The U.S. Tennis Association announced the start of its first all-encompassing coaching program on Wednesday, a little more than a year after an outside review of the USTA's safeguarding system offered recommendations for how to better protect players from abuse such as sexual misconduct.

“At the end of the day, we have to create safe environments for all our players,” Craig Morris, the CEO of the new USTA Coaching initiative, said in a video interview with The Associated Press from Florida.

Morris said the USTA now can make sure that everyone who is certified is Safe Play approved, including completing a criminal background screening and being able to identify, respond to and prevent misconduct.

The USTA estimates there are currently 25,000 to 30,000 coaches in the United States, an

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