The founder of the Clube Internacional de Foot-Ball (CIF) in 1902, Guilherme Pinto Basto, was a distinguished tennis player and a passionate advocate of the sport. On 16 March 1925, he founded the Federação Portuguesa de Lawn Ténis, serving as its President until 1934, with Afonso Vilar as Vice-President during that period.
Between 1925 and 1934, tennis experienced a significant expansion in Portugal. The CIF was one of the clubs that contributed most to the technical and social development of the sport, particularly through the quantity and quality of competitions it organised at both national and international levels.
Key figures such as Dr Alberto Amado, who led the tennis section, and Professor Vasco Galvão, responsible for the CIF Tennis School, played a central role in enhancing the technical standard of its players.
During this period, the CIF was represented by some of the most prominent names in Portuguese tennis.
