The birth of American tournament tennis began in 1881 when the Newport Casino hosted the first US National Singles Championship (forerunner of the US Open) and annually thereafter until 1915. Tournament tennis has been played here ever since, including the present-day Hall of Fame Tennis Championships, an event on the ATP World Tour. A National Historic Landmark, the Newport Casino today houses the world's most complete museum devoted to the sport of tennis and the history of the building. In addition, the site hosts the opening nights of the Newport Folk Festival and Jazz Festival, is home to the recently renovated Casino Theatre, has a court tennis facility, and serves as a destination for visitors worldwide.
Tennis and the Newport Casino is a collaborative effort of the museum staff at the International Tennis Hall of Fame & Museum. Douglas Stark is the museum director, Nicole Markham is curator of collections, Troy Gowen is senior archivist/curator of new technology, Joanie Agler is coordinator of the Information Research Center, and Reneé Walker-Tuttle is manager of visitor services.