RFET — Real Federación Española de Tenis

What is the RFET?

The Real Federación Española de Tenis (RFET) is the national federation for tennis in Spain. Its site gives its name as “RFET, Real Federación Española de Tenis”.^[2] The International Tennis Federation names the “Real Federación Española de Tenis (RFET)” in a June 2024 article on Spain’s adoption of the ITF World Tennis Number, quoting the RFET’s director general, Lorenzo Martinez: “The RFET and the ITF work tirelessly to increase and bring together the tennis community.”^[4]

What does the RFET govern or do?

The RFET is organised with territorial federations, which its site lists by autonomous community.^[5] It runs the Campeonatos de España, the national championships, in individual and team events for absolute, junior and veteran players.^[6] The ITF reported in June 2024 that Spain was joining the ITF World Tennis Number rating system, and quoted Martinez as saying that “Launching WTN will continue boosting tennis in Spain.”^[4]

When was the RFET founded and where is it based?

The RFET’s history page states that on 11 September 1909, during the international tournament of San Sebastián, representatives of several Spanish clubs met there “con la finalidad de formalizar la creación de la Asociación General de Lawn Tennis”.^[2]

According to the same page, the association already carried the royal title (“Real”) in the programme of the 1912 national championship. It gave up that title in mid-1931, at the start of the Second Republic, and adopted the name Federación Española de Tenis at the end of 1935. It recovered the title in 1957, becoming the present Real Federación Española de Tenis. The page also records that the federation acquired its first owned headquarters in the city of Barcelona.^[2]

How is the RFET recognised?

International federation. The ITF states that it has 214 member national tennis associations, and presents its 2026 Membership and Share Register as the full list of its member associations and their membership category.^[3] That register lists Spain under “Class B Members with voting rights”.^[1] The ITF’s own June 2024 article on Spain names the RFET.^[4]

Founding role. The RFET’s history page states that the Real Asociación de Lawn Tennis de España “es también una de las 15 asociaciones que fundan la actual Federación Internacional de Tenis” — one of the 15 associations that founded the present International Tennis Federation.^[2]

What does the RFET organise?

The federation’s championships page groups the Campeonatos de España into six series: absolute, junior and veteran championships, each held as an individual and as a team event.^[6] Its 2026 junior calendar listed the cadet individual championship from 22 June at Club Tennis Llafranc in Palafrugell, the junior team championship from 6 July in Zaragoza, the infantil individual championship (“Trofeo Manuel Alonso”) from 13 July at Torrevieja, the junior individual championship from 17 August at Club Tennis Reus Monterols, and the alevín team championship (“Trofeo Tono Páez”) from 24 August at the Real Murcia Club de Tenis 1919. The page also reported the 2026 championship for regional teams of the autonomous communities in the infantil category.^[6]

Who are its members?

The RFET’s site lists the territorial federations that make up its structure: the Federación Andaluza, Aragonesa, Canaria, Cántabra, Catalana, Extremeña, Gallega, Melillense, Navarra, Riojana and Vasca de Tenis; the Federació de Tennis de les Illes Balears; and the tennis federations of the Principado de Asturias, Castilla-La Mancha, Castilla y León, Ceuta, Madrid, the Región de Murcia and the Comunidad Valenciana.^[5] The federation’s own history traces it to a meeting of club representatives in 1909.^[2]