The USTA is the national governing body for the sport of tennis and the leader in promoting and developing the sport's growth on every level in the United States, from local communities to the crown jewel of the professional game, the US Open.

The United States Tennis Association The United States Tennis Association (USTA) is the national governing body for the sport of tennis and the recognized leader in promoting and developing the sport's growth on every level in the U.S.

The USTA was founded as the U.S. National Lawn Tennis Association in 1881, dropping the "N" from its name in 1920 and losing the "L" 55 years later in 1975. 1881 – Founding of the U.S. National Lawn Tennis Association (USNLTA).

21 May 1881, New York, New York, United StatesUnited States Tennis Association / Founded

USTA NTRP Rating An NTRP Rating is a numerical indicator of tennis-playing ability, from 1.5 (beginner) through 7.0 (touring pro), which aligns with a set of general characteristics that break down the skills and abilities of each level, in 0.5 increments.

USTA Rankings/Standings: The ranking system uses a Points Per Round Combined Ranking System (PPR). For Junior Rankings, ranking points earned in singles and doubles matches are combined (with greater weight placed on ranking points earned in singles) and players are ordered based on this total.

USTA Rankings/Standings: Adult and junior standings and rankings are based on results from the best six tournaments for each player during the past 12 months. A player may have played in more than six tournaments; however, only the results from the six best tournaments will count for rankings and standings.

Developed in 1978, the National Tennis Rating Program (NTRP) is a classification system that identifies and describes general characteristics of tennis-playing ability. The NTRP General Characteristics Guide outlines the abilities of each level from 1.5 (beginner) through 7.0 (touring pro).

Spectacular, played today on all kinds of surfaces by tens of millions of people, for fun or in competition, tennis has spread all over the world. Designed and codified in England in the 1870s, it is the direct descendant of jeu de paume, invented in France in the 11th century.

Tennis History: The Middle Ages and the Early Modern Period In the 16th century, a racket was introduced to hit the ball instead of using the hand, and the game also began to take on its unique scoring system. The game of tennis gets its name from the French word tenez, the verb meaning ''to hold.

Currently, more than 1.4 million players based in the U.S. have active World Tennis Numbers. USTA League, the country's largest adult tennis league for players of all skill levels, also grew by 11 percent in 2022, with 284,000 unique participants competing throughout the year. Photo by Steven Freeman/USTA.

Tennis was first played in the United States in 1874. In 1881, the National Lawn Tennis Association was founded in order to organize all tennis activities in the country. The first major tennis tournament was called the US Open Championship and was also first played in 1881.