2017 Year in Review: Debut of the USTA National Campus

Love-15: As 2017 draws to a close, USTA.com is taking a look back at the top 15 storylines, headlines and highlights from the year in American tennis. Up now: The opening of the USTA National Campus.

USTA President Katrina Adams said it best: “This is nirvana, with nets.”

In January, the highly anticipated USTA National Campus officially made its debut, ushering in a bright new era for American tennis. The expansive campus, covering 64 acres in the Lake Nona section of Orlando, Fla., offers 100 courts of varying surfaces (hard and clay, outdoor and indoor), providing American pros with a home base to train and residents of the Orlando community a place to play 363 days of the year (all but Thanksgiving and Christmas). 

And play they did. Throughout the year, the National Campus hosted more than 100 events and welcomed thousands of recreational players, aspiring pros, fans and some of the best and brightest in the game.

Events included the USTA League National Championships, Tennis On Campus National Championship, USTA Pro Circuit tournaments, College MatchDay events, the ITF Super-Seniors World Championships and scores of local and regional events. And among those who journeyed to or trained at the facility included rising stars such as Frances Tiafoe and CiCi Bellis, both of whom warmed up for the French Open on the European red clay courts located at the campus’ Player Development facilities, as well as US Open finalist Madison Keys, doubles legend Mike Bryan and tennis luminaries Chris Evert, Jim Courier and Ivan Lendl.

“For players of every age and every ability, the USTA National Campus will raise the bar on how we deliver tennis, with the goal of making our great sport more accessible to more people than ever before,” Adams said at the campus’ grand opening. “If you are into playing tennis – or if you want to be a future coach, official or tournament director – this is your go-to place.”