The United States Tennis Association (USTA)

“USTA” redirects here. For other uses, see USTA (disambiguation). The United States Tennis Association (USTA) is the national governing body for the sport of tennis in the United States. The USTA was previously known as the United States National Lawn Tennis Association, and was established by a small group of tennis club members in a meeting held at the Fifth Avenue Hotel in New York City. USTA was created to standardize rules and regulations and to promote the sport of tennis in the United States. The USTA runs the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center which hosts the US Open every year.

Mission Statement: To Promote and Develop the Growth of Tennis

The United States Tennis Association (USTA) as the national governing body for the sport of tennis is the recognized 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.

Established in 1881, the USTA is a progressive and diverse not-for-profit organization whose volunteers, professional staff, and financial resources support a single mission: to promote and develop the growth of tennis.

The USTA is the largest tennis organization in the world, with 17 geographical sections, more than 665,000 individual members and 7,000 organizational members, thousands of volunteers, and a professional staff dedicated to growing the game.

What does the USTA do?

Founded in 1881, the USTA’s mission is to promote and develop the growth of tennis, which it does through two distinct business units: Professional Tennis, which promotes the growth of the professional sport in the United States and maximizes revenue opportunities to fund the mission, and Community Tennis, which develops and implements grassroots tennis programs throughout the country.

Does the USTA keep track of the number of people who play tennis?
Although the USTA relies on the Industry research for the overall number of people who play tennis, we do, however, track the number of players who take our programs, such as USA Tennis 1-2-3, USTA Team Tennis and USTA League Tennis.

Who runs the USTA?

The USTA is a volunteer-based organization led by a board of directors headed by a volunteer chair and president. The USTA board of directors establishes the organization’s policies and priorities. Dozens of volunteer committees, which represent the USTA membership and serve the tennis public, assist in this process. The USTA board employs an executive director, who is also chief operating officer, to manage the day-to-day operations of the organization, its offices and its national staff.

Does the USTA have anything to do with the US Open?

The USTA owns and operates the US Open, which is the highest attended annual sporting event in the world. The US Open, held at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center in Flushing, NY, generates most of the revenue used by the USTA to promote and develop tennis nationwide.

Is the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center used for anything besides the US Open?

The USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center is open to the public seven days a week, 11 months a year, closing only on Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year’s Day. USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center staff conduct community tennis programs, summer tennis camps, and group and private lessons. Annual events held at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center, besides the US Open, include the Mayor’s Cup high school tennis championships and the Jana Hunsaker Memorial Wheelchair Tennis Tournament. The USTA built and maintains the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center for the city of New York, paying the city more than $400,000 per year in rent.