In what year was the Association of Tennis Professionals founded? 1972. The ATP was formed in 1972 as a players’ association during the US Open in New York.
Around 70 professional players helped establish the organization at the West Side Tennis Club in Forest Hills. Cliff Drysdale became its first president, while Jack Kramer served as executive director. The goal was to give male professional players a stronger collective voice in tournament decisions, scheduling and working conditions.
A common mix-up is 1968, the start of tennis’s Open Era, when professionals were allowed to compete alongside amateurs at major tournaments. Another is 1973, the year the ATP introduced its computer rankings, with Ilie Năstase becoming the first world No. 1. The modern ATP Tour itself emerged later, in 1990, after the men’s professional circuit was reorganized.
Thus, 1972 refers specifically to the founding of the Association of Tennis Professionals, not to the launch of the rankings or the later ATP Tour structure.