The International Tennis Federation (ITF), the global governing body of tennis, has officially rebranded itself as World Tennis. The organization, founded in 1913, oversees the rules of the sport and major international competitions, including those that feature Canadian athletes.
Why did the ITF change its name?
The governing body has rebranded to mark a new era for the organization and to reflect its ambition for the future success and growth of the sport, according to a statement from the Real Federación Española de Tenis. The change from the International Tennis Federation to World Tennis was ratified by its member associations. The organization is responsible for setting and enforcing the sport’s rules, regulating international team competitions like the Davis Cup and Billie Jean King Cup, and managing tennis at the Olympic Games.
What are the new goals for World Tennis?
The organization has set an ambitious target to increase global tennis participation by more than 30 percent by 2035. According to Spain's national tennis federation, the goal is to grow the number of players worldwide from 106 million to 140 million. To support this growth, World Tennis has also pledged to reinvest at least 85 percent of all its annual income back into the sport for the next decade, as reported by the Tennis Industry Association UK.
This reinvestment is intended to strengthen its 214 national member associations, which includes Tennis Canada. The change in governance and its financial commitments will shape the structure under which Canadian players compete in team events, the Olympics, and on the developmental tours that serve as a pathway to the main ATP and WTA tours.
As part of its new chapter, World Tennis has launched a Global Tennis Fan Survey, inviting the tennis community to share opinions on the evolution of the sport, according to the Real Federación Española de Tenis.