91-595: The World Covered Court Championships were part of a series of three major world championships sanctioned from 1913 to 1923 by the International Lawn Tennis Federation (ILTF). The tournament was played indoors on wood floors, and its venue changed from year to year among several countries. While the World Grass Court Championships ( Wimbledon ) and World Hard Court Championships (WHCC) could justify their "world championship" titles,
182-627: 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
273-494: A bye in the first round of the INZ challenger rounds. In 1966 , the "Europe Zone" was split into two zones, "Europe Zone A" and "Europe Zone B", so the winners of the four zones competed in the INZ challenger rounds. From 1950 to 1967 , Australia dominated the competition, winning the Cup 15 times in 18 years. Beginning in 1972 , the format was changed to a knockout competition , so that
364-532: A combined team from Australia and New Zealand that competed together until 1914 . The competition was initially titled the International Lawn Tennis Challenge although it soon became known as the Davis Cup , after Dwight Davis' trophy. The Davis Cup competition was initially played as a challenge cup. All teams competed against one another for the right to face the previous year's champion in
455-638: 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
546-437: A nation has a winning 3–1 lead after the first reverse single match and that match has gone to four sets or more, then the remaining reverse single match which is a dead rubber is not played. All five rubbers are played if one nation has a winning 3–0 lead after the doubles match. Ties are played at a venue chosen by one of the competing countries. The right of choice is given on an alternating basis. Therefore, countries play in
637-514: 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
728-467: A properly sanctioned match, but failed to do so. He nevertheless tried to entice top international (particularly British) talent to the U.S. and sanctioned semi-official tours of the top American players to Great Britain. Diplomatic relations between Great Britain and the United States on the tennis front had strengthened such that, by the mid-1890s, reciprocal tours were staged annually between players of
819-411: 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
910-524: 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,
1001-519: 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
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#17328477619891092-520: 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
1183-463: Is 24. However, the distribution among the three zones may vary each year, according to the number of nations promoted or relegated between Group One and the World Group. The number of nations in the World Group and Group One together is 22 from Euro/Africa Zone, 9 from Americas Zone and 9 from Asia/Oceania Zone. As in other cup competitions tie is used in the Davis Cup to mean an elimination round. In
1274-629: 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
1365-479: 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
1456-565: 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
1547-625: 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
1638-459: Is played as the best of five matches (4 singles, 1 doubles). The ITF determines the host countries for all possible matchups before each year's tournament. The World Group is the top group and includes the world's best 18 national teams. Teams in the World Group play a four-round elimination event. Teams are seeded based on a ranking system released by the ITF, taking into account previous years' results. The defending champion and runner-up are always
1729-414: The 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine . The 18 best national teams are assigned to the World Group and compete annually for the Davis Cup. Nations which are not in the World Group compete in one of three regional zones (Americas, Asia/Oceania, and Europe/Africa). The competition is spread over four weekends during the year. Each elimination round between competing nations is held in one of the countries, and
1820-452: 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
1911-772: 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
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#17328477619892002-863: 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
2093-457: 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,
2184-459: The Open Era (pre-1968) were not allowed to compete in the Davis Cup despite the fact that the Grand Slam tournaments and most tennis tournaments became Open Era events in 1968. From 1968 national registered professionals were allowed to compete under the control of their national tennis associations. In 1973 Australian players like Rod Laver and Ken Rosewall were allowed to play in the Davis Cup for
2275-543: 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,
2366-601: 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
2457-640: The "British Isles"), was held at the Longwood Cricket Club in Boston, Massachusetts in 1900 . The American team, of which Dwight Davis was captain, surprised the British by winning the first three matches. The following year the two countries did not compete, but the US won the match in 1902 and Britain won the following four matches. By 1905 the event expanded to include Belgium , Austria , France , and Australasia ,
2548-507: 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,
2639-507: 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
2730-669: 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
2821-480: 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),
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2912-434: 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
3003-552: The Davis Cup is the Billie Jean King Cup , formerly known as the Federation Cup (1963–1995) and Fed Cup (1995–2020). Australia, Italy, Russia, the Czech Republic and the United States are the only countries to have won both Davis Cup and Federation/Fed/Billie Jean King Cup titles in the same year. The Davis Cup allowed only amateurs and national registered professional players (from 1968) to compete until 1973 , five years after
3094-418: The Davis Cup, the word rubber means an individual match. In the annual World Group competition, 16 nations compete in eight first-round ties; the eight winners compete in four quarterfinal ties; the four winners compete in two semifinal ties; and the two winners compete in the final tie. Each tie consists of five rubbers, which are played in three days (usually on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday). The winner of
3185-513: 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
3276-416: 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
3367-556: 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
3458-404: 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,
3549-502: The ITF voted to change the format of the competition from 2019 onwards, changing it to an 18-team event to happen at the end of the season, with 71% of ITF member federations voting in favour of the change. The new format, backed by footballer Gerard Piqué and Japanese businessman Hiroshi Mikitani , was likened to a world cup of tennis and was designed to be more attractive to sponsors and broadcasters. Opposing federations included those from Australia, Germany, and Great Britain. Support for
3640-589: The ITF's membership. The ITF's governance responsibilities include maintaining and enforcing the rules of tennis, regulating international team competitions, promoting 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
3731-667: 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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3822-548: 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
3913-598: 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
4004-586: 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
4095-518: The U.S. the following summer, which would represent the first British lawn tennis "team" to compete in the U.S. Coincidentally, some weeks before Larned left for his British tour, the idea for an international competition was discussed also between leading figures in American lawn tennis—one of whom was tennis journalist E.P. Fischer—at a tournament in Niagara-on-the-Lake , Ontario. Dwight F. Davis
4186-574: 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
4277-616: The WCCC had trouble attracting top players from outside Europe. At an Annual General Meeting (AGM) held on 16 March 1923 in Paris, France the ILTF issued the ‘Rules of Tennis’ that were adopted with public effect on 1 January 1924. The United States became an affiliated member of the ILTF. The World Championship title was also dropped at this meeting and a new category of Official Championship was created for events in Great Britain, France, USA and Australia – today’s Grand Slam events. The WCCC tournament
4368-637: 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
4459-480: 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
4550-639: The best British players against six of the best Americans, in a mixture of singles and doubles matches. This was discussed openly in two articles in the Chicago Tribune , but did not come to fruition. Nevertheless, the following summer, Great Britain—though not under the official auspices of the Lawn Tennis Association —sent three of its best players to compete in several US tournaments. Their relative poor performances convinced Dwight and other leading officials and figures in American lawn tennis that
4641-684: 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
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#17328477619894732-626: 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)
4823-439: The country where the last tie between the teams was not held. In case the two countries have not met since 1970, lots are drawn to determine the host country. Venues in the World Group must comply with certain minimum standards, including a minimum seating capacity as follows: Prior to each tie, the captain (non-playing coach appointed by the national association) nominates a squad of four players and decides who will compete in
4914-433: The cup after India refused to travel to South Africa in protest of South Africa's apartheid policies. The following year saw the first actual final between two "outsider" nations, when Sweden beat Czechoslovakia 3–2, and since then, many other countries have gone on to capture the trophy. All contract professionals were not allowed to play in the Davis Cup until 1973. The tennis stars who turned professional prior to
5005-408: The defending champion was required to compete in all rounds, and the Davis Cup was awarded to the champion. Up until 1973 , the Davis Cup had only ever been won by the United States, Great Britain/British Isles, France and Australia/Australasia. Their domination was eventually broken in 1974 when South Africa and India made the final; however, the final was scratched and South Africa was awarded
5096-426: The doubles rubber: the two singles players, two other players (usually doubles specialists) or a combination. Each rubber is normally played as best of five sets . Since 2016 , all sets use a tiebreak at 6–6 if necessary (formerly, the fifth set usually had no tiebreaker, so play continued until one side won by two games e.g. 10–8). However, if a team has clinched the tie before all five rubbers have been completed,
5187-478: 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
5278-466: The final round. Beginning in 1923 , the world's teams were split into two zones: the "America Zone" and the "Europe Zone". The winners of the two zones met in the Inter-Zonal Zone ("INZ") to decide which national team would challenge the defending champion for the cup. In 1955 a third zone, the "Eastern Zone", was added. Because there were three zones, the winner of one of the three zones received
5369-442: The first day's singles rubbers. However, in certain circumstances, the team captain may replace one or two of the players who played the singles on Friday by other players who were nominated for the tie. For example, if the tie has already been decided in favour of one of the teams, it is common for younger or lower-ranked team members to play the remaining dead rubbers in order for them to gain Davis Cup experience. Since 2011, if
5460-461: The first time since 1962 (for Laver) and since 1956 (for Rosewall). In 1981 , a tiered system of competition was created, in which the 16 best national teams compete in the World Group and all other national teams compete in one of four groups in one of three regional zones. In 1989 , the tiebreak was introduced into Davis Cup competition, and from 2016 it is used in all five sets. In 2018,
5551-635: The groups and the two best second places advancing to quarterfinals. The series between the teams in this stage will feature two singles matches and one doubles match, instead of the best-of-5 series, with the matches changing from best of 5 sets to best of 3. As the World Group will now take place as one single competition, this event has been named as the Davis Cup Finals. The lower zone groups I and II will be composed of single ties deciding promotion or relegation. Note: The total number of nations in Group One
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#17328477619895642-482: The idea, which was tentatively agreed, and he ordered an appropriate sterling silver punchbowl trophy from Shreve, Crump & Low , purchasing it from his own funds for about US$ 1,000. They in turn commissioned a classically styled design from William B. Durgin 's of Concord, New Hampshire , crafted by the Englishman Rowland Rhodes. Beyond donating a trophy for the competition, Davis's involvement in
5733-402: The incipient development of the team competition that came to bear his name was negligible, yet a persistent myth has emerged that Davis devised both the idea for an international tennis competition and its format of mixing singles and doubles matches. Research has shown this to be a myth, similar in its exaggeration of a single individual's efforts within a highly complex long-term development to
5824-484: The inconvenience of rescheduling. Sources Davis Cup The Davis Cup is the premier international team event in men's tennis . It is organised by the International Tennis Federation (ITF) and contested annually between teams from over 150 competing countries, making it the world's largest annual team sporting competition. It is described by the organisers as the "World Cup of Tennis" and
5915-520: 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
6006-510: The losing teams facing relegation to the next-lower group. The teams in Groups III and those in Group IV play a round-robin event with promotion and relegation. For the 2019 edition , the format of the cup is changed. The main modification is the World Group taking place at one location and in one week, with eighteen teams divided in six round-robin groups of three teams each, with the winners of
6097-500: 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,
6188-426: The myths of William Webb Ellis and Abner Doubleday , who have both been wrongly credited with inventing rugby and baseball, respectively. Davis nevertheless went on to become a prominent politician in the United States in the 1920s, serving as US Secretary of War from 1925 to 1929 and as Governor-General of the Philippines from 1929 to 1932. The first match, between the United States and Britain (competing as
6279-598: 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
6370-436: 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
6461-514: The reform was also mixed among current and former players, with some such as Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal being in favour of the new format, but others such as Rod Laver , Lucas Pouille and Roger Federer being opposed. On 12 January 2023, the ITF announced that the partnership with the new promoter ends and that ITF is taking back the control of the event. Davis Cup games have been affected by political protests several times, especially in Sweden: Russia and Belarus were suspended after
6552-552: 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
6643-460: 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
6734-584: 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
6825-542: 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
6916-484: 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
7007-537: The standard Davis Cup format, mixing single and doubles matches, and in 1895 England played against France in a national team competition. During Larned's tour of the British Isles in 1896, where he competed in several tournaments including the Wimbledon Championships , he was also a spectator for the annual England vs. Ireland match. He returned to exclaim that Britain had agreed to send a group of three to
7098-414: The start of the Open Era . The idea for an event pitting the best British and Americans in competition against one another was probably first conceived by James Dwight , the first president of the U.S. National Lawn Tennis Association when it formed in 1881. Desperate to assess the development of American players against the renowned British champions, he worked tirelessly to engage British officials in
7189-529: The summer of 1899, that four members of the Harvard University tennis team—Dwight Davis included—travelled across the States to challenge the best west-coast talent, and upon his return, it apparently occurred to Davis that if teams representing regions could arouse such great feelings, then why wouldn't a tennis event that pitted national teams in competition be just as successful. He approached James Dwight with
7280-455: 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
7371-421: The tie is the nation which wins three or more of the five rubbers in the tie. On the first day, the first two rubbers are singles , which are generally played by each nation's two best available singles players. On the second day, the doubles rubber is played. On the third day, the final two rubbers are typically reverse singles , in which the first-day contestants usually play again, but they swap opponents from
7462-431: The tie. On the day before play starts, the order of play for the first day is drawn at random. In the past, teams could substitute final day singles players only in case of injury or illness, verified by a doctor, but current rules permit the captain to designate any player to play the last two singles rubbers, provided that no first day matchup is repeated. There is no restriction on which of the playing team members may play
7553-560: The time was right for a properly sanctioned international competition. This was to be staged in Newcastle in July 1898, but the event never took place as the Americans could not field a sufficiently strong team. A reciprocal tour to the U.S. in 1899 amounted to just a single British player travelling overseas, as many of the players were involved in overseas armed conflicts. It was at this juncture, in
7644-492: The top two seeds in the event. The losers of the first-round matches are sent to the World Group playoff round, where they play along with winners from Group I of the regional zones. The playoff round winners play in the World Group for the next year's competition, while the losers play in Group I of their respective regional zone. Each of the three regional zones is divided into four groups. Groups I and II play elimination rounds, with
7735-491: 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,
7826-415: The two nations, and an ensuing friendship between American William Larned and Irishman Harold Mahony spurred efforts to formalize an official team competition between the two nations. International competitions had been staged for some time before the first Davis Cup match in 1900. From 1892, England and Ireland had been competing in an annual national-team-based competition, similar to what would become
7917-562: The winners are referred to as the world champions. The competition began in 1900 as a challenge between Great Britain and the United States . By 2023 155 nations entered teams into the competition. The most successful country over the history of the competition is the United States (winning 32 titles and finishing as runners-up 29 times). The most recent champions are Italy , who beat Netherlands to win their third title (and second consecutive one) in 2024 . The women's equivalent of
8008-450: 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
8099-470: Was in attendance at this tournament, and was thought to have got wind of the idea as it was discussed in the tournament's popular magazine, and Davis's name was mentioned as someone who might 'do something for the game ... put up some big prize, or cup'. Larned and Fischer met on several occasions that summer and discussed the idea of an international match to be held in Chicago the following summer, pitting six of
8190-823: 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
8281-404: Was then disbanded by the ILTF. . International Lawn Tennis Federation The International Tennis Federation ( ITF ) 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
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