Deutscher Tennis Bund e.V. (DTB)

The tennis federation in Germany · German Tennis Federation

The DTB is Germany's national governing body for tennis, delegating delivery to 17 regional 'Landesverbände', and it also lists beach tennis, padel (via a linked mypadel.de platform) and pickleball as further sports it covers. It runs the German Championships (adults, youth, seniors, team/Bundesliga and Regionalliga leagues), a national ranking and 'Leistungsklasse' (LK) rating system, junior tournament series, training centres (Bundesstützpunkte) in Hannover, Kamen, Stuttgart and Oberhaching, and Germany's Davis Cup and Billie Jean King Cup teams. Founded on 19 May 1902 in Berlin as the Deutscher Lawn Tennis Bund, when 22 clubs with around 2,500 members organised under one umbrella body; it was re-founded after WWII in 1949 under its current name.

Getting a licence

A licence is needed to play official tennis competitions in Germany.

Ordinary club members do not need a separate purchased licence, but anyone who wants a national ranking or LK (Leistungsklasse) rating needs the 'Lizenz für Ranglisten- und LK-Spieler', obtained through their club; price was not shown on the pages checked.

The licence page

Competitions and rankings

This federation also governs: Padel, Pickleball.

From the federation’s own website and its international federation, checked in September 2026.

Tennis clubs in Germany → 325 clubs Where to buy a tennis racket in Germany → 10 shops sell tennis equipment in Germany: specialist shops, sports chains and online stores.

The other racket-sport federations in Germany

Padel · DPV Pickleball · DPV Squash · DSQV Badminton · DBV Table tennis · DTTB

Deutscher Tennis Bund e.V. (DTB)

Getting a licence

Competitions and rankings

The other racket-sport federations in Germany

The tennis federation in other countries