LONDON — The International Tennis Federation made its name change official on Thursday, announcing it will now be known simply as World Tennis. Along with the rebrand, the sport’s global governing body unveiled an ambitious plan to increase worldwide participation by more than 30 percent.
The organization, which was founded in 1913, is responsible for setting and enforcing the rules of tennis, regulating international competition, and overseeing major events including the Davis Cup, the Billie Jean King Cup, and tennis at the Olympic Games. It also manages tournament levels below the main professional tours.
As part of the announcement, World Tennis pledged to reinvest 85 percent of all revenue it generates each year for the next ten years into growing the sport.
In an open letter, World Tennis president David Haggerty and CEO Ross Hutchins outlined five strategic priorities for the organization going forward:
• Growing participation
• Powering future stars
• Elevating official national competitions
• Ensuring a sport fit for the future
• Investing to grow the game
“Tennis is already one of the world’s largest sports. But we want to shout from the rooftops to anyone who hasn’t discovered us yet, ‘Tennis for all!’ and most importantly, tennis for you,” the letter stated. “If more people play, watch or follow, everyone in the game benefits. That’s the future we’ll be striving for.”
The letter also laid out a specific numerical goal: “We believe it’s possible to increase global participation from 106 million people playing tennis to 140 million by 2035. That’s an increase of more than 30%. We want to be ambitious, but we do think it’s realistic too.”
Hutchins, a former professional player, explained why the name change was necessary. He said the new name is about being more recognizable and distinguishing the organization from bodies like the men’s ATP Tour and the women’s WTA Tour.
“The ITF isn’t well known enough or isn’t understood enough by audiences that can have a difference and a positive impact to our game,” Hutchins said. “World Tennis shows the global nature of us, shows the focal point of us as an organisation.”
The rebrand arrives at a pivotal moment for the sport. Top players have been pushing for a larger share of Grand Slam revenues, and some made their frustration known by limiting media appearances at the French Open. Twenty-four-time Grand Slam champion Novak Djokovic recently called on the sport’s various organizations to work more closely together, warning that a failure to do so could lead to fragmentation.
Hutchins, who previously served as the ATP’s Chief Sporting Officer, said World Tennis would make collaboration a priority. “I’m very open and transparent in what I believe and now in this position, I feel it even stronger than before, that collaboration is the way forward,” he said.
