: Connecticut, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Vermont, New Hampshire and Maine.
USPTA (United States Professional Tennis Association)
The United States Professional Tennis Association is an organization which offers certification and professional development for professional tennis teachers and tennis coaches. The organization has approximately 13,500 members in the United States, and promotes excellence in the tennis industry.
ITF (International Tennis Federation)
The International Tennis Federation is the governing body of world tennis, wheelchair tennis, and beach tennis. It was founded in 1913 as the International Lawn Tennis Federation by twelve national associations, and as of 2016, is affiliated with 211 national tennis associations and six regional associations.
ATP (Association of Tennis Professionals)
The Association of Tennis Professionals is a main men's tennis governing body. It was formed in September 1972 by Donald Dell, Jack Kramer, and Cliff Drysdale to protect the interests of professional tennis players, and Drysdale became the first President.
WTA (Women’s Tennis Association)
The Women's Tennis Association is the principal organizing body of women's professional tennis. It governs the WTA Tour which is the worldwide professional tennis tour for women and was founded to create a better future for women's tennis.
NCAA (National Collegiate Athletic Association)
The National Collegiate Athletic Association is a nonprofit organization that regulates student athletes from 1,268 North American institutions and conferences.
UTR (Universal Tennis Rating, powered by Oracle)
The Universal Tennis Rating (UTR Powered by Oracle) is the global gold standard for all tennis players which reflects their current skill level based on actual performance. It is the world’s only purely results-based rating system in tennis, which rates all players on the same 16-point scale regardless of age, gender or location.