The International Tennis Federation (ITF)

The International Tennis Federation (ITF) is the apex governing authority of world tennis. The Federation is the highest authority in tennis and has 202 national tennis associations as its members.

The ITF was established on March 13, 1913 and was previously recognized as the International Lawn Tennis Federation (ILTF). However, it was in the year 1924 that the ILTF became a force to reckon and became the official governing body for tennis. Over the years the body has evolved considering the gradual changes that have taken place in the game of lawn tennis.The

word 'lawn' was dropped in the year 1977 as not all tournaments were played on grass hence the organization came to be known as the International Tennis Federation.

The ITF is based at Roehampton in south-west London in Great Britain. The premier function of the ITF is that it organizes the four major Grand Slam Tournaments, namely, the Australian Open, the French Open, the Wimbledon and the US Open.

Apart from the four grand slams, the ITF also organizes three national team tournaments. They include the Davis Cup, exclusively for men, the Fed Cup, exclusively for women and the Hopman Cup for mixed teams.

The International Tennis Federation (ITF) plays a vital role in the area of professional tennis too by organizing the elementary tournaments for professional tennis players. This includes organizing events like ITF Men's Circuit, which is a series of tournaments that are held for one week. This series of tournaments are known as the "Futures".

The International Tennis Federation (ITF) also plays a vital role in maintaining a proper circuit for young and upcoming tennis players. This circuit is exclusively for players below the age of 18. The ITF releases a yearly chronicle, which is called as the ITF Year. The chronicle was previously known as the World of Tennis, which was the first official yearly book published by ITF.

The International Tennis Federation (ITF) is the most important tennis council in the world and is the parent body for several smaller tennis associations.