Formed in 1972, the ATP is a was formed to protect the interests of male professional tennis players. Since 1990, the association has organized the worldwide tennis tour for men and linked the title of the tour with the organization’s name. In 2009, an evolution of the tour competitions previously known as the ATP Tour, Grand Prix tennis tournaments and World Championship Tennis(WCT) occurred creating the ATP World Tour.  The sister organization in the women’s professional game is the Women’s Tennis Association (WTA).