The Asian Tennis Federation (ATF) is a non-profit organization affiliated with the
International 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 a ...
. It is a continental body of national tennis associations of Asian countries. The ATF's main objectives are to raise the quality standard of Asian tennis and to popularize tennis sport among the peoples of Asia. There are currently 44 member associations who represents their respective nations. The ATF works closely with the International Tennis Federation (ITF) and supports its member associations through the implementation of a wide range of programs.
Board of directors
The board of directors is the elected group of members from national tennis bodies of Asian nations, the current list of members is:
-
Challenges
Asia
Asia (, ) is one of the world's most notable geographical regions, which is either considered a continent in its own right or a subcontinent of Eurasia, which shares the continental landmass of Afro-Eurasia with Africa. Asia covers an area ...
is by far the most populous continent but tennis still remains a sport under development. Besides a couple of Asian nations like
India
India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...
,
China
China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. It is the world's most populous country, with a population exceeding 1.4 billion, slightly ahead of India. China spans the equivalent of five time zones and ...
and
Japan
Japan ( ja, 日本, or , and formally , ''Nihonkoku'') is an island country in East Asia. It is situated in the northwest Pacific Ocean, and is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan, while extending from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north ...
who have produced some world class players, tennis does not have a very long and fruitful history. The only Asians to ever win a single tennis grand slam are
Li Na
Li Na (born 26 February 1982) is a Chinese former professional tennis player.
She achieved a career-high WTA ranking of world No. 2 on 17 February 2014. Over the course of her career, Li won nine WTA Tour singles titles including two Grand Sl ...
from China (
French Open 2011 and
Australian Open 2014
The 2014 Australian Open was a List of tennis tournaments, tennis tournament that took place at Melbourne Park between 13 and 26 January 2014. It was the 102nd edition of the Australian Open, and the first Grand Slam (tennis), Grand Slam tournamen ...
),
Naomi Osaka
is a Japanese professional tennis player. She has been ranked world No. 1 in singles by the Women's Tennis Association (WTA) and is the first Asian player to hold the top ranking in singles. Osaka is a four-time Grand Slam singles champio ...
from Japan (Australian Open 2019 and 2021, US Opens 2018 and 2021), and
Elena Rybakina
Elena Andreyevna Rybakina (born 17 June 1999) is a Kazakhstani professional tennis player. She is the reigning champion at Wimbledon and the first Kazakhstani player to win a title at a major. She is also the first to be ranked in the world's to ...
from Kazakhstan (
Wimbledon 2022). The only 2 nations that ever qualified for a Davis cup final are India(3) and Japan. No Asian nation has ever won the
Davis Cup
The Davis Cup is the premier international team event in men's tennis. It is run by the International Tennis Federation (ITF) and is contested annually between teams from competing countries in a knock-out format. It is described by the organis ...
(excluding the
Junior Davis Cups, 2 of which are won by Japan in 2011 and 2019).
Li Na grew up playing badminton and only switched over to tennis because a coach saw her potential for the sport. But the backward Chinese tennis coaching she received in her early days actually turned her against the game and she eventually quit for two years only to come back when China tennis authorities allowed her to take the reins and hire a coach to her liking without regards of the costs. "After Li Na had won the two
grandslam tournaments, everyone start to know tennis in China. Especially in a country like China interest in the tennis sport is very much at the lead level compared to other Asian countries. If you weren't a lead level player, maybe you are wasting your time, taking away from study or education. But we've really seen in the last couple of years that mindset changing, in China in particular", said Ben Slack,
Tennis Australia's head of international business.
The Women's Tennis Association announced in 2017 that it has signed a 10-year deal to move its finals tournament to
Shenzhen
Shenzhen (; ; ; ), also historically known as Sham Chun, is a major sub-provincial city and one of the special economic zones of China. The city is located on the east bank of the Pearl River estuary on the central coast of southern province ...
, a dynamic city in China south, starting from next year. The deal will also see the total prize money on offer double to a whopping US$14 million.
Tennis is expensive and most Asian countries are still a developing economy, which means the standard of living is comparatively less and people spend their money on necessities rather than tennis racquets. There are currently 289 futures and challengers in a year in Europe, while Asia in comparison only has 61 of these tournaments. Even South America, where there are only twelve nations and players from the other continents rarely go due to remoteness of the location, has 81 ATP recognized tournaments
The number of tournaments in Asia is increasing and with it the level of the sport. In the next 10 years, the Asian region, should produce some exciting players.
Sponsors of ATF
This is a list of official sponsors of ATF:
*
Wilson
*California Products – Official Supplier of Court Surfaces
*
Yonex
() is a Japanese sports equipment manufacturing company. Yonex produces equipment and apparel for tennis, badminton, golf, and running.
Its range of products manufactured and commercialised includes equipment for badminton and tennis (rackets, ...
– Official Racket of the Asian Tennis Federation
*
Rebound Ace
Rebound Ace is a cushioned tennis hardcourt composed of polyurethane rubber, fiberglass, and other materials on top of an asphalt or reinforced concrete base. It is manufactured and sold by California Products Corporation's Sports Surfaces divisi ...
*
All India Tennis Association
The All India Tennis Association (AITA) ( hi, अखिल भारतीय टेनिस संघ), is the governing body of tennis in India. It was established in 1920 and affiliated by International Tennis Federation and Asian Tennis Fed ...
*
Lawn Tennis Association of Thailand
The Lawn Tennis Association of Thailand (LTAT) ( th, ลอนเทนนิสสมาคมแห่งประเทศไทย) is the national governing body of tennis in Thailand, formed in 1926 it is one of the oldest organised sports go ...
*
Sri Lanka Tennis Association
Sri Lanka Tennis Association (SLTA) is a national governing body of tennis in Sri Lanka, which represents Sri Lanka on associations like the International Tennis Federation and the Asian Tennis Federation. Its main aim is to popularise tennis in al ...
*
Qatar Tennis Federation
Qatar Tennis Federation (QTF) ( ar, الاتحاد القطري للتنس) is the governing body for professional and amateur Tennis in Qatar. The mission of QTF is to provide young Qatari tennis players the best resources and opportunities avai ...
*
Uzbekistan Tennis Federation
Uzbekistan Tennis Federation (UTF) ( uz, O'zbekiston Tennis Federatsiyasi) is the governing body for professional and amateur tennis in Uzbekistan. It was originally accepted as associative member at the ITF in 1992. In 1993 UTF became the full me ...
References
External links
{{National Members of the International Tennis Federation
Tennis organizations
Sports governing bodies in Asia
Tennis in Asia