American Tennis Association
Formed in 1916 by a group of African American businessmen, college professors and physicians, the American Tennis Association (ATA) has become the Mecca for blacks - from all walks of life - who yearn to enjoy the camaraderie and competition offered by a sport for youngsters from age 8 to 80.
Since its inception, the ATA, which is the oldest African American sports organization in the United States, has honored the founding fathers primary objectives:
To bring black tennis enthusiasts and players into close and friendly relations,
To improve the standards of existing clubs,
To hold an annual national championship tournament,
To regulate the dates of local and regional tournaments to avoid conflicts,
To appoint referees and officials for each event, and
To promote the standard of the game among black players.
The organization held its first ATA National Championships, consisting of three events (men's and women's singles and men's doubles), at Baltimore's Druid Hill Park in August 1917. In August 2005, several thousands players are expected to compete in more than 50 different events at the 89th annual ATA National Championships in Daytona Beach, Fla. Indeed, the ATA is the core of a growing, African American big-bucks demographic that has helped turn the tennis industry into a multibillion dollar business.
The ATA has produced several of the world's top players and coaches. Althea Gibson and Arthur Ashe, the first African Americans to be ranked No. 1 and to win Grand Slam titles, were sponsored and groomed by ATA officials and coaches. ATA coaches Willis Thomas and John Wilkerson developed several top pros, including (No. 4) Zina Garrison, (No. 9) Lori McNeil, (No. 56) Rodney Harmon and (No. 67) Katrina Adams. MaliVai Washington, Leslie Allen, Camille Benjamin, Chip Hooper, Renee Blount, Marcell Freeman, Bruce Foxworth, Juan Farrow are among other former ATA players who received computer rankings on the men's and women's pro circuits.