PTR Joins the USTA in Raising the Standards for all Tennis Professionals
WHITE PLAINS, N.Y., May 28, 2020 – The United States Tennis Association (USTA) today announced that the Professional Tennis Registry (PTR) has received full accreditation under the USTA’s accreditation program for organizations and institutions that certify U.S. tennis teaching professionals. The goal of the program is to elevate professional tennis coaching standards by implementing mandatory pre-certification standards for those seeking to become a certified teaching pro and to provide an improved and consistent continuing education program for all current certified professionals who are members of accredited organizations.
The PTR was awarded full accreditation following the approval of its application by the USTA’s Accreditation Review Committee. The PTR joins the United States Professional Tennis Association (USPTA) as the only USTA accredited tennis teaching professional organizations. The PTR’s accreditation status will be reviewed after a three-year period.
“The mission of the USTA is to promote and develop the growth of tennis across the country, and there are few individuals that have a more direct impact on this mission at the local level than tennis teaching professionals,” said Mike Dowse, USTA CEO and Executive Director. “We now will have a unified approach to certifying tennis professional in the United States for the first time, and by working together, the USTA, the USPTA and the PTR are best positioned to getting Americans back on the courts and ensuring that tennis thrives in our post-pandemic world.”
“We appreciate the confidence the USTA has shown in PTR by providing us with accreditation.” said Dan Santorum, PTR CEO. “We look forward to working together as partners to improve our coaches who work passionately and tirelessly to improve/grow the great sport of tennis.”
Moving forward, the USTA and PTR will collaborate on a wide array of education initiatives. New certification standards will require new applicants to complete a unified set of standards before achieving status as a certified tennis professional. This will include on-the-job training along with pre-certification education, online course work and face-to-face workshops. Additionally, with the shared goal of ensuring that tennis is a safe sport for kids, the PTR will require all members to complete the USTA’s Safe Play program, which includes a criminal background screening and education on prevention of misconduct in sport.
By working collaboratively, the USTA and the two leading coaching accreditation organizations have created a system to elevate and improve tennis coaching standards that will help the sport attract, engage and retain tennis players moving into the future.
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The USTA is the national governing body for the sport of tennis in the U.S. and the leader in promoting and developing the growth of tennis at every level — from local communities to the highest level of the professional game. A not-for-profit organization with more than 655,000 members, it invests 100% of its proceeds in growing the game. It owns and operates the US Open, one of the highest-attended annual sporting events in the world, and launched the US Open Series, linking eight summer WTA and ATP World Tour tournaments to the US Open. In addition, it owns approximately 90 Pro Circuit events throughout the U.S. and selects the teams for the Davis Cup, Fed Cup, Olympic and Paralympic Games. The USTA’s philanthropic entity, the USTA Foundation, provides grants and scholarships in addition to supporting tennis and education programs nationwide to benefit under-resourced youth through the National Junior Tennis & Learning (NJTL) network. For more information about the USTA, go to USTA.com or follow the official accounts on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and Snapchat.
For more information, contact: Chris Widmaier, USTA, (914) 696-7284, widmaier@usta.com
