American Tennis Association.

The American Tennis Association (ATA) isn't unlike any other organization--facing challenges from within and criticism from without. However, the mark of any successful organization is its ability to reach its stated goals despite such distractions. To that end, ATA executive director Albert Tucker is going full steam ahead. The ATA is in the process of nailing down a national headquarters and training center in Broward County, Florida, and has assembled its first ever national team.

These are among the initiatives applauded by organizers of the Black Enterprise/Pepsi Golf & Tennis Challenge, who, for the third consecutive year, have designated the ATA as one of the two primary charities to benefit from the tournament, now in its third year.

These are just the latest positive steps for an organization that has been around for 80 years and has seen its membership increase to more than 7,000 players. And yet, despite all the positive advancements, despite such success stories as Althea Gibson, Arthur Ashe, Zina Garrison-Jackson, Rodney Harmon, Leslie Allen-Selmore, Lori McNeil and Chanda Rubin, there's not a day that goes by without Tucker feeling he has to justify the ATA's presence and its motives.

"Right now, as it applies to African Americans, one of the things we don't have is our own national training center," says Tucker. "We have players who graduate from college and go off on the satellite tournaments, but because of a lack of training, coaches or whatever, they fall between the cracks.

We have some players who get involved in the USTA programs, but that is a very uncomfortable feeling. When 1 talk to parents and kids, they say the biggest problem they have with the USTA programs is that they feel so all alone. This is something for us to rally around. We can develop our own black champions, which would be a have for marketing and, more important, something that African Americans can be proud of."

There are some ATA members who feel that the organization should have nothing to do with the USTA, claiming that the USTA steals all the good black talent. The flip side are those who feel that the ATA shouldn't exist and that players should compete in the USTA's minority participation program. Tucker disagrees with both and contends that the ATA is simply trying to enhance opportunities for young, black players to participate in USTA events.

The reality is that if our players don't participate in USTA activities, they're not going to get recognized by the major colleges," he says. "Right now a ranking in the USTA means a lot more than a ranking in the ATA. I'm trying to create opportunities and more choices for them. We are not in competition with the USTA."

If Tucker has his way, the ATA will relocate from its sparse office in Temple Hills, Md., to a full-service public facility in Florida by 1997. Tucker's plan is for the venue to have 21 courts, including a stadium court that could accommodate 3,000-5,000 spectators. Five of the courts would be hardcourt, the other 16 would be clay. Three to four coaches would be on staff year round to help train the national team. The training center would have the latest training equipment, plus a lounge, locker rooms and office space. The facility also would be available for adults looking to hone their game during a one- to two-week Florida get-away.

This isn't the first time the ATA has had high hopes for a national headquarters and training center. At one point it was trying to work out a deal with Richmond, Va., then Philadelphia, then West Palm Beach. Broward County stepped in after hearing about the West Palm Beach offer and the negotiations have been promising. According to Tucker, Broward County would provide approximately $2.5 million toward building the center, while the ATA is looking to raise the rest of the funding for the project through its own capital campaign. Tucker is trying to determine whether the ATA can raise some of the monies by selling the naming of the public courts to interested businesses.

The ATA continues to identify and train young talent. A 20-member ATA National Team was scheduled to be announced this summer after tryouts in Ft. Lauderdale and Atlanta. The ATA will then develop a schedule for national team members, which will include travel to various national and international tournaments. The ATA will work to ensure that financial limitations do not prevent these players from participating in tournaments; provide a national coaching staff that emphasizes match play strategy, sports science and fitness development; and ensure that team members have racquet and clothing endorsements, as well as counseling and placement assistance for collegiate tennis scholarships.

"Because of a lack of facilities for African Americans, I am committed to trying to make this work," says Tucker. "There's a consensus that people don't want this to happen, both black and white people. The more resistance I get, the more determined I become. Somebody has to take the charge to make this happen, because if it doesn't we're going to keep seeing just one or two African Americans playing on the pro circuit. We have to step it up ourselves."