Topic summary
World Tennis

World Tennis, known as the International Tennis Federation (ITF) until June 2026, 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 2026, there are 214 national and six regional associations that make up the World Tennis membership.
World Tennis 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. World Tennis partners with the Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP) and the Women's Tennis Association (WTA) to govern professional tennis.
World Tennis 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 the Summer Olympic and Paralympic Games on behalf of the International Olympic Committee. World Tennis sanctions circuits that span age ranges (junior, professional men and women, and non-professional players aged 30 and above) as well as disciplines (wheelchair tennis; beach tennis). In addition to these circuits, World Tennis also maintains rankings for juniors, non-professional adults (Masters tour), wheelchair and beach tennis.