ABSTRACT
In crucial ways, the history of tennis has been a story of the power struggles over organizational legitimacy between controlling groups. Almost immediately upon the modern game’s conception in Britain in the early 1870s, it was the leading sports clubs that assumed authority over key aspects of its development. In time, control was established by Britain’s Lawn Tennis Association (LTA), which grew in status and influence to become the de facto international governing body before the proper international federation commenced operations in 1913. Amidst the growing global influence of other national associations during the inter-war period, particularly those in the US, France and Australia, the sport became increasingly commercialized and professionalized, and in the post-war period, competing interests came from corporations, media/broadcasting organizations, tournament organizers and promoters, management groups and player unions. Today, power is effectively shared among all of these groups, alongside the top players who have become wealthy and at times influential celebrities. As demonstrated in the numerous conflicts for control over tennis that have emerged throughout its history, the sharing of power has not always been easy. The aim of this chapter is to describe the long and often tumultuous path along which tennis governance has progressed since the sport’s emergence until the present day, set in the contexts of key developments both in tennis and the wider society.
