63-537: The Sugar Circuit also known as the Sugar Winter Circuit or Sugar Tennis Circuit was a series tour of five South African tennis tournaments sponsored by the South African Sugar Association founded in 1962 and was sub-circuit of the worldwide ILTF Circuit that ran until 1980. In 1980 the South African Sugar Association ceased its sponsorship of the circuit and it was discontinued. In 1962
126-627: A round-robin format, with the top team from each pool qualifying for the final. Tennis (lawn tennis) was part of the Summer Olympic Games program from the inaugural 1896 Summer Olympics , but was dropped after the 1924 Summer Olympics due to disputes between the ITF and the International Olympic Committee over allowing amateur players to compete. After two appearances as a demonstration sport in 1968 and 1984, it returned as
189-638: A full medal sport at the 1988 Summer Olympics and has been played at every edition of the Games since then. Wheelchair tennis was first contested at the Summer Paralympic Games as a demonstration sport in 1988, with two events being held (Men's and Women's Singles). It became an official medal-awarding sport in 1992 and has been competed at every Summer Paralympics since then. Four events were held from 1992 to 2000, with quad events (mixed gender) in both singles and doubles added in 2004. The ITF sanctions
252-514: A number that represents their general level of play. Players are rated from ITN 1 (ATP or WTA standard or equivalent) to 10 (starter players). Conversion charts have been developed linking the ITN to other existing rating systems in ITF tennis nations and in time it is hoped that every tennis player worldwide will have a rating. Below ITN 10 there are 3 further categories linked to the slower balls: Once players can ‘serve, rally and score’ they should have
315-715: A professional staff. The USTA (B)team is located in White Plains, NY. The (A) team is located at the National Campus located in Orlando, FL. The USTA (along with the USPTA) created the National Tennis Rating Program (NTRP) or more commonly NTRP ratings to place players into various skill levels. NTRP ratings range from the beginner 1.5 with .5 increments all the way up to 7.0 or world-class players. NTRP ratings are used in
378-411: A range of team and individual singles, doubles and mixed doubles events for each five-year age increment from 30+ to 90+. The ITF World Tennis Masters Tour Circuit has over 380 tournaments in more than 72 countries. There are six (6) tournament grades. The entry level tournament grade is MT100, followed by MT200, MT400, MT700, MT1000 and World Championships. MT700, MT1000 and World Championships are amongst
441-524: A rating to help them find players of a similar level to play with. In late 2004 the ITF initiated a new IPIN (International Player Identification Number) programme that requires all players who play in ITF Pro Circuit tournaments to register online. The use of IPIN has since been extended to include the ITF Junior, Seniors, and Wheelchair Circuits. A player's IPIN, which is 3 letters followed by 7 numbers,
504-519: A similar manner as those of the Davis Cup, with pool play followed by knockout semifinals and finals. The winner and runner-up of the Finals automatically qualify for the next season's Finals. Teams ranked 3–10 advance to the next season's Billie Jean King Cup Qualifiers, where they play against the winners of the previous season's Billie Jean King Cup Play-offs. The play-offs in turn involve the losing teams from
567-520: A system of rankings for beach tennis players. The ITF designates a World Champion in several disciplines each year based on performances throughout the year, emphasizing the Grand Slam tournaments, and also considering team events such as the Davis Cup and Fed Cup. Singles champions were first named in 1978. In later years, World Champion awards were added for doubles, juniors (using a combined singles and doubles ranking), and wheelchair players. Although
630-629: Is a joint initiative of the primary governing bodies in tennis: the ITF, the Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP), the Women's Tennis Association (WTA), and the Grand Slam Board. Formed in 2008 in response to betting-related corruption challenges, the TIU's mandate is to protect tennis from "all forms of betting-related corrupt practices". As with the anti-doping efforts, national associations are charged with
693-479: Is an annual ITF award to recognise individuals or organisations who have made outstanding contributions to tennis globally, both on and off the court. The award, introduced in 1996, is considered to be the ITF's highest accolade and is named after the former French tennis player Philippe Chatrier , who was President of the governing body between 1977 and 1991. The ITF maintains rankings of nations in both women's and men's tennis based solely on recent performances in
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#1732895192179756-565: Is assigned upon registration and will not change during the course of his or her career. Once registered, players can use the IPIN website to enter and withdraw from ITF tournaments, access tournament information and updates, and see details relating to any code of conduct offenses. Annual IPIN registration fees vary depending on the ITF circuit chosen by the player. The ITF administers the Tennis Anti-Doping Programme (TADP) on behalf of
819-703: Is generally recognized as the initiator and driving force behind the foundation of the International Tennis Federation. He died in the sinking of the RMS ; Titanic . Originally called the International Lawn Tennis Federation (ILTF) it held its inaugural conference at the headquarters of the Union des Sociétés Françaises de Sports Athlétiques (USFSA), in Paris, France on 1 March 1913 which
882-444: 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 tennis associations . As of 2016, there are 211 national and six regional associations that make up the ITF's membership. The ITF's governance responsibilities include maintaining and enforcing the rules of tennis, regulating international team competitions, promoting
945-452: The ATP Tour to encourage participation. In each round, a combination of singles and doubles matches are contested to determine the winners. In 2020, 142 nations participated, making it the largest annual international team competition in sport. The Billie Jean King Cup is an annual team event organized by the ITF in women's tennis, similar in format to the Davis Cup. It was launched in 1963 as
1008-823: The Davis Cup , the Billie Jean King Cup , and the ATP Cup , and suspended the Russian Tennis Federation . However, the ATP and the WTA refused to yield to international pressure to ban individual players from competition. Russian players will carry on, but not play under the Russian national flag. Its official annual is The ITF Year , describing the activities of the ITF over the last 12 months. This replaced World of Tennis , which
1071-863: The Grand Slam events: the Australian Open , the French Open , Wimbledon , and the US Open . It is a member of the Grand Slam Committee. The ITF organizes introductory ("apprentice" level) professional circuits for both men and women as a bridge between junior tournaments and playing on the higher-profile tours organized by the ATP and WTA, respectively. Professional circuit tournaments are open to all tennis players aged 14 and over based on merit, and offer both prize money and world ranking points for main draw match victories. The tournaments are owned or sanctioned by
1134-457: The International Olympic Committee . The Davis Cup, named after its founder Dwight F. Davis , is an annual team event organized by the ITF (since 1979 when it replaced the Committee of Davis Cup Nations as event organiser) in men's tennis contested between teams from competing countries in a knock-out format. The first Davis Cup took place in 1900, prior to the formation of the ITF. Since 2019,
1197-543: The Summer Olympic and Paralympic Games on behalf of the International Olympic Committee . The ITF sanctions circuits that span age ranges ( junior , professional men and women , and seniors) as well as disciplines ( wheelchair tennis ; beach tennis ). In addition to these circuits, the ITF also maintains rankings for juniors, seniors, wheelchair and beach tennis. Duane Williams , an American who lived in Switzerland,
1260-601: The World Hard Court Championships until 1916 and additionally a World Covered Court Championships was founded. The USLTA joined in 1923 on the basis of two compromises: the title 'World Championships' would be abolished, and wording would be 'for ever in the English language'. The World Championships were replaced by a new category of Official Championships for the main tournaments in Australia, France, England, and
1323-472: The 18-40 league. There are 11 active ATP tournaments held in the United States. Nine are held on hard courts, one on clay, and one on grass. USA hosts one Grand Slam , three Masters , two 500 , and five 250 level tournaments. *First female to be elected USTA president. **First African-American and first former professional tennis player to be elected USTA president. The award and the foundation were
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#17328951921791386-507: The 85 years and older group. World championships began in 1981. In 1993, the world championships were divided into two age ranges, and in 2015 it was further divided into three age ranges. As of 2015, the ranges are Young Seniors (35 to 49); Seniors (50 to 64); and Super-Seniors (65 to 85). The first circuit for wheelchair tennis , formed in 1980 by the National Foundation of Wheelchair Tennis , had ten tournaments. Beginning in 1992,
1449-507: The Bank of England Sports Ground, Roehampton , its current base of operations. In 1977 the word 'Lawn' was dropped from the name of the organization, in recognition of the fact that most tennis events were no longer played on grass . In reaction to the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine , the ITF cancelled all events in Russia. The ITF also excluded Russia from international team events, which include
1512-669: The Beach Tennis Tour (BTT). This tour started with 14 tournaments, but has grown to nearly 300 tournaments by 2015. The most prestigious of these are the ITF Beach Tennis World Team Championship, ITF Beach Tennis World Championships, European Beach Tennis Championships, and the ITF Pan American Championships. Like the other ITF circuits, tournaments are sanctioned by the ITF and primarily organized by national associations. The ITF also maintains
1575-480: The Billie Jean King Cup and Davis Cup, respectively. These rankings are used to seed teams at the start of each year in their respective groups. The women's and men's rankings are calculated using a similar method. In both cases, a nation's points are a weighted sum of points earned over the past four years. Points are earned by victorious nations depending on the group (e.g. World Group versus Zonal Groups),
1638-434: The Davis Cup introduced a new format for its top level. The World Group was expanded to two levels, World Group I and World Group II, each consisting of 24 teams (reducing to 16 from 2022), with lower levels remaining intact. Each year, successful teams are may be promoted up one level, while unsuccessful teams are relegated down one level. Davis Cup rounds are contested four times per year, scheduled to minimize disruption with
1701-570: The Federation Cup to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the ITF, renamed the Fed Cup in 1995, and renamed again to honor tennis great Billie Jean King in 2020. The current format, adopted in 2020, is similar to that now used for the Davis Cup, with nations being divided into zone groups (Americas; Europe/Africa; and Asia/Oceania) which compete in two or three tiers, with the top tier being the 12-team Billie Jean King Cup Finals. The Finals are conducted in
1764-416: The Grand Slam tennis tournaments as well as circuits which span age ranges (junior, professional, and seniors) as well as disciplines ( wheelchair tennis ; beach tennis ). In addition to these circuits, the ITF also maintains rankings for juniors, seniors, wheelchair, and beach tennis. The ITF organizes and sanctions the 'Official Tennis Championships of the International Tennis Federation', commonly known as
1827-556: The ITF began the Girls Junior Exempt Project in 1997. Under this program, girls ranked in the top 10 at the end of the year are given direct entry into the main draw of three events on the ITF professional circuit the following year. In 2006, this project was extended for boys under similar rules. The ITF World Tennis Masters Tour was renamed in August 2022 (previously ITF Seniors Tour). The ITF World Tennis Masters Tour provides
1890-404: The ITF introduced combined junior rankings rather than maintaining separate singles and doubles rankings for juniors in an effort to encourage doubles play. As of 2015, the junior circuit includes 400 tournaments in 121 countries, open to players who are between their 13th and 19th birthdays. In order to help high-ranking junior girls transition from the junior circuit to the professional circuit,
1953-667: The Israeli national tennis team and the Belgian national tennis team was scheduled in Antwerp for 14 September 2013. Because the match was scheduled for Yom Kippur , the Israeli team requested to postpone the match by one day. The Belgian national tennis team declined to postpone the game. The International Tennis Federation intervened and postponed the match by one day. It also fined the Israel Tennis Association more than $ 13,000 for
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2016-548: The Qualifiers and winning teams from the top-level zone groups. Like the Davis Cup, the rules of promotion and relegation are almost the same each year. Billie Jean King Cup rounds are contested three times per year, scheduled to minimize disruption with the WTA Tour to encourage participation. In each round, a combination of singles and doubles matches are contested to determine the winners. In 2020, 116 nations participated, making it
2079-567: The Spring and/or Fall. In most areas, the adult seasons consist of singles, doubles, and mixed doubles leagues in the Spring. Fewer cities have Fall leagues for singles and/or alternate league types such as "combo", "mixed combo", or "tri-level". In most states, there are between one and five tournaments each weekend. Adults with a 3.0 to 4.5 rating can usually play in these tournaments. Leagues include: 10 and under; Juniors; Adults 18-40; and Adults 40 or older. Anyone over 40 may request placement in
2142-455: The Sugar Circuit was established that consisted of five provincial championships at Bloemfontein , Cape Town , Durban , East London , Pietermaritzburg and Port Elizabeth . The circuit was sponsored by the South African Sugar Association for its entire duration, individual association members such as Hulett's sponsored individual tournaments. Participation by overseas international players
2205-598: The TADP will also be transferred over to the ITIA. Tunisian player Malek Jaziri and Israeli player Amir Weintraub were scheduled to play each other at the 2013 Tashkent Challenger in October 2013, however Jaziri withdrew from the competition. According to Jaziri's brother, Jaziri had been ordered to withdraw from the competition. The Association of Tennis Professionals investigated and found that Jaziri had done nothing wrong and that
2268-586: The Tunisian Tennis Federation's interference with the game had constituted a breach of the ITF Constitution. Consequently, Tunisia was suspended from the 2014 Davis Cup competition. ITF president Francesco Ricci Bitti said, "There is no room for prejudice of any kind in sport or in society. The ITF Board decided to send a strong message to the Tunisian Tennis Federation that this kind of action will not be tolerated." A Davis Cup game between
2331-574: The United States; now known as the four Majors or Grand Slam events. In 1924, the ILTF became the officially recognised organisation with authority to control lawn tennis throughout the world, with official ILTF Rules of Tennis . In 1939 the ILTF had 59 member nations. Its funds were moved to London, England during World War II and from that time onward the ITF has been run from there. It was based at Wimbledon until 1987, when it moved to Barons Court , next door to Queen's Club . It then moved again in 1998 to
2394-637: The Wheelchair Tennis Tour began with eleven events, organized by the International Wheelchair Tennis Federation (IWTF) which merged with the ITF six years later. As of 2016, the wheelchair tennis circuit includes over 160 events in over 40 countries. This includes tournaments ranging from Futures (the lowest level) up to the Grand Slams. In 2008, the ITF assumed responsibility for the development of beach tennis and launched
2457-480: The aim to decrease the gap between the ILTF and the national associations. These evolved into the current regional associations: The ITF President and Board of Directors are elected every four years by the national associations. Candidates are nominated by the national associations, and may serve up to twelve years. The following people have served as president of the ITF: The ITF is the world governing body for
2520-684: The board of directors. The Rules of Tennis encompass the manner of play and scoring, in-game coaching, and the technical specifications of equipment (e.g. ball, racket, net, court) and other technology (e.g. player analysis technology). The Rules cover tennis, wheelchair tennis, and beach tennis. Through the Tennis Anti-Doping Program , the ITF implements the World Anti-Doping Code (from the World Anti-Doping Agency , or WADA) for tennis. National associations must implement
2583-626: The code within its national jurisdiction, report violations up to the ITF and WADA, and report annually about all testing conducted. The Tennis Anti-Doping Program began in 1993, and applies to all players who play in ITF-sanctioned competitions, as well as tournaments on the ATP Tour and WTA Tour . In 2015, 2514 samples were collected from men and 1919 samples were collected from women; 2256 samples were collected during tennis tournaments ("in-competition") and 2177 were collected at other times ("out-of-competition"). The Tennis Integrity Unit (TIU)
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2646-485: The dream of the late Maureen Connolly Brinker. This award is presented each year to the girl player considered by the committee to have had the most outstanding full-season performance. She must be exceptional in ability, sportsmanship and competitive spirit. The silver bowl, which is kept at the Almaden Valley Athletic Club, is inscribed with the name of each year's winner. The recipient of the award receives
2709-478: The elite tournaments on the World Tour attracting some of the very best tennis players globally including but not limited to former ATP players. Previously, tournaments were classified into various grades, with Grade A being the highest and Grade 5 being the lowest. Rankings were maintained in a series of age groups where the starting ages advance five years at a time (e.g. 35 years and older; 40 years and older) up to
2772-418: The game, and preserving the sport's integrity via anti-doping and anti-corruption programs. The ITF partners with the Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP) and the Women's Tennis Association (WTA) to govern professional tennis. The ITF organizes annual team competitions for men ( Davis Cup ), women ( Billie Jean King Cup ), and mixed teams ( Hopman Cup ), as well as tennis and wheelchair tennis events at
2835-416: The inconvenience of rescheduling. Sources United States Lawn Tennis Association The United States Tennis Association ( USTA ) 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. The association
2898-520: The largest annual international team competition in women's sport. The Hopman Cup is an annual team event which is contested by mixed-gender national teams. The first tournament was held in 1989, and the event has been sanctioned by the ITF since 1997. The tournament is held over one week at the start of the tennis season (late December or early January) in Australia. Each year, eight nations are selected to compete, with one female and one male invited to attend. Two pools of four teams each play matches in
2961-459: The leagues and tournaments to help provide more compatible matches. At the end of each calendar year, the USTA calculates and publishes everyone's year-end rating online ( http://tennislink.usta.com ). Ratings are calculated using a computer algorithm that adjusts ratings based on how actual outcomes compare to expected outcomes for each match. Expected outcomes are determined based on the difference between
3024-500: The mid-level WTA 125 tournaments and the top-level WTA Tour . Starting in 1977, the ITF has organized a series of international tennis tournaments for junior players. Tournaments have various grades: Grade A (the highest; junior Grand Slams and some others), Grade 1, Grade 2, Grade 3, Grade 4, and Grade 5 (the lowest). Depending on the grade of tournament, players earn points toward the ITF Junior World Rankings. In 2004,
3087-598: The national associations and approved by the ITF. Although circuits were introduced to men's tennis in 1976, the ITF assumed responsibility for developing them in 1990. From then until 2006, four-week satellite tournaments were run, where participants were required to compete in the entire series. In 1998, single-week ITF Futures tournaments were introduced, although they are scheduled in two or three-week geographic clusters. As of 2016, over 600 ITF Futures tournaments in 77 countries were held, with prize funds ranging from US$ 10,000 to US$ 25,000. ITF Futures tournaments represent
3150-582: The perceived importance of the individual countries, with Great Britain's Lawn Tennis Association (LTA) receiving the maximum six votes. The LTA was given the perpetual right to organize the World Grass Championships , which led to a refusal by the United States Lawn Tennis Association (USLTA) to join the ILTF as they were of the opinion that this title should be given to the Davis Cup . France received permission to stage
3213-546: The ratings in hundredths of the players on the court. How many matches you've won and if it was a singles or doubles match is not a part of the calculation. New players or anyone with an expired NTRP rating go through the self-rate process to determine their entry point. Specific answers to a series of questions allow the computer to provide a suggested rating for players to start. The USTA hosts adult tournaments in most cities with populations over 150,000 people. Leagues for adults with ratings ranging from 2.5 to 5.0 are organized in
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#17328951921793276-552: The responsibility of enforcing a code of conduct and reporting any violations. The ITF operates the two major annual international team competitions in the sport, the Davis Cup for men and the Billie Jean King Cup for women. It also sanctions the Hopman Cup , an annual mixed-gender team tournament. The ITF also organizes tennis and wheelchair tennis events every four years at the Summer Olympic and Paralympic Games on behalf of
3339-460: The round (e.g. final versus first round), and the ranking of the opponent being played. For the men's ranking only, additional bonus points are awarded for winning on an opponent's home ground. Points earned in the last 12 months are weighted at 100%, but points earned two years (75%), three years (50%), and four years (25%) ago are weighted less. The International Tennis Number (ITN) is an international tennis rating system that gives tennis players
3402-584: The selection of World Champions generally agree with the year-end ATP and WTA rankings, this is not always the case. For example, Jennifer Capriati was designated as the World Champion in 2001, after winning the Australian Open and French Open and finishing the year ranked number two. Lindsay Davenport , on the other hand, finished the year ranked number one, but her best performances at majors were two semifinal appearances. The Philippe Chatrier Award
3465-542: The sport and as a WADA signatory. It also administered the Tennis Anti-Corruption Program (TACP) until 2020 via its operationally independent integrity division called the Tennis Integrity Unit (TIU). In 2021, the TIU was transferred out of the ITF into the new International Tennis Integrity Agency (ITIA) following a comprehensive review of corruption in the sport. From 2022, it is intended that
3528-484: The sport of tennis. Its governance includes the following responsibilities: make, amend, and enforce the Rules of Tennis; regulate international team competitions; promote the game of tennis; and preserve the integrity of tennis. By its own constitution, the ITF guarantees that the official Rules of Tennis "shall be for ever in the English language". A committee within the ITF periodically makes rule amendment recommendations to
3591-455: The third tier of men's tournaments, below the mid-level ATP Challenger Tour and the top-level ATP World Tour . The ITF assumed responsibility for an apprentice-level women's circuit in 1984. As of 2016, the ITF Women's Circuit includes over 500 tournaments in 65 countries, with prize funds ranging from US$ 10,000 to US$ 100,000. The ITF Women's Circuit is the third tier in women's tennis, below
3654-550: The tournament has ended with the Davis Cup Finals, an 18-team event (being reduced to 16 effective in 2022) held at a single site in which teams are divided into groups for round-robin pool play. Eight teams advance to the quarterfinals, with all subsequent ties held in a standard knockout format. From 1981 to 2018, the tournament was divided into a 16-nation World Group, and zone groups (Americas; Europe/Africa; and Asia/Oceania) which compete in three or four tiers. Starting in 2019,
3717-450: Was attended by 12 national associations. Three other countries could not attend but had requested to become a member. The 15 founding countries were: Australasia (Australia and New Zealand), Austria, Belgium, Denmark, France, Germany, Great Britain, Hungary, Italy, Netherlands, Russia, South Africa, Spain, Sweden, and Switzerland. Canada, Norway, and the United States were also invited but declined to join. Voting rights were divided based on
3780-497: Was by of an invitation to compete on the circuit. The scheduling of the circuit usually taking place in the winter, with events being played from December to January. In 1973 local black tennis players were allowed to compete for the first time. In 1980 circuit was discontinued due to the South African Sugar Association not renewing its sponsorship. ILTF Circuit The International Tennis Federation ( ITF )
3843-565: Was created to standardize rules and regulations and to promote and develop the growth of tennis in the United States . The USTA runs the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center which hosts the US Open every year. The USTA has leagues in most places for adults skill levels between beginner and pro. The USTA also hosts tournaments across the country every weekend for club players or professionals. The USTA
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#17328951921793906-517: Was previously known as the United States National Lawn Tennis Association (USNLTA) and was established in 1881 by a small group of tennis club members in New York City and northeastern clubs, where most lawn tennis was played. In 1920 the word 'National' was dropped from the organization's name, making the abbreviation USLTA . In 1975, the word "Lawn" was officially dropped from the name. The USTA has 17 geographical sections with more than 700,000 individual members, 7,000 organizational members, and
3969-823: Was the ITF official annual from 1981 through 2001. In addition, it publishes an official magazine three times a year. As of 2017, there are 211 national associations affiliated with the ITF, of which 148 are voting members and 63 are associate members. The criteria for allocating votes (1, 3, 5, 7, 9, or 12) to each voting member are: performance in ITF team competitions; professional (ATP/WTA), junior, and wheelchair rankings of individuals; track record in organizing international tournaments; and contribution to ITF infrastructure. For example, France garners 12 votes, Canada has 9, Egypt has 5, Pakistan has 3, and Botswana has 1 vote. Regional associations were created in July 1975 as six "supra-national associations" (Europe, Asia, Africa, North America, South America, and Australia) with
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