Description
Book SynopsisOffers an in-depth look at the history of the United States Tennis Association (USTA) and how this sports organisation has helped cultivate and organise tennis in the United States over the past 135 years. With access to the private records of the USTA, Warren F. Kimball tells an engaging and rich history of how tennis has been managed and governed in the United States.
Trade Review"The USTA is everywhere in American tennis. But until now there was no quality, in-depth history of the group that so adeptly shaped the US game. . . . Kimball tells us how league tennis became a mainstay; how once-chaotic rankings were computerized, how officiating was "professionalized" and the organization grew into an astounding, cutting-edge force. And readers will see that the USTA itself—which began with droopy nets, quirky balls and bumpy lawns—has survived many a bump in the road and now actually has its own impressive 406-page history, which provides delicious tennis czars and zealots, cigars and Chardonnay, conflicts and camaraderie, and the passionate, sometimes imperfect people who raised a great game."—Bill Simons,
Inside Tennis“Warren Kimball has created as comprehensive a look as you will ever see of the USTA and its innermost workings. A tremendous accomplishment and great fun for tennis insiders. I loved it.”—Patrick McEnroe, ESPN commentator
“As a distinguished historian of diplomacy, Warren Kimball has long shaped the way we think about the leaders and legacy of World War II. Now he has turned his formidable skills to chronicling the leaders and legacy of the United States Tennis Association and of the sport of tennis itself, charting the history and meaning of a noble and challenging pastime. This is an engaging and illuminating book.”—Jon Meacham, Pulitzer Prize–winning author of
American Lion: Andrew Jackson in the White HouseTable of ContentsList of Illustrations
Foreword by Dave Haggerty
Preface
Note on Citations
1. Origins: The Major and the Ladies
2. The Founding Gentlemen, 1877–1913
3. Evolutionary Revolution, 1913–1922
4. The Money: The Twenties and Thirties
5. Marking Time, 1941–1968
6. Open Tennis, 1968–1990
7. Who Decides? 1990–2002
Appendix 1. “The Founding Myth” by E. H. Outerbridge
Appendix 2. USNLTA Original Constitution and Bylaws
Appendix 3. The ATA and Holcombe Ward, 1947
Appendix 4. Membership Statistics, 1958–1992
Appendix 5. USTA Senior Staff List, 1916 to Present
Notes
Research Guide
Bibliography
Index
