Organisations

The Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP) was formed in 1972 under the leadership of Jack Kramer to protect the interests of male professional tennis players. In 1988, the ATP used a parking lot at the US Open to announce that they would assume control of the game. They outlined plans for the players to form a new tour, which they would play a major role and bear greater responsibility for the future of the sport. The idea was quickly embraced by the players, with eighty-five of the top 100 ranked signing a letter of support for a new tour within weeks after the news conference. By the fall of 1988, 24 top players had signed contracts to play on the ATP Tour, which began in operation in January 1990. During this period, a host of tournament directors and many of the world's leading events voiced their support for the players and joined them. The ATP Tour comprises tennis tournaments with Grand Slams, ATP Masters Series, ATP International Series, ATP Challenger Series and Futures tournaments. The ATP Tour also oversees the World Team Cup played in Düsseldorf in May and the senior's Blackrock Tour of Champions. Players and doubles teams with most rankings points play in the season-ending Tennis Masters Cup, which is run jointly with the International Tennis Federation. The ATP publishes weekly rankings of professional players, ATP Entry Ranking, a 52-week rolling ranking and ATP Race, a year to date rankings. The Entry Ranking is used for determining qualification for entry and seeding in all tournaments for both singles and doubles.

The International Tennis Federation (ITF) is the world governing body of tennis, made up of 205 national tennis associations. Its objective is to further the growth and development of the sport worldwide. It was established as the International Lawn Tennis Federation (ILTF) by 12 national tennis association who met at a conference in Paris, France on 1st March 1913. In 1924 it became the officially recognised organisation with authority to control lawn tennis throughout the world. In 1977, it dropped the word 'lawn' from its title, recognising that most tennis was not played on grass. Originally based in Paris, its funds were moved to London during World War II and from this time onwards the ITF has been based from London. Until 1987, the ITF was based at Wimbledon before moving to Barons Court, near Queen's Club. However it then moved again in 1998 to the Bank of England Sports Ground, Roehampton. The ITF operates three major national team competitions in sport, the Davis Cup for men, the Fed Cup for women and the Hopman Cup, for mixed teams. The ITF is also responsible for organising the four Grand Slams: the Australian Open, the French Open, Wimbledon and the US Open. While the ATP Tour and WTA Tour control most other high-level professional tournaments, the ITF also organises the lowest tier tournaments in the world of professional tennis. On the men's side, this is known as the ITF Men's circuit, consisting of one week tournaments called 'Futures'.

The Women's Tennis Association (WTA) was formed in 1973 and is the governing body of women's professional tennis. It organises the WTA Tour, the worldwide professional tennis tour for women, which has for sponsorship reasons has been known as The Sony Ericsson WTA Tour since 2005. In September 1970, the birth of women's professional tennis was launched when nine players including Billie Jean King signed $1 contracts with World Tennis publisher Gladys Heldman to compete in a new women's tour. Heldman, along with her friend Joe Cullman from Philip Morris and several others, provided women's professional tennis the opportunity the original nine renegades sought. In the 1971, the Virginia Slims Circuit debuted with 19 tournaments, with a total purse of $309,100 on offer in the United States and Billie Jean King became the first female athlete to cross the six figure mark in season earnings. In 1973 it was Billie Jean King who founded the Women's Tennis Association, uniting all of women's professional tennis in one tour. The WTA was developed out of a meeting held in a room at the Gloucester Hotel in London the week before Wimbledon. The US Open agreed to offer equal prize money for the first time to both men and women. In 1974, the WTA signed the first television broadcast contrast in the history of the Association (CBS). In 1980 over 250 women were playing professionally all over the world in a Tour consisting of 47 global events, offering a total $7.2m in prize money.