What is World Tennis?

What is World Tennis?

World Tennis is the new name for the International Tennis Federation (ITF). We are the global governing body for tennis.

What does World Tennis do (why does it exist)?

Everything we do is about ensuring tennis thrives today and for future generations. We invest millions of dollars in tennis development and we run six Tours providing competitive opportunities for players of all ages and abilities. We are responsible for the men’s and women’s World Cups of Tennis (the Davis Cup and the Billie Jean King Cup by Gainbridge) and for the tennis and wheelchair tennis events at the Olympic and Paralympic Games. We are responsible for upholding the rules of tennis and monitoring technological innovations in the sport.

What are World Tennis’s member nations?

We have 214 member nations, all of whom are national tennis associations. We work closely with our members on a daily basis and come together once a year at our Annual General Meeting.

Does World Tennis run the Grand Slam tournaments?

Four National Associations – Tennis Australia, the French Federation of Tennis, United States Tennis Association and, in the case of Wimbledon, a joint Committee of Management consisting of The All England Lawn Tennis & Croquet Club and Lawn Tennis Association – own and organise each Grand Slam tournament. World Tennis works closely with each Grand Slam tournament through its presence on the Grand Slam Board, and in providing governance, administrative, officiating and media support. World Tennis also operates the Grand Slam Player Development Programme (GSPDP) on behalf of the Grand Slam Board.

Does World Tennis run all the other professional tennis tournaments?

World Tennis runs nearly 2,000 professional tournaments on the World Tennis Tour, providing opportunities for men and women. The World Tennis Tour is main pathway to the ATP and WTA Tours. World Tennis also operates professional tournaments on the Uniqlo Wheelchair Tennis Tour and the Beach Tennis World Tour. What is the Davis Cup and who runs it? The Davis Cup is the men’s World Cup of Tennis and is owned and operated by World Tennis. It was founded in 1900 as a contest between USA and Great Britain and has since grown into the largest annual international team competition in sport. A record 160 nations have entered Davis Cup in 2026.

What is the Billie Jean King Cup and who runs it?

The Billie Jean King Cup by Gainbridge is the women’s World Cup of Tennis and is owned and operated by World Tennis in partnership with Billie Jean King Cup Limited. Founded in 1963 as the Federation Cup, it became Fed Cup in 1995 before being renamed in honour of Billie Jean King – the most successful individual in the competition’s history – in 2020. It is the largest annual international team competition in women’s sport. A record 148 nations have entered Billie Jean King Cup in 2026.

Who runs tennis at the Olympics and Paralympics?

World Tennis operates the tennis event at the Olympic Games in partnership with the local organising committee and the International Olympic Committee (IOC). World Tennis also operates the wheelchair tennis event at the Paralympic Games in partnership with the local organising committee and the International Paralympic Committee (IPC).

Will all ITF events from 25 June be branded World Tennis?

We have worked closely with our National Associations and stakeholders throughout the implementation process and we expect the majority of our events to adopt the new World Tennis branding from 25 June. Given their vast scale, the new World Tennis Tour and World Tennis Tour Juniors brand won’t be fully adopted until 1 January 2027 and the World Tennis number will also adopt the new brand later this year.

Why is World Tennis Tour not adopting the new brand straight away? 

Given the scale of the tour, we wanted to allow national associations and tournament organisers more time to adopt the new brand across World Tennis Tour events. Even though the World Tennis Tour brand won’t be fully adopted until 1 January 2027, we would encourage tournaments to use the World Tennis logo where they can from 25 June 2026 onwards. 

Why is World Tennis Number not changing straight away? 

Similarly to the World Tennis Tour, World Tennis Number will adopt the new World Tennis identity later in the year due to the scale and complexity of the platform. With over 2.3 million players, multiple global systems and strong adoption by federations worldwide, additional time is needed to ensure a smooth, disruption‑free transition. 

You’re based in London – what’s the difference between World Tennis and the Lawn Tennis Association (LTA) and Wimbledon?

World Tennis is the global governing body for tennis. The LTA is the national tennis association in Great Britain.

Is World Tennis only involved in the professional game?

World Tennis runs the World Tennis Tour Juniors and World Tennis Masters Tour, providing elite-level competitive opportunities for, respectively, players aged 18 and under and players in all age categories from 30+ to 90+. There are already 106 million tennis players around the world and we’re here to support each and every one of them. Our aim is to increase participation in tennis for all ages, genders, playing standards and physical abilities, anywhere the game is established or developing. 

What opportunities does World Tennis provide for gifted juniors to progress?

The World Tennis Tour Juniors provides players aged 18 and under with the opportunity to travel the world and develop their talent. The Tour is the launchpad for the best players to go on and achieve success in the professional game. In 2025, 1,000 tournaments were hosted on the World Tennis Tour Juniors for the first time in a single season, providing opportunities for talented youngsters all around the world to chase their dreams. The Tour hosts tournaments of increasing significance in terms of ranking points – J30s, J60s, J100s, J200s, J300s and J500s – while Junior Grand Slams – the pinnacle of junior competition – are incorporated within the Tour. World Tennis also hosts numerous flagship junior events, including the season-ending World Tennis Tour Junior Finals – the junior equivalent of the ATP and WTA Finals – where eight of the best boys and girls from that year compete. World Junior Tennis – an international team competition for players aged 14 and under – and Billie Jean King Cup by Gainbridge and Davis Cup Juniors are also significant tournaments on the junior player pathway.

What are some of the ways World Tennis spots talent and helps it develop from a young age?

There are many ways in which World Tennis helps develop talent but the Junior Tennis Initiative is perhaps indicative of everything World Tennis stands for. The programme is about putting rackets in hand, and while participation is the founding principle, it does provide a platform for the more talented players to explore a performance avenue. Devised by World Tennis and implemented by National Associations across the world, the JTI is designed for children aged 14-and-under and allows them to play tennis within their communities, schools and local venues. There is an emphasis on having fun as in many cases this will be the first time the children taking part will have played tennis, while some will never have even picked up a racket before. The JTI is this year celebrating its 30th anniversary after being launched in 1996, initially as the ITF School Tennis Initiative, following a successful pilot. Since then, approximately 5.25m children around the world have passed through the programme. There is very much an upward trajectory with 1.5m of those coming between 2021 and 2025. In 2025 alone, 419,750 children participated in the JTI across the globe – the highest number of participants in a single year.

What does World Tennis do to help players from underrepresented and under-resourced nations reach the top?

World Tennis is committed to helping and supporting talented players from across the globe. At a national level, this is often through the JTI, while at a regional level World Tennis runs training camps, a regional training centre and regional touring teams. At the highest level, we support players through international touring teams and Grand Slam Player Grants. Every year, World Tennis selects talented players from developing tennis nations to join Grand Slam Player Development Programme Touring Teams. Those players then travel as a team and have access to high-performance coaches. The Touring Team programme provides crucial support for talented players who might otherwise be unable to compete at the level they do. It also enables opportunities that financial constraints may otherwise prevent. In terms of Grand Slam Player Grants, every year player grants are awarded to talented players from underrepresented and under-resourced nations to help with their ongoing development costs. The grants are funded by the Grand Slam Player Development Programme through the four Grand Slams, but it is World Tennis modelling that determines the players selected. Thirty-four players currently within the Top 100 of the ATP and WTA Rankings have received Grand Slam Player Grants to boost their career progression.