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Former Australian Davis Cup winner and Olympic gold medallist Mark Woodforde will head up a new player panel for ITF tennis battlers.

Australian doubles great Mark Woodforde will head up a new men's player panel for lower-ranked tennis battlers competing on the secondary ITF tours.

The International Tennis Federation announced the creation of the ITF World Tennis Tour Player Panel to provide a forum for players to have their say on how the tour is run.

Player members will vote on each tour's panel which will make recommendations to the ITF World Tennis Tour Committee.

Players with an ATP singles or doubles ranking no higher than No.351 are eligible to nominate a fellow player or stand for election.

The ITF says further criteria have been devised to ensure that players from all regions and all ranking levels are suitably represented.

"The ITF World Tennis Tour Player Panel will be a great place for players to come together and discuss the issues that matter most to them," said Woodforde, a 17-times grand slam doubles champion, 1999 Davis Cup winner and 1996 Olympic gold medallist.

"It is essential that athletes have a significant voice in the running of the sport, and the formation of this panel gives the ITF more opportunities to engage collaboratively with the player community."