Letter from the President

Dear Colleagues,

As I step in to the role of President of the WMTS organization, I want you all to know I consider it a privilege and a great responsibility. My goal is to keep this organization thriving and make our meetings a highlight event, that we look forward to, year in and year out. Our founding fathers, Dr. Stanley McCampbell and Bill Drake started this organization 49 years ago with 5 interested countries and a vision. Now we are an organization of 38 countries strong. I have to believe that the magic of this organization comes from the friendships made, the friendly but fierce tennis competition, all in the setting of a common interest in medicine and travel. Without the hard work of the past leaders, this organization would not have thrived. Many thanks to them all.

Which brings us to the present leaders. Thank you Dr. Eric Gultom, our past President, for your enthusiasm, friendliness and of course your fine leadership skills. And Dr. Egils Valeinis, our Executive Secretary who works continuously behind the scenes in ways many of us can not imagine, but without which our organization would certainly falter. Thank you both so much. Let me add my personal thanks to Micaela Hernberg, our treasurer. Her insight and contributions are so very much appreciated.

The last WMTS meeting took place in Lithuania hosted by Dr. Remigijus Zaliunas. It was amazing to experience the warm hospitality of this country. He made hosting the meeting look effortless and floored us all with how smoothly the meeting went despite several days of rain. The social events were magnificent and seemed to please everyone. Congratulations on the great success of this meeting. Please thank your extensive staff and let them know how appreciative we all are.

Our next meeting is in Antalya Turkey. It will take place October 10-16, 2021. Please join us to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the WMTS. My thanks to Turkey for offering to host the meeting. I know it will be an outstanding meeting and look forward to visiting with all the Turkish physicians.

The USA will host the 2021 meeting in Orlando, Florida, October 2-8. Please save those dates as we work hard to plan a very memorable event.

I know there are many of you who have ideas and want to contribute. Please reach out to me so we can draw from you talent and keep our organization current and magical.

Respectfully, Bonnie Sidoff MD

Welcome

Welcome to the World Medical Tennis Society’s website. If you are a tennis-playing medical doctor, from anywhere in the world, please read on. If you know of tennis-playing medical doctors, then please call this website to their attention.

This site has been developed to promote the WMTS. We want to gain new members. We want to impress physicians of the long, successful history of the organization, so they will attend our meetings and compete with us.

There are 4 main aspects of a WMTS meeting: 1) physical fitness through tennis, 2) great camaraderie among players, 3) scientific sessions that meet most governments’ requirements, and 4) travel to many places in the world. “It doesn’t get any better than that!”

Sign up! We’d like to meet you.

Sincerely,
Egils Valeinis, M.D.
Executive Secretary

WMTS Creation

In 1971, Dr. Stanley R. McCampbell, an Oklahoma City cardiologist, led a delegation of doctors to a medical/tennis congress in Monte Carlo. Of the six countries represented at the meeting, the U.S. was the only one with a physicians’ tennis organization (the American Medical Tennis Association). Dr. McCampbell and Bill Drake (AMTA Executive Director) conceived the idea for an international medical tennis organization and presented the idea to representatives of the five other countries present at Monte Carlo. They explained their AMTA organization and functions and urged those five representatives to organize similar associations in their respective homelands. The goal was to conduct regular international medical conventions with scientific program at which tennis competitions for players of all levels could be offered to the delegates and their spouses.

From the beginning, Dr. McCampbell served as president, but, at the Helsinki Congress in 1983, a health problem prompted him to submit his resignation. The Board of Directors, in appreciation of his leadership and contributions, awarded him the title of Founder-President Emeritus. A listing of his successors can be found here. Mr. Bill Drake served as Executive Secretary of the WMTS from 1971-1996 and was honored at the 1995 Congress in Arles, France for his outstanding service. Mr. Drake resigned as Executive Secretary in 1996. A listing of his successors can also be found here.
Co-Founder
Dr. Stanley McCampbell

Co-Founder
Bill Drake
The WMTS is a unique organization….loosely structured, with no formal financial support. It has prospered because of the appeal of the common denominators: medicine and tennis. There have been many unusual and improbable experiences in the Society’s 25 year history. The series of annual meetings has produced a countless number of international friendships and experiences including home visits, children being exchanged for as long as a year, patient referrals, unique travel experiences (e.g.papal audience in Rome/86), and the sharing of medical research and techniques across national and idealogical boundaries.

The future of the Society is assured and exciting. The momentum is established and each year there is a new infusion of talented and enthusiastic participants. The resulting contributions in international exchanges and understandings generated by the activities of the Society are priceless returns.

Read some excerpts from Dr. Stanley McCampbell’s memoirs of the WMTS.
A History of the World Medical Tennis Society – written by Bill Drake
The Scientific Program

The International Congress on Psychosomatic and Preventive Medicine (ICPPM) has morphed in the last few years to include nutrition, aging, medical response to injuries due to terrorist weapons and current basic science topics. Sessions are held throughout the week at venues convenient to tennis activities and flexible in timing to allow participation in the WMTS athletic activities. This provides members of the organization the opportunity to present medical papers, engage in dynamic conversation about international developments in medicine, as well as participate in collegial social activities.

The Tennis Program

There are two types of competition in WMTS tournaments. The first is entitled the Coupe de Monde. It is an open individual competition for doctors and spouses. The second is the Coupe des Nations, a Davis Cup type format in which the various nations compete in three events, a single elimination process. The trophy for the Coupe des Nations is enormous and is a traveling cup donated by Marion Labs, thus the Marion Cup. Competition for this cup has generated a lot of nationalistic pride among the delegates with cheering sections and a great deal of enthusiasm.