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Organisations

Tennis: organisations

Who sets the rules for tennis, internationally and nationally.

Importance 5 out of 5Importance rating
RacketWiki EditorsVerified 25 October 202629 sources

Organisations

World governing body

World Tennis (formerly the International Tennis Federation)
The world governing body for tennis, wheelchair tennis and beach tennis, now presenting itself as World Tennis (formerly the International Tennis Federation, ITF). It writes the Rules of Tennis and runs the Davis Cup, Billie Jean King Cup and the ITF tours.

Professional tours

ATP
The organisation behind the men's professional tennis tour.
Women's Tennis Association (WTA)
The principal organising body of women's professional tennis, founded in 1973. It runs the WTA Tour and the women's world rankings from its corporate headquarters in St. Petersburg, Florida.

Africa

Confederation of African Tennis (CAT)
The regional association for tennis in Africa.

Americas

Confederación de Tenis de Centroamérica y el Caribe (COTECC)
The regional association for tennis in Central America and the Caribbean, including Mexico. It promotes the sport and coordinates development and education programmes for its member national associations.
Confederación Sudamericana de Tenis (COSAT)
The regional governing body for tennis in South America, founded in 1947 and affiliated to World Tennis (the ITF). Its members are the national federations of Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, Paraguay, Peru, Uruguay and Venezuela.
United States Tennis Association (formerly the U.S. National Lawn Tennis Association)
The national governing body for tennis in the United States. It traces its roots to 1881, owns and runs the US Open, and manages American participation in the Davis Cup and Billie Jean King Cup.
Confederação Brasileira de Tênis (CBT)
Brazil's national tennis body, responsible for organising events and representing players in tennis and wheelchair tennis.
Tennis Canada
Canada's national sport association for tennis, founded in 1890. It owns and runs the National Bank Open (the ATP and WTA events in Montreal and Toronto) and is a member of World Tennis (the ITF).

Asia

Asian Tennis Federation (ATF)
The regional association for tennis in Asia, affiliated to World Tennis (the ITF). It promotes the sport across Asian countries and territories and runs the ATF Junior Tour.
All India Tennis Association (formerly the All India Lawn Tennis Association)
India's national tennis federation, formed in Lahore in 1920 as the All India Lawn Tennis Association. Since 1996 it has been based at the R.K. Khanna Tennis Stadium in New Delhi.
Japan Tennis Association (formerly the Nihon Teikyū Kyōkai (日本庭球協会))
Japan's national tennis federation, based in Tokyo. It grew out of a tennis association formed in 1922 and became a public-interest foundation in 2012.

Europe

Tennis Europe
Europe's regional tennis association, linking the continent's national federations.
Fédération française de tennis (formerly the Fédération française de lawn tennis)
France's national tennis federation, which also governs padel, beach tennis, pickleball, para tennis and courte paume (real tennis) and runs Roland-Garros. It began in 1888 as a lawn tennis commission and took its current name in 1976.
Lawn Tennis Association (LTA)
The national governing body for tennis in Great Britain, the Channel Islands and the Isle of Man, founded in 1888. Since November 2020 it has also been the recognised governing body for padel.
Deutscher Tennis Bund (formerly the Deutscher Lawn Tennis Bund)
Germany's national tennis federation, based at the Rothenbaum stadium in Hamburg. Working with 17 regional member associations, it describes itself as the largest tennis federation in the world, with about 1.4 million members in nearly 9,000 clubs.
Federazione Italiana Tennis e Padel (formerly the Federazione Italiana Tennis)
Italy's national federation for tennis, padel and beach tennis (with pickleball as an experimental discipline), based in Rome. Founded in Florence in 1910, it was the Federazione Italiana Tennis (FIT) until it added padel to its name from 1 January 2023.
Koninklijke Nederlandse Lawn Tennis Bond (formerly the Nederlandsche Lawn Tennis Bond)
The Netherlands' national tennis federation, which also governs padel, pickleball and beach tennis. Founded in Amsterdam in 1899, it has represented padel since 2016 and took over all padel activity when the Nederlandse Padelbond merged into it on 1 July 2020.
Real Federación Española de Tenis (formerly the Asociación General de Lawn Tennis)
Spain's national tennis federation, based in Barcelona. It was founded in San Sebastián in 1909 and took its current royal name in 1957.
Tennis Ireland
Ireland's national tennis federation.

Oceania

Oceania Tennis Federation (OTF)
The regional association for tennis in the Pacific Oceania region, formed in 1993 as a regional association of World Tennis (the ITF). Its members range from Australia and New Zealand to Pacific island nations such as Fiji, Samoa and Tonga.
Tennis Australia
Australia's national tennis federation.

Coaching and qualification bodies

Professional Tennis Registry (PTR)
An international organisation that educates and certifies tennis coaches through a four-level pathway, founded in 1976. Pickleball and padel certification are run by its sister registries, PPR and PCR.
Racquet Sports Professionals Association (formerly the United States Professional Tennis Association)
A US-based membership and certification organisation for racket sports teaching professionals, founded in 1927 as the United States Professional Tennis Association (USPTA) and renamed in 2024. It certifies coaches in tennis, pickleball, padel, squash and platform tennis.
Global Professional Tennis Coach Association (GPTCA)
An international association, founded in 2010 by tour-level coaches, that educates and trains tennis coaches who want to work on the professional tours, and runs ATP-certified courses.

Sources

  1. World Tennis (ITF) website, World Tennis (formerly the International Tennis Federation)itftennis.comOfficial rulebook or governing body (tier 1 of 5)
  2. About GPTCA, Global Professional Tennis Coach Associationgptcatennis.orgNational body or tour (tier 2 of 5)
  3. About Tennis Canada, Tennis Canadatenniscanada.comNational body or tour (tier 2 of 5)
  4. AITA: History, All India Tennis Associationaitatennis.comNational body or tour (tier 2 of 5)
  5. ATF: About ATF, Asian Tennis Federationasiantennis.comNational body or tour (tier 2 of 5)
  6. COSAT: Nosotros, Confederación Sudamericana de Teniscosat.orgNational body or tour (tier 2 of 5)
  7. DTB: Geschichte, Deutscher Tennis Bundtennis.deNational body or tour (tier 2 of 5)
  8. DTB: Über uns, Deutscher Tennis Bundtennis.deNational body or tour (tier 2 of 5)
  9. Estatutos de la Confederación Sudamericana de Tenis (2025), Confederación Sudamericana de Teniscosat.orgNational body or tour (tier 2 of 5)
  10. FFT: Mentions légales et CGU, Fédération française de tennisfft.frNational body or tour (tier 2 of 5)
  11. FFT: Qui sommes-nous ?, Fédération française de tennisfft.frNational body or tour (tier 2 of 5)
  12. JTA: 日本テニス協会の歴史 (History of the JTA), Japan Tennis Associationjta-tennis.or.jpNational body or tour (tier 2 of 5)
  13. JTA: 本協会について (About the JTA), Japan Tennis Associationjta-tennis.or.jpNational body or tour (tier 2 of 5)
  14. KNLTB: Contact, Koninklijke Nederlandse Lawn Tennis Bondknltb.nlNational body or tour (tier 2 of 5)
  15. KNLTB: Historie, Koninklijke Nederlandse Lawn Tennis Bondknltb.nlNational body or tour (tier 2 of 5)
  16. La FIT cambia nome: è nata la Federazione Italiana Tennis e Padel, Federazione Italiana Tennis e Padelfitp.itNational body or tour (tier 2 of 5)
  17. LTA Website Terms & Conditions, Lawn Tennis Associationlta.org.ukNational body or tour (tier 2 of 5)
  18. LTA: History of tennis, Lawn Tennis Associationlta.org.ukNational body or tour (tier 2 of 5)
  19. Oceania Tennis Federation website, Oceania Tennis Federationoceaniatennis.comNational body or tour (tier 2 of 5)
  20. OTF: About, Oceania Tennis Federationoceaniatennis.comNational body or tour (tier 2 of 5)
  21. PTR: Professional Tennis Registry website, Professional Tennis Registryptrtennis.orgNational body or tour (tier 2 of 5)
  22. Racquet Sports Professionals Association: home page, Racquet Sports Professionals Associationrspa.netNational body or tour (tier 2 of 5)
  23. RFET: Aviso legal, Real Federación Española de Tenisrfet.esNational body or tour (tier 2 of 5)
  24. RFET: Historia, Real Federación Española de Tenisrfet.esNational body or tour (tier 2 of 5)
  25. RSPA: History & Legacy, Racquet Sports Professionals Associationrspa.netNational body or tour (tier 2 of 5)
  26. Statuto della Federazione Italiana Tennis e Padel, Federazione Italiana Tennis e Padelfitp.itNational body or tour (tier 2 of 5)
  27. USTA History, United States Tennis Associationusta.comNational body or tour (tier 2 of 5)
  28. WTA: About the WTA, Women's Tennis Associationwtatennis.comNational body or tour (tier 2 of 5)
  29. WTA: Contact us, Women's Tennis Associationwtatennis.comNational body or tour (tier 2 of 5)