USTA National Campus Open For Business

The new “Home of American Tennis” has arrived.

The United States Tennis Association officially opened its USTA National Campus on Monday in Lake Nona, Fla., and held a ceremonial “First Serve” on Thursday. Former World No. 1 Jim Courier, former world No. 4 James Blake and former Top 20 doubles player Eric Butorac, who began serving last October as the USTA’s Director of Professional Tennis Operations and Player Relations, were on hand for the ceremony.

“A lot of people in America don’t understand that public parks and courts are available. Tennis isn’t as inaccessible as some might think it to be,” said Courier to the Orlando Sentinel. “It’s not an elitist sport. There are opportunities for you to come play at a facility like this.”

The $60 million, 64-acre facility includes 100 tennis courts, the Adidas Performance Center for the USTA Player Development programme, a Collegiate Area to host dual college matches, and the Nemours Family Zone with both 36-foot and 60-foot courts to introduce young players to the sport. In addition, all 84 tournament courts will feature live streaming.

“The way they’ve done this and the way they structured the facility is just unbelievable,” said Blake.

Several ATP World Tour players trained at the facility prior to its official opening, including Bob Bryan, Mike Bryan and #NextGenATP star Frances Tiafoe.