Women's Tennis Association
| Sport | Professional tennis |
|---|---|
| Abbreviation | WTA |
| Founded | June 1973 |
| Location | St. Petersburg, Florida, U.S. |
| Chairman | Steve Simon |
| CEO | Portia Archer |
| Official website | |
| www | |
| Current season: 2025 WTA Tour | |
The Women's Tennis Association (WTA) is the principal organizing body of women's professional tennis. The association governs the WTA Tour, which is the worldwide professional tennis tour for women, and was founded to create a better future for women's tennis. The WTA's corporate headquarters are in St. Petersburg, Florida, with its European headquarters in London and its Asia-Pacific headquarters in Beijing.[1]
The Women's Tennis Association was founded in June 1973 by Billie Jean King, and traces its origins to the inaugural Virginia Slims tournament, arranged by Gladys Heldman, sponsored by Joe Cullman, CEO of Philip Morris, and held on 23 September 1970 at the Houston Racquet Club in Houston, Texas. Rosie Casals won this first event.
When the Women's Tennis Association was founded, Billie Jean King was one of nine players that comprised the WTA, also referred to as the Original 9, that included Julie Heldman, Valerie Ziegenfuss, Judy Dalton, Kristy Pigeon, Peaches Bartkowicz, Kerry Melville Reid, Nancy Richey, and Rosie Casals.[2][3][4] Today, the WTA has more than 2,500 players from nearly 100 countries competing for $146 million in prize money.
- ^ "WTA Press Center". wtatennis.com. Retrieved 18 November 2021.
- ^ "About the WTA". WTA. Retrieved 30 March 2025.
- ^ "About the WTA". Women's Tennis Association (WTA). Archived from the original on 26 September 2014. Retrieved 20 April 2017.
- ^ "WTA Tour history" (PDF). Women's Tennis Association (WTA). Archived from the original (PDF) on 29 May 2008. Retrieved 12 September 2008.