With a big first serve, the USTA has officially opened its newest facility, dubbed the ‘home of American tennis.’ The venue, located in Lake Nona in Orlando, Florida, has been years in the making, and was designed with complete player development in mind, from children’s tennis on short courts all the way up to professional play. It’ll also host tennis events throughout the year, including tournaments at the junior, collegiate, league and pro levels.
But really, it’s all about the numbers, and this facility has them in spades – or perhaps in aces. And for tennis trivia buffs, sports industry junkies or those who simply love to crunch on the figures, here are some of the best:
100: Total number of courts (Don’t bother re-reading that sentence; as eye-crossing as the figure is, you did see it right on the first read). And among those are the following:
In the adidas Player Development Area:
20: Number of courts total (including eight DecoTurf acrylic cushion courts)
6: Of the above are European Terre Davis red clay courts (Bonus number: These courts used over 450 tons of imported Italian red clay)
6: of the above are Rebound Ace indoor courts
In the Team USA/Tournament Headquarters/League Area:
32: Har-Tru (green clay) courts (watered from underground using the Hydro-Court system)
20: Number of Plexicushion acrylic cushion courts (for use by Team USA)
2: Number of championship courts (1 Har-Tru, 1 Plexicushion)
500 (numbers of spectator seats at each championship court (1,000 if temporary seating is used)
In the Collegiate Area:
12: Plexicushion courts
300-plus: Number of college dual matches will be played on campus, highlighted by a “College MatchDay” series.
1,200-Plus: Number of spectators that can be accommodated in this area
In the Nemours Family Zone (complimentary admission upon availability):
16: Total number of courts, including 8 36-foot and 8 60-foot courts for children’s tennis with PowerGame™, environmentally friendly SportBase™ replacing the traditional cement subsurface
84: Total number of tournament courts that provide live-streaming of play
64: Total acreage of the venue
100-plus: Number of events scheduled at the venue in 2017 alone (as a side note, most of those were signed before the facility ever opened, and many were signed while it was still under construction)
40: Number of players who can be lodged at the center for Player Development while attending training programs
17: Number of USTA Sections; the facility can host events for all of these as needed in the Team USA/Tournament Headquarters/League Area
50,000: Square footage of the LEED-Certified USTA office area
0: The percentage of players who will be required to purchase a membership in order to use the campus.
The USTA partnered with the Tavistock Group, along with a consortium of regional and state partners, to develop the new tennis complex. It is the anchor of the “Lake Nona Sports & Performance District,” which includes the future home of Orlando City Soccer Club's Training Center.
Open to the public, the tennis center will serve the Orlando community by providing year-round programs for all levels of play.
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