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 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.

History The USTA 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.

In 1929, the organization rejected applications from two African American contestants for entry into the national junior indoor tennis championships. When this drew objection from the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, the group's executive secretary Edward B. Moss responded that "we believe that as a practical matter the present method of separate associations for the administration of the affairs and championships of colored and white players should be continued". This separation was maintained by requiring USLTA players to be members of local organizations, many of which had no Black players. In 1950, when the group, facing continued protest, reconsidered and created an exception allowing Althea Gibson to play in that year's national tournament.

Organization The USTA has 17 geographical sections with more than 700,000 individual members, 7,000 organizational members, and professional staff. The USTA National Office is located in Purchase, NY. The USTA National Campus located in Orlando, FL.

Geographical sections

USTA Caribbean USTA Eastern USTA Florida USTA Hawaii Pacific USTA Intermountain USTA Mid-Atlantic USTA Middle States USTA Midwest USTA Missouri Valley USTA New England USTA Northern USTA Northern California USTA Pacific Northwest USTA Southern USTA Southern California USTA Southwest USTA Texas

NTRP Ratings

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 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. 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 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.

Programs 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 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 the 18-40 league.

In addition, the USTA Foundation supports the National Junior Tennis and Learning (NJTL) program, comprising more than 250 nonprofit youth development organizations that offer free or low-cost tennis and education programming to over 150,000 under-resourced youth each year.

Tournaments 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.

Dallas - 500 (2025) Delray - 250 Indian Wells Masters Miami Masters Houston - 250 Clay Newport - 250 Grass Atlanta - 250 Washington - 500 Cincinnati Masters Winston-Salem - 250 US Open

New Haven Open at Yale (until 2019) Boys' Junior National Tennis Championship – under-16 and under-18 USTA Pro Circuit – men's and women's tournaments USTA Tennis on Campus

Presidents

Name Presidency Robert Shaw Oliver 1881–1882 James Dwight 1882–1884 Thomas K. Fraser 1885–1886 Richard Sears 1887–1888 Joseph Clark 1889–1891 Henry Slocum 1892–1893 James Dwight 1894–1911 Robert Wrenn 1912–1915 George Adee 1916–1919 Julian Myrick 1920–1922 Dwight F. Davis 1923 George W. Wightman 1924 Jones W. Mersereau 1925–1927 Samuel H. Collom 1928–1929 Louis Dailey 1930 Louis J. Carruthers 1931–1932 Henry S. Know 1933 Walter Merrill Hall 1934–1936 Holcombe Ward 1937–1947 Lawrence Baker 1948–1950 Russell B. Kingman 1951–1952 James H. Bishop 1953–1955 Renville H. McMann 1956–1957 Victor Denny 1958–1959 George Barnes 1960–1961 Edward A. Turville 1962–1963 James B. Dickey 1964 Martin Tressel 1965–1966 Robert J. Kelleher 1967–1968 Alastair Martin 1969–1970 Robert B. Colwell 1971–1972 Walter E. Elcock 1973–1974 Stan Malless 1975–1976 William E. Hester 1977–1978 Joseph E. Carrico 1979–1980 Marvin P. Richmond 1981–1982 Hunter L. Delatour, Jr. 1983–1984 J. Randolph Gregson 1985–1986 Gordon D. Jorgensen 1987–1988 David R. Markin 1989–1990 Robert A. Cookson 1991–1992 J. Howard Frazer 1993–1994 Lester M. Snyder, Jr. 1995–1996 Harry Marmion 1997–1998 Judy Levering * 1999–2000 Mervin Heller, Jr. 2001–2002 Alan Schwartz 2003–2004 Franklin Johnson 2005–2006 Jane Brown Grimes 2007–2008 Lucy S. Garvin 2009–2010 Jon Vegosen 2011–2012David Haggerty 2013–2014Katrina Adams ** 2015–2018Patrick Galbraith 2019–2020Michael McNulty 2021–present *First female to be elected USTA president.**First African-American and first former professional tennis player to be elected USTA president.

Awards

Samuel Hardy Award - The International Tennis Hall of Fame annually presents the Samuel Hardy Award to a USTA volunteer in recognition of long and outstanding service to the sport of tennis. The recipient must exemplify those qualities of personal unselfishness and devotion to the game which have been an inspiration to others. The award is presented at the USTA annual meeting. The honorees are selected by a committee appointed by the chairman of the International Tennis Hall of Fame. Tennis Educational Merit Awards for Men and Women - The International Tennis Hall of Fame annually presents the Tennis Educational Merit Awards for Men and Women to individuals who are citizens or residents of the United States. The awards are presented to a man and woman who have made notable contributions in the tennis educational field at the national level and have demonstrated leadership and creative skills in such areas as instruction, writing, organization and promotion of the game of tennis. The awards are presented at the USTA annual meeting. The selection of recipients is made by a committee appointed by the chairman of the International Tennis Hall of Fame. The award was initially created to honor and recognize services to the development of the game by Harry A. (Cap) Leighton, to whom the first honor was awarded posthumously in 1967. ITF Awards for Services to the Game (American Recipients) - This award is presented to persons who have rendered long and distinguished services to the game of tennis through their national tennis associations. Persons may be nominated by their national association or by ITF's board of directors. USTA Volunteer Service Award - The USTA Volunteer Service Award recognizes USTA volunteers for their years of national service to the association. Recognition awards are presented at the annual meeting to those volunteers achieving five years of service and for each five years of service thereafter. The association is proud to demonstrate its esteem and appreciation to an outstanding group of volunteers. Ralph W. Westcott USTA Family of the Year Award - This award was initiated in 1965 by Martin L. Tressel, President of the USTA, 1965–66, to emphasize the theme that "Tennis Is a Family Game." The honor is awarded annually to the family who in recent years has done the most to promote amateur tennis, primarily on a volunteer basis. All members of the family should participate in some way, either as players or by offering their services in running programs or tournaments or in junior development activities. The selection of recipients is made by the USTA Awards Committee from nominations submitted by the 17 USTA sections. Ralph W. Westcott donated a large silver tray as the perpetual award. This trophy was given to him upon retiring as president of the Western Tennis Association and secretary of the USTA. The names of the recipients are engraved on this tray. The trophy is presented at the USTA annual meeting. Service Bowl Award - "To the Player Who Yearly Makes the Most Notable Contribution to the Sportsmanship, Fellowship, and Service of Tennis"—this inscription is engraved on the Service Bowl trophy donated by Mrs. Lyman H.B. Olmsted and a group of 30 New England women in 1940 to honor the example of Mrs. Hazel H. Wightman. The Service Bowl Award is an annual award that was limited to New England women tennis players for the first four years. Since 1944, it has been awarded on a nationwide basis, usually by the USTA president at a stadium court ceremony or an executive committee meeting during the US Open. President's Award - Established in 1999, the President's Award annually honors an individual who has given unusual and extraordinary service to tennis and generally will be a person not considered for other USTA awards. Eve Kraft USTA Community Service Award - The USTA Community Service Award was established in 1974 to honor persons for outstanding field work in recreational tennis. It was renamed the Eve Kraft USTA Community Service Award in 2001. The award is given for significant contributions by individuals actively involved in tennis development through community tennis associations, parks and recreation departments, schools or community centers. USTA Adaptive Tennis Community Service Award - The USTA Tennis Special Populations Community Service Award was established in 2003 to recognize either an individual or a program that has demonstrated excellence, dedication and service related to tennis for special populations or those with disabilities. It was renamed the USTA Adaptive Tennis Community Service Award in 2006. For a program to qualify, it must have been in existence for a minimum of three consecutive years and be either a registered USTA Tennis Special Populations program or affiliated with one. Individuals must have worked with such a program for three consecutive years to qualify.