The History of the ITF



The International Tennis Fed. was originally established by 12 national associations after meeting in France in 1913. By 1924, the Federation became the first organization to be the officially recognized authority for lawn tennis as its "ILTF Rules of Tennis" were the ones followed throughout the world. By 1977, the federation removed the word "lawn" from its name since most tennis was not actually played on grass fields.

The International Tennis Federation was originally based in Paris, but was moved to London during World War II due to funding issues. The Federation remained in London until 1987, at which time it was moved to Wimbledon. It was later moved to Barons Court and then finally to the Bank of England Sports Ground in Roehampton in 1998.

The International Tennis Federation is responsible for a wide range of national and international tennis competition. The men's Davis Cup, the women's Fed Cup and the mixed team's Hopman Cup are all operated by the Federation. In addition, the Federation organizes the four Grand Slam competitions, which consist of the French Open, the Australian Open, the US Open and Wimbledon.

The majority of other high-level tennis tournaments are controlled by the ATP Tour and the WTA Tour, but the International Tennis Federation organizes the majority of the lower tier tournaments throughout the world. The one week "Future" tournament of the ITF Men's Circuit is one example of the lower tier tournaments organized through the International Tennis Federation. Nearly every male tennis player within the ITF Men's Circuit starts off by playing in the Future tournament. The International Tennis Federation also organizes the under-18 boys and girls junior circuit, which is played at the international level.

The International Tennis Federation's Publications

The ITF used to put out a publication entitled "World of Tennis," but that was replaced by "The ITF Year" in 2001. The publication, which is edited Mitzi Ingram Evans, is the official yearbook of the Federation and describes the activities that took place during the preceding year. The yearbook is published each year in January, generally coinciding with the timing of the Australian Open.