The USTA Midwest, founded in 1895, has one mission: "To Innovate, Promote and Grow the Game of Tennis." Serving five states (Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Ohio and Wisconsin) and 13 districts, you will always be able to find the perfect fit for your game! Check out exciting opportunities happening near you.
The USTA Midwest Section (Western Tennis Association) has a rich tennis history spanning over a hundred years. It was five years before the turn of the 20th century that the Western Lawn Tennis Association was founded on July 13, 1895 when about 20 of the leading tennis players in the Midwest came together at the Chicago Beach Hotel in Chicago, Illinois. Initially, the Western Lawn Tennis Association (WLTA) governed all tennis clubs west of the Alleghenies, thus the "Western" name. However, Indiana, Ohio and Kentucky broke away and created the Tri-State Tennis Association until they merged again in 1920. Depending on which criterion is used, the sectional boundaries in 1895 or the current boundaries, tennis came to the Midwest via Cincinnati or Chicago. Cincinnati saw the first tennis court constructed, first tennis club, the nation's oldest league and one of the first national circuit tournaments. However, because Cincinnati was part of the Tri-State Tennis Association, to some historians Western tennis began in Chicago. The city hosted several prestigious tournaments and many of the earliest events. Chicago may claim the start of tennis in the Western Lawn Tennis Association because it hosted the first Western Tennis Championships. As the end of the 19th century came to a close, tennis was starting to explode in many directions. In 1896 the WLTA joined the United States National Lawn Tennis Association (USNLTA). On the first day of the 104th meeting of the Western Tennis Association in Toledo, Ohio, a new chapter was added to the rich history of the Association. On December 5, 1997, one hundred-two years, four months and 22 days after being formed in Chicago, the Western Tennis Association changed its name to the USTA Midwest Section. The name change officially took affect on January 1, 1998.