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International Tennis Federation (ITF) - Key Points

• The International Tennis Federation (ITF) is the governing body of world tennis, wheelchair tennis, and beach tennis.

• It was founded in 1913 by twelve national tennis associations, and as of 2016, there are 211 national and six regional associations that make up the ITF's membership.

• The ITF's governance responsibilities include maintaining and enforcing the rules of tennis, regulating international team competitions, promoting the game, and preserving the sport's integrity via anti-doping and anti-corruption programs.

• The ITF partners with the Women's Tennis Association (WTA) and the Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP) to govern professional tennis.

• The ITF organizes the Grand Slam events, annual team competitions for men (Davis Cup), women (Billie Jean King Cup), and mixed teams (Hopman Cup), as well as tennis and wheelchair tennis events at the Summer Olympic and Paralympic Games on behalf of the International Olympic Committee.

• In reaction to the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine, the ITF cancelled all events in Russia. The ITF also excluded Russia from international team events, which include the Davis Cup, the Billie Jean King Cup, and the ATP Cup, and suspended the Russian Tennis Federation.

• The ITF guarantees that the official Rules of Tennis "shall be for ever in the English language".

• The ITF implements the World Anti-Doping Code (from the World Anti-Doping Agency, or WADA) for tennis through the Tennis Anti-Doping Program.

• The Tennis Integrity Unit (TIU) is a joint initiative of the ITF, ATP, WTA, and Grand Slam Board. The TIU aims to protect tennis from "all forms of betting-related corrupt practices".

• The ITF operates the Davis Cup for men, the Billie Jean King Cup for women, and the Hopman Cup, an annual mixed-gender team tournament.

• Tennis (lawn tennis) was part of the Summer Olympic Games program from the inaugural 1896 Summer Olympics, but was dropped after the 1924 Summer Olympics. It returned as a full medal sport at the 1988 Summer Olympics and has been played at every edition of the Games since then.

• The ITF sanctions the Grand Slam tennis tournaments as well as circuits that span age ranges (junior, professional men and women, and seniors) as well as disciplines (wheelchair tennis; beach tennis).

• The ITF organizes the 'Official Tennis Championships of the International Tennis Federation', commonly known as the Grand Slam events: the Australian Open, the French Open, Wimbledon, and the US Open. It is a member of the Grand Slam Committee.Overview of ITF Circuits and Awards

• The ITF has organized a series of international tennis tournaments for junior players since 1977, with 400 tournaments in 121 countries, open to players between their 13th and 19th birthdays.

• The Girls Junior Exempt Project was introduced in 1997 to help high-ranking junior girls transition from the junior circuit to the professional circuit.

• The ITF World Tennis Masters Tour, previously known as the ITF Seniors Tour, provides a range of team and individual singles, doubles, and mixed doubles events for each five-year age increment from 30+ to 90+.

• Previously, tournaments were classified into various grades, with Grade A being the highest and Grade 5 being the lowest.

• The ITF maintains rankings of nations in both women's and men's tennis based solely on recent performances in the Billie Jean King Cup and Davis Cup, respectively.

• The ITF designates a World Champion in several disciplines each year based on performances throughout the year, emphasizing the Grand Slam tournaments, and also considering team events such as the Davis Cup and Fed Cup.

• The Philippe Chatrier Award is an annual ITF award to recognize individuals or organizations who have made outstanding contributions to tennis globally, both on and off the court.

• The International Tennis Number (ITN) is an international tennis rating system that gives tennis players a number that represents their general level of play, with players rated from ITN 1 to 10.

• In late 2004, the ITF initiated a new IPIN (International Player Identification Number) program that requires all players who play in ITF Pro Circuit tournaments to register online.

• The ITF administers the Tennis Anti-Doping Programme (TADP) on behalf of the sport and as a WADA signatory.

• The Tunisian Tennis Federation's interference with a match led to the ITF suspending Tunisia from the 2014 Davis Cup competition.

• The International Tennis Federation intervened and postponed a match by one day between the Israeli national tennis team and the Belgian national tennis team scheduled on Yom Kippur, and fined the Israel Tennis Association more than $13,000 for the inconvenience of rescheduling.