The ITF oversees the following five areas of the game:
Administration and regulation
Organising international competition
Structuring the game
Developing the game
Promoting the game
The Davis Cup is run by the International Tennis Federation (ITF), the world governing body of tennis. With over 200 member nations, it’s one of the largest federations in world sport.
1. Administration and regulation
The ITF administers and regulates the game through affiliated National Associations, together with six Regional Associations. The ITF is responsible for the Rules of Tennis, including the technical specifications for courts and equipment, and the running and enforcing of a joint anti-doping programme.
2. Organising international competitions
The ITF controls the major international team events for all age groups and for Wheelchair Tennis, including the world’s two largest annual international team competitions in sport, Davis Cup for men and the Billie Jean King Cup by BNP Paribas for women.
The ITF is involved at the highest levels of the game, including the 'the greatest show on earth', the Olympic Games, to which tennis was reintroduced as a full medal sport in 1988.
In addition, the ITF works closely with the four Grand Slams – Australian Open, Roland Garros, Wimbledon and US Open – through its presence on the Grand Slam Board and supports each event with administrative, officiating and media services.
The four Grand Slams are all official championships of the ITF, while the Japan Open, Italian Open Championships and International Championships of Spain are also recognised championships of the ITF.
3. Structuring the game
The ITF structures the game by sanctioning the following international circuits:
Men's World Tennis Tour
Women's World Tennis Tour
World Tennis Tour Juniors
Seniors Tennis Tour
UNIQLO Wheelchair Tennis Tour
Beach Tennis Tour
4. Developing the game
The ITF develops the games through its worldwide development programme. In 2019, the ITF spent more than $11 million on initiatives for the growth of tennis around the world.
5. Promoting the game
The ITF promotes tennis through television, PR, marketing, event management and sponsorship. The official websites of the ITF also reach out to players and fans around the world, including ITFtennis.com, DavisCup.com and BillieJeanKingCup.com.
For more information about the ITF please visit our website at: ITFtennis.com