Katrina Adams

Katrina M. Adams is the former Chairman of the Board, CEO and President of the United States Tennis Association, serving in these roles from January 2015 to December 2018. During her tenure, she made history as the first African-American and the youngest person to serve as President in the organization’s long history. Adams also served as Chairman of the US Open.

In 2015, Adams was elected Vice President of the International Tennis Federation. She continued her influential work in tennis governance as the Chairman of the Fed Cup Committee, and later on, the Billie Jean King Cup Committee. Adams is also the Chairman of the Advantage All Committee, further showcasing her leadership in international tennis.

An accomplished professional player, Adams competed on the WTA tour for 12 years. She claimed 20 career doubles titles and achieved a career-high ranking of No. 8 in doubles. Her best singles performance at a Grand Slam came when she reached the fourth round at Wimbledon in 1988.

Adams has been a strong advocate for tennis development, particularly in underserved communities. Since 2005, she has been the Executive Director of the Harlem Junior Tennis and Education Program. Under her leadership, the USTA opened the National Campus and transformed the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center, making tennis more accessible.

Her extensive contributions to tennis and her community have been recognized widely. Adams is a member of several halls of fame, including the Northwestern Hall of Fame and the Black Tennis Hall of Fame. She was also named one of the “25 Influential Black Women in Business” by The Network Journal.

In addition to her roles in tennis administration, Adams has authored "Own the Arena," which was published in February 2021. She has discussed her book and career on platforms such as "Good Morning America" and "PBS Newshour." Adams continues to contribute to the sport as a television analyst for Tennis Channel and a contributor to Tennis magazine and tennis.com.

Katrina Adams, a Chicago native, resides in White Plains, N.Y., and is actively involved with several non-profit organizations and private sector companies, including Pivotal Acquisition Corp, GSE Worldwide, and Athletes Unlimited.