World Conference in Las Vegas was highlight of 75th birthday celebration
USPTA celebrated its 75th anniversary in 2002.
USPTA was founded in 1927 after a small group of tennis professionals gathered in New York City. Their goal was to bridge the gap between the amateur playing ranks and a respectable career as a tennis professional.
Only 15 men attended that initial planning meeting. Chances are, most of them didn’t dream that what started out as a small East Coast group would grow into the world’s largest organization of tennis-teaching professionals. The USPTA we know today was introduced to the tennis world as the Professional Lawn Tennis Association of the United States.
The group organized to further the interests of tennis, especially through professional players and instructors of the sport. Although tennis was introduced to the United States in 1874, it was not until the years following World War I that the game became popular enough to warrant professional instructors, and the majority of these instructors were located on the East Coast.
Today, USPTA’s influence as the tennis industry’s delivery force is much more far reaching, with more than 13,000 members in 17 U.S. divisions and in more than 60 foreign countries. Tennis and USPTA have undergone many changes over the last 75 years, and USPTA members have always been major “players” in the sport.
USPTA officially celebrated its diamond anniversary during the 2002 World Conference on Tennis at Bally’s Las Vegas, Sept. 21-28. More than 1,500 teaching professionals, industry leaders, media and others took part.
Also in 2002, USPTA celebrated the 25th anniversary of
ADDvantage, the Association's monthly trade publication. Today’s magazine is a mix of member contributions, industry news and photos and staff contributions. All pre-press work is done at the Houston headquarters.
