+Note: the first five Championships (1974 to 1978) were based on a best-of-three or best-of-five matches basis depending on the year.

++Note2: Dates for Finals 1974 to 2020 are approximation only – exact dates unknown.

*Championship decided on a league basis.

**Championship played as a week-long-tournament

***King Cup Final was rained out – Championship decided on league basis as a result.

TeamTennis Beginnings: 1962 to 1978

In 1962 Billie Jean King and Larry King originated the concept of TeamTennis. By 1974 their concept had reached fruition as TeamTennis was born. TT was founded on the concept of gender equality and was the first professional sports league to feature men and women on the same team. Matches consist of Mens and Womens Singles and Doubles. Denver Racquets won the Championship defeating Philadelphia Freedoms that same year. The first five years the Championship was decided on a best-of-three or best-of-five matches basis depending on the year.

There were five different Champions the first five seasons: Denver Racquets, Pittsburgh Triangles, New York Sets, New York Apples, and Los Angeles Strings.

TeamTennis Consolidation: 1981 to 1990

The league went on a brief hiatus in 1979 and 1980, returning in 1981. In 1984 Billie Jean King became the first woman commissioner in pro sports history when made WTT commissioner.

Los Angeles Strings became the first team in WTT history to win a second Championship when topping the league in 1981. There were no playoffs that year with the Championship decided on a league basis. Dallas Stars, Chicago Fire won the next two championships before San Diego Buds, San Antonio Racquets and Charlotte Heat each won two titles in a six year period (1984 to 1989).

World Team Tennis and Marquee Players 1990 to 2009

In 1990 Jimmy Connors and Martina Navtratilova were signed as the league’s first multi-year marquee player contracts. Also in 1990 Los Angeles Strings became the first team to win three championships. Atlanta Thunder won the next two titles before TeamTennis was rebranded World Team Tennis in 1992.

Following championships for Wichita Advantage, New Jersey Stars (twice) and St. Louis Aces, Sacramento Capitals won an unprecedented fourth title in succession in 2000 and in 2007 became the first team in WTT history to win six titles. The 2000 season Andy Roddick made his WTT debut at age 17 for the Idaho Sneakers. Two years later eight-time Major champion and Tennis Hall of Fame inductee Andre Agassi joined as player. In between those Sacramento triumphs there were titles for Philadelphia Freedoms (twice), Delaware Smash, Newport Beach Breakers and New York Sportimes.

In 2005 Steffi Graf came out of pro retirement to play in WTT, after a six year absence from the pro circuit. Martina Hingis also made her WTT debut that year, named MVP of the WTT Final. In 2009 Martina Navtratilova played her 20th WTT season, lining out for Boston Lobsters. Kim Clijsters came out of retirement in 2009 to play for St. Louis in WTT.

Washington Kastles dominance 2009 to 2015

New York Buzz won the championship in 2008 and the following year Washington Kastles won the first of six titles for the team with Kansas City Explorers claiming the title in 2010. Andy Roddick and Venus Williams joined WTT’s ownership group in 2013. In 2011 Washington Kastles won their first of five consecutive Championships and were also the first to complete a perfect season, winning 16 of 16 matches. WTT celebrated its’ 40th season in 2015 and in doing so it became only the fifth USA sports league to reach the 40th season milestone joining Major League Baseball (since 1869), National Hockey League (USA and Canada Ice Hockey, since 1917), National Football League (since 1920) and National Basketball Association (since 1946).

New Ownership and hiatus 2016 to 2021

In 2017 Billie Jean King sold majority ownership to Washington Kastles owner Mark Ein and San Diego Aviators owner Fred Luddy. In 2019 Orange County Breakers owner Eric Davidson joined the board as co-majority owner. The league managed to play through the COVID virus years of 2020 and 2021 but scaled back operations and suspended the 2022 season, with no indication as to when it would return.

Springfield Lasers and Orange County Breakers each won two of the last six championships with San Diego Aviators and New York Empire taking the other two trophies in that six year period to suspending operations.

[1] World Team Tennis (2021) World Team Tennis Media Guide 2021  – p27/30 [Internet] Avvailable from: https://wtt.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/11/WTTMediaGuide2021Final.pdf [Accessed 27 August 2025]

[2] World Team Tennis (2021) WTT Finals [Internet] Available from: https://wtt.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/11/2021WTTFinalsNotes.pdf [Accessed 27 August 2025]

[3] World Team Tennis (2021) November 28, 2021 – Orange County wins third title in franchise history with win over Springfield [Internet] Available from: https://web.archive.org/web/20251011014921/https://wtt.com/2021/11/28/orange-county-wins-third-title-in-franchise-history-with-win-over-springfield/?blog_id=1 [Accessed 29 December 2025][Accessed on Wayback Machine Internet Archive]

[4] Texas Tennis Museum & Hall of Fame (2025) World Team Tennis [Internet] Available from: https://www.texastennismuseum.org/wtt-history [Accessed 29 December 2025]

Researched, compiled and written by Enda Mulcahy for the

Eirball | Irish North American and World Sports Archive

Last Updated: 29 December 2025. First Published: 29 December 2025

(c) Copyright Enda Mulcahy and Eirball 2025

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