The USTA has broken ground on a tennis revolution and it’s called the USTA National Campus. While it’s not the first time America’s tennis governing body has done something game-changing, this project is different. It’s impressive, seemingly unimaginable, and hard to wrap your head around.
In November 2016, the USTA National Campus will open in Lake Nona, a mixed-use planned community in Orlando, Florida. There will be 102 courts—that is not a typo—and it’s going to change tennis far beyond Orlando, throughout the country, and very likely around the globe.
“There's really nothing like this in the world. This will be a unique facility,” says Gordon Smith, the USTA’s executive director and chief operating officer.
The public facility will be spread out on 63 acres of land in the southeast part of the most visited city in the country. It will include 32 Har-Tru green clay courts and 20 hard courts for local, tournament and league play; 12 hard courts for college and high school competition; eight hard courts, eight red clay courts and six indoor hard courts for High Performance development; and eight 36’ and eight 60’ hard courts for family tennis. There will be two hotels as well as dormitory lodging for players, along with offices, fitness spaces, training rooms and locker rooms. Bascially, it’s a fully functioning tennis city.
The USTA headquarters has had its home in White Plains, N.Y., about 45 minutes north of New York City. But necessary departments will be moving to the Lake Nona offices starting as early as July, with the soft opening set one year from now.
“Our mission is to promote and develop the growth of tennis, and doing it from a glass building in Westchester County is probably not the best place to do that,” Smith says. “We wanted to create a place that would allow us to promote the game at all levels, from beginners to professionals to young aspiring professionals.”
The $60-million project was an idea on a blank sheet of paper just a few years ago, and the biggest hurdle was working from scratch to make the first facility of its kind a reality. The USTA looked into a few options when deciding on a new home, with the Orlando area winning out for a variety of reasons: Great weather; a nearby international airport; plenty of accommodation options. Orlando brings in over 60 million visitors every year, with Disney World and Universal Studios just 30 minutes away. Now, it can also boast what is essentially a tennis theme park.
Team USA will be a new concept at the campus, where club professionals, tournament organizers, coaches (current and in training) and volunteers will be trained on the best practices to teach and promote the game. The 16 smaller courts will be part of an effort to boost family tennis so both parents and children can learn the sport. The University of Central Florida will use the collegiate courts for dual matches (three doubles and six singles matches), and a number of other collegiate, high school and middle school matches and tournaments will be hosted at the sprawling facility. The campus will also host cold-weather colleges during spring breaks and include a visit to nearby Disney World.