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United States Tennis Association - USTA company history timeline

1881

1881 – The first U.S, National Singles Championship for men, the precursor to the modern-day US Open, is held at the Casino in Newport, R.I.

1881 – Founding of the United States National Lawn Tennis Association (USNLTA). A small group of men from northeastern clubs, where most lawn tennis was played, form an association to promote the standardization of the rules and regulations for lawn tennis throughout the United States.

With unprecedented access to the private records of the USTA, Kimball tells an engaging and rich history of how tennis has been managed and governed in the United States since the inception of the association in 1881.

1882

1882 – James (“Jim”) Dwight, the founding father of the United States National Lawn Tennis Association, is elected president for the first of his 21 single-year terms.

1885

In France there was a definite recovery during the time of Napoleon III, especially with the reopening of Versailles in 1885 for use as a tennis court. (Today it stands as a museum dedicated to the French Revolution.)

1887

1887 – The Philadelphia Cricket Club in Pennsylvania hosts the women's singles championships for the first time.

1888

A second court was built in Boston in 1888 at the Boston Athletic Association.

1893

The game was introduced in Chicago in 1893.

1898

Beginning in 1898 at Philadelphia’s Chautauqua Tennis Club, African-American tennis players from the Mid-Atlantic and Northeast competed in invitational tournaments.

1900

In 1900 the Tuxedo Club in Tuxedo Park, New York, opened a court.

1900 – The inaugural men’s International Lawn Tennis Challenge (Davis Cup) match is won by the United States, playing a British Isles team at Longwood Cricket Club outside Boston.

International competition began in 1900 with the first Davis Cup tournament between the United States and Great Britain.

1902

In 1902 a court was opened at the Myopia Hunt Club at Hamilton, Massachusetts, and a semi-private court, sponsored by William C. Whitney, was opened in Aiken, South Carolina.

1904

A third Boston court was built in 1904.

1907

Philadelphia, one of the leading centers of the game today, was not introduced to court tennis until 1907.

1909

A third private court was built in 1909, on the estate of Clarence H. Mackay in Roslyn, Long Island.

1910

To replace the courts, amateurs built new ones at Rue Lauriston, where competition for the Coupe de Paris was inaugurated in 1910.

1912

In 1767, the French Royal Academy of Science adopted a formal description of the game and a statement declared it “the only game which can rank in the list of arts and crafts.” A writer in the London Spectator in 1912 declared of the sport, “It is not only the sum of ball games.

1915

Surpassing the Mackay court and all others in its appointments was the one Payne Whitney opened in 1915 on his Greentree estate in Manhasset, Long Island.

1917

1917 – A committee on Equalization of Voting Power is established after hints of secession from midwestern and western sections, which sought a greater role in governance.

1917 – Longwood Cricket Club in Boston, Mass. hosts its first United States National Championship men's doubles event.

Tally Holmes First ATA Singles Champion,1917

1918

In 1918 the club moved again into its present quarters at 370 Park Avenue and built two new courts, one of which, the East Court, is the most famous in the country.

1920

1920 – The USNLTA drops the "N" from its name and becomes the USLTA.

1921

1921 – Germantown Cricket Club in Philadelphia, Pa., plays host to the men's singles championship for the first time.

1928

Tom Pettitt was the first player from this country to win the world crown, and the Frenchman, Etchebaster, has lived in the United States since he won the title in 1928.

1931

The year 1931 saw an expansion of the ranking system with matches between Americans in foreign sanctioned tournaments being considered in ranking.

1940

He had been winner of the United States doubles title in 1940 with his brother, James H.

1943

1943 USTA Boy's Tournament Winners

1944

1944 USTA Boy's Tournament Winners

1945

1945 USTA Boy's Tournament Winners

1946

1946 USTA Boy's Tournament Winners

1947

1947 USTA Boy's Tournament Winners

1947 — Prominent Florida players and organizers Eddie Herr, Gardnar Mulloy, Edward Turville, and Clarence Varner plant seeds for Florida tennis independence; also among the founders are Marion Huey, Mrs.

1948

During his 1948 singles semifinal against Gil Bogley he removed his shoes for better traction during the first set.

1948 USTA Boy's Tournament Winners

1949

1949 USTA Boy's Tournament Winners

1949 — Florida secedes from Southern Lawn Tennis Association to form the Florida Lawn Tennis Association; Edward Turville is named the first FLTA president

1950

1950 – Althea Gibson’s application to play in the United States National Championships is “accepted on her ability.” The 23-year-old became the first black American player, woman or man, to play in a Grand Slam event.

1950 — The Florida Lawn Tennis Association had an operating budget of $1,150, and sanctions nine junior and 12 adult tournaments

1951

1951 USTA Boy's Tournament Winners

1952

Gibson thought, “It may have been an omen that times were changing.” Two years later, Reginald Weir and George Stewart would be the first African-American men to play at the United States Open at Forest Lawn, on August 29, 1952.

1952 USTA Boy's Tournament Winners

1953

• 1953 - The first broadcast of the tournament finals by WKZO-AM radio.

1954

1954 USTA Boy's Tournament Winners

1955

He played weekly at Bartlett Park and attained a 1955 USTA Florida Senior Doubles Ranking #4 with partner Jack Staton.

1956

1956 USTA Boy's Tournament Winners

1957

1957 USTA Boy's Tournament Winners

She was also a finalist in the 1957 Australian Open.

1958

• 1958 - Tennis House, featuring two Grasstex courts and the first indoor tennis facility in Michigan, was erected.

1958 USTA Boy's Tournament Winners

1958 – Individual membership is established, changing the association’s focus on clubs as the only voting members.

1959

1959 USTA Boy's Tournament Winners

1960

1960 USTA Boy's Tournament Winners

1961

• 1961 - Rain falls on five of the seven days of the tournament.

1962

• 1962 - The USTA increases maximum age for younger age division from 15-and under to 16-and under.

1962 – The first woman, Marion Wood Huey, is elected to the executive committee.

1963

1963 USTA Boy's Tournament Winners

1963 – The inaugural International Tennis Federation’s international women’s team championship (later called the Fed Cup) is won by the United States against Australia.

1964

1964 USTA Boy's Tournament Winners

1965

1965 USTA Boy's Tournament Winners

1966

1966 — The FLTA is incorporated; the print publication FLTA News and Tournament Results is offered at a $5 subscription rate per year

1967

1967 USTA Boy's Tournament Winners

1968

The most dramatic match in the memories of long-time viewers of the Nationals was the 1968 18-and-under semifinal singles confrontation between Bob McKinley and the popular Dick Stockton.

1968 was the birth of Open Tennis.

1969

1969 USTA Boy's Tournament Winners

1970

• 1970 - Tournament length expanded from seven to nine days, season tickets hiked from $5 to $10 for adults.

According to a report in the Tribune Business News, Russ Hawley, the vice president of marketing for the New York Giants, explained the reason for the changing fan base: "The fan who first bought tickets in 1970 at age 29 is now 58 and, most likely, making better money."

In 1970, the rules of tennis changed significantly with the introduction of the nine-point tiebreaker at the United States Open.

1971

William L. (Sammy) Van Alen of Philadelphia was president from the association’s founding until 1971, when he retired.

1971 USTA Boy's Tournament Winners

1972

1972 USTA Boy's Tournament Winners

1972 — Helen Darress becomes the FLTA’s first paid employee as secretary, with the association headquartered out of her house in Biscayne Park

1973

1973 USTA Boy's Tournament Winners

The Virginia Slims Women's tour was sanctioned by USLTA in 1973, and the Women's Prize Money Tour was organized by USLTA. In addition, 1973 marked a significant change in that it was the first year that men and women received equal prize money at the U. S. Open.

1974

While court tennis goes back more than three centuries in this country, its offspring lawn tennis only celebrated its centennial in 1974.

1974 USTA Boy's Tournament Winners

1975

1975 USTA Boy's Tournament Winners

1976

1976 USTA Boy's Tournament Winners

1977

• 1977 - Ramesh Krishnan is the first foreign entry to win 16 and under division singles title.

The United States Open was played at Forest Hills for the last time in 1977, and one year later marked the dedication of the USTA National Tennis Center.

1978

1978 – The US Open moves to its new location, under President Slew Hester’s leadership, at Flushing Meadows in Queens, N.Y.

1978 — The Amateur Sports Act recognizes the USTA as the national official governing body for amateur tennis; Florida membership tops 10,000 for the first time due to the ’70s tennis boom

1979

1979 USTA Boy's Tournament Winners

1980

21, 1980, may have started out as a reality star, but in the years since she has made a name for herself in the beauty and fashion worlds with her multi-billion-dollar companies.

• 1980 - ESPN televises the tournament for the first time.

1981

Hughes, a former college basketball player and lawn tennis professional, had been told of the game by his father, but first played the game of court tennis at the restored court at Newport in 1981.

1981 USTA Boy's Tournament Winners

1982

1982 USTA Boy's Tournament Winners

1983

1983 USTA Boy's Tournament Winners

1983 — First FTA office building is established in Miami Shores

1984

1984 USTA Boy's Tournament Winners

*NOTE: The eligibility for this award was based on outstanding achievement, sportsmanship and courage until 1984 when it was changed to the above eligibility.

1984 — First year of junior rankings compiled by computer

1985

That was in the USTA Boys' 16 National Championships in 1985.

1985 — Marian Green of Orlando is named the first woman president of the FTA

1986

1986 USTA Boy's Tournament Winners

1986 — The FTA relocates to its second office location in North Miami Beach

1987

1987 USTA Boy's Tournament Winners

1988

• 1988 - Thomas S. Markin Racquet Center opened, with four indoor tennis courts, three racquetball courts and one squash court.

1988 USTA Boy's Tournament Winners

1989

• 1989 - David Markin makes history: in his first term as President of the USTA, he serves as the Official Referee of the Nationals for the 15th year.

1989 – The first woman officer, Barbara Williams, is elected to the board of directors.

1990

1990 USTA Boy's Tournament Winners

1990 — Junior Team Tennis is introduced as an official state-wide program

1991

1991 USTA Boy's Tournament Winners

1992

• 1992 - The community celebrates 50 years of the Nationals in Kalamazoo.

1992 USTA Boy's Tournament Winners

1993

1993 – USTA strictly forbids discrimination in sanctioned tournaments, soon expanded to include discrimination throughout the association.

1993 – The first African-American officer, Dwight Mosley, is elected to the board of directors.

1996

1996 USTA Boy's Tournament Winners

1996 – The association adopts its first strategic plan.

1997

• 1997 - A new draw format was initiated - going from 128 to 192 in each division, with seeding of 32 entries.

1997 – Arthur Ashe Stadium is completed at the USTA National Tennis Center in Flushing Meadows.

1998

1998 USTA Boy's Tournament Winners

1999

In 1999, he and LeVar Harper-Griffith won the 18s doubles title.

In 1999 the average per-game attendance nationally was 65,349, with the total attendance for the season at 16.2 million.

2000

"USTA and NRPA: A Logical Partnership." Parks & Recreation, July 1, 2000.

Hanover, Dan. "US Open Sponsors Take Their Games off the Court with Activation Strategies Worthy of a Grand Slam Event." Promo, September 1, 2000.

Further, two of the print ads featuring Agassi were recognized with 2000 CLIO awards.

2001

Roddick had planned to return to Kalamazoo for the opening night exhibition in 2001, but had to cancel after he turned in pair of major upsets in the Tennis Masters Series in Montreal.

2001 USTA Boy's Tournament Winners

2001 — Name change to USA Tennis Florida; move to fourth office location at the Florida Tennis Center in Daytona Beach

2002

2002 USTA Boy's Tournament Winners

2003

In September 2003, the President’s Award was renamed the Edward A. Turville President’s Award in memory of our first President.

2003 USTA Boy's Tournament Winners

2004

The new United States Open Series began in 2004 to combine 10 summer tournaments under one series, with bonus money for the winners at the final Grand Slam of the year, the United States Open.

2005

• 2005 - Chair umpires are assigned to all matches for the first time in tournament history.

2005 — Name change to USTA Florida; Section makes a $350,000 commitment to repair, expand and build new public tennis facilities in Florida

2006

In 2006, players competed for the first time on the new blue Deco Turf II, the same surface used at the United States Open.

2006 USTA Boy's Tournament Winners

2007

2007 USTA Boy's Tournament Winners

2008

2008 — The “Play Tennis” specialty license plate is approved for the USTA Florida Section Foundation

2009

That's just one of the highlights of the Boys' 18 & 16 tournament, which marks its 67th year in Kalamazoo in August, 2009.

2011

2011 USTA Boy's Tournament Winners

2012

• 2012 - Kalamazoo College resurfaced all 11 courts at Stowe Stadium as well as the parking lot.

2012 — USTA Florida renames its junior state championships after Bobby Curtis

2013

• 2013 - USTA Boys' 18 & 16 Nationals introduced live streaming of featured matches.

2013 — The Tenis para Todos Hispanic initiative is launched

2014

• 2014 - Website live streaming of featured matches on Courts 1, 2 and 3 was provided throughout the Tournament.

2015

2015 – The first African-American woman and first former touring pro, Katrina Adams, is elected USTA president.

2016

2016 – As part of a larger strategic transformation that renovates the US Open grounds, a retractable roof over Arthur Ashe Stadium is completed.

2016 — USTA Florida eliminates its executive committee and streamlines its board to nine members

2017

• 2017 - The community celebrates 75 years of the Nationals in Kalamazoo.

2017 – The USTA National Campus at Lake Nona in Orlando, Fla., is unveiled.

2018

2018 USTA Boy's Tournament Winners

2019

2019 USTA Boy's Tournament Winners

2020

2020 USTA Boy's Tournament Winners

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