Mission
The United States Court Tennis Association, a 501 (c) 4 non-profit founded in 1955, is the national governing body of the game in America.
The mission of the United States Court Tennis Association is to lead the game of tennis in America and to help the game of tennis realize its full potential and impact. To do this, we:
—pursue excellence on court
—promote sportsmanship
—sustain, mentor and train teaching professionals
—organize tournament fixtures and national championship prizes
—raise funds for professional events
—support a meaningful and healthy engagement in tennis
—increase awareness of tennis
—strengthen the community and collaborate with member clubs
—develop junior and women’s tennis
—honor the special history of tennis
—partner with the Preservation Foundation, other national governing bodies and leaders to transform the game
—inspire a lifelong love of tennis
—manage and invest in the infrastructure to develop the game, including the handicap system, rules and equipment, communication and
—support U.S. players and teams in elite international competitions
—embody the spirit of the game through integrity and respect
Vision
We create opportunity through a shared passion and commitment for developing tennis. Our vision is to be the best governing body in the game of tennis. We envision people of all ages, abilities and backgrounds across the country enjoying tennis, playing the game with a positive spirit and participating in programs that foster camaraderie and competition.
Review the USCTA’s Five-Year Strategic Plan for details
The first reference to tennis in the Americas extant in the historical record is a decree against playing tennis on Sundays, issued by the Governor of New Amsterdam, Peter Stuyvesant, on 26 October 1656. The centuries that followed were replete with further proof that some sort of version of the game of kings was being played in North America. In October 1876, exactly a year and a half after the newly invented game of lawn tennis came to these shores, Hollis Hunnewell and Nathaniel Thayer opened the first bona fide court tennis facility on Buckingham Street in Boston. In the next fifty years, eighteen more courts were built; today there are nine active courts in the U.S., the oldest in Newport (1880) and the youngest in Washington, D.C. (1997).
The United States Court Tennis Association, under the leadership of its first president William L. Van Alen, initially convened on 30 January 1955 in New York. Up until that time there was no central authority to regulate, promote and preserve the game in the United States. Indeed, when the Laws of Tennis in America were first adopted on New Year’s Day 1934, just three clubs—The Racquet & Tennis Club, The Racquet Club, and The Tennis & Racquet Club— were signatories. (The rules were revised in 1979 and in 2000.) Besides the promulgation of tennis rules, the Association has the authority to coordinate and control all championships and major competitions, and in conjunction with its member clubs, organize and conduct tournaments for all levels of play in America. It publishes an annual report, newsletters, a fixtures calendar and other announcements; hosts an annual dinner each autumn in New York; raises funds for the construction, maintenance, and restoration of courts, and for supporting the development of female and junior players; and conducts relations with other national governing bodies around the world; promotes international play and supports the U.S. at international competitions. One of its most essential functions is the vigorous support of professionals in America, without whom the continued existence of the game would be precarious. The Association provides prize money for tournaments like the National Open, the U.S. Professional Singles, and the U.S. Open.
Charter Members
| W. Anderson | Fulton Cutting | Seymour H. Knox | C. C. Pell |
| George F. Baker, Jr. | F. F. de Rham, Jr. | T. I. Laughlin | Ogden Phipps |
| E. Mauran Beals | Charles Devens | W. E. Lingelbach, Jr. | F. G. B. Roche |
| John C. Bell, Jr. | W. Palmer Dixon | A. B. Martin | Francis X. Shields |
| Crawford Blagden | George Dwight | E. B. Martin | Chas. M. Stockton |
| G. H. Bostwick E. | M. Edwards H. | C. McClintock | J. H. Van Alen |
| W. A. Coolidge | C. Frothingham | R. S. Millen | William L. Van Alen |
| A. L. Corey | R. L. Gerry, Jr. | H. R. Mixsell | John Hay Whitney |
| E. B. Coxe III | R. Grant III | F. S. Moseley, Jr. | G. W. Wightman |
| C. S. Cutting | N. R. Knox | D. A. Newhall | William C. Wright |
Life Members
| William J Clothier | Anthony P. Negretti | William G. Fitzgerald |
| Alastair B. Martin | Bertram L. O’ Neill | Edward J. Hughes |
| Chris Ronaldson | John E. Slater | The Right Honorable Lord Aberdare |
| William L. Van Alen | Northrup R. Knox | The Tennis & Rackets Association |
Presidents
| William L. Van Alen | 1955-1971 |
| John E. Slater | 1971-1988 |
| Edward J. Hughes | 1988-1998 |
| Charles T. Johnstone | 1998-2001 |
| William F. McLaughlin, Jr. | 2001-2006 |
| James D. Wharton | 2006-2009 |
| Gregory Van Schaack | 2009-2014 |
| Jeremy R. Wintersteen | 2014-2017 |
| James W. Zug, Jr. | 2017-present |
