MISSION STATEMENT AND BY-LAWS
Our Mission
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To promote and develop the growth of tennis!
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And How We Get There
USTA Kentucky condemns all forms of discrimination and bigotry. As an organization, we are committed to diversity and inclusion and creating a safe environment for all who play, watch, or support tennis.
USTA Kentucky is a member of the USTA Southern Section, along with eight other southern states including North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, Tennessee, Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, and Alabama.
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USTA Kentucky’s policies are formed and much of the organization's work is executed via a board and committee structure of over 100 volunteers. A professional staff, housed in Louisville, compliments the volunteer structure, and is charged with carrying out the daily operations of the organization.
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The main goal of USTA Kentucky is to connect the state to tennis! Whether you are the tennis organizer or player, USTA Kentucky is the perfect source of information and support for all tennis endeavors. Every year we sanction over 75 tournaments for all levels, support over 50 competitive and recreational tennis leagues, provide multiple program and clinic options for all ages and ability levels and give over $60,000 in grants all to connect Kentucky to tennis!
USTA Kentucky History
The Kentucky Lawn Tennis Association (now the USTA Kentucky) was founded in 1910 and became part of the Ohio District. The following year the Association brought the Kentucky State Open Championships to the Louisville Country Club. The event had been held in Estill Springs near Irvine, Kentucky since 1905.
Also in 1911, Thomas Tuley of Louisville, representing the KTLA, was successful in bringing the first major tournament to the state. It was known as the Bi-State Tournament (Kentucky and Ohio) and attracted a number of ranking players from across the country. It was played on six clay courts at Louisville's Audubon Country Club.
The Louisville Country Club became the first KLTA and United States Lawn Tennis Association (USLTA) member organization in the state in 1915. Audubon Country Club joined in 1920, and Georgetown College followed the next year.
The KLTA became affiliated with the Southern Lawn Tennis Association in 1921. The first time the Southern Tennis Championships were held in Kentucky was 1923 at the Audubon Country Club. The Louisville Boat Club played host to the Southern Tennis Championships in 1941, 1946 and 1950.
Since the Kentucky Open began to draw many sectional and nationally ranked players after 1925, the KLTA established the Kentucky Closed Championships to determine the best players in the state. The first Kentucky Closed was held in 1936 at the Louisville Pastime Boat Club, which was located on River Road just east of the Water Tower.
In 1955, Robert Piatt of Louisville, a past president of the KLTA and SLTA, was instrumental in making Kentucky an official district of the SLTA. In later years, the USLTA, the sections and districts all dropped the word "lawn" from their names since clay and hard courts became more dominant than grass courts.