Hall of Fame Tennis Club Honored with USTA 2021 Outstanding Facility Award

The Hall of Fame Tennis Club has been honored with the United States Tennis Association’s (USTA) 2021 Outstanding Facility Award, which recognizes excellence in the construction and/or renovation of tennis facilities throughout the country. The club is one of just 25 facilities honored nationwide.

“Great tennis facilities like these help us to grow the game at the grassroots level, and we are proud to recognize them for their ongoing impact on the sport of tennis,” said Craig Morris, Chief Executive, Community Tennis, USTA. “Each of these facilities have embraced many key tennis initiatives and kept the sport at the forefront of their community each year.”

To be considered for an award, facilities must be under the jurisdiction of a park and recreation department, an educational institution, a nonprofit corporation or be a private or commercially-owned-and-operated facility that offers both USTA and public programming designed to help grow tennis.

The Hall of Fame Tennis Club is home to 20 tennis courts, comprised of 13 grass courts, 6 hard courts, and 1 clay court. The facility has a thriving year-round membership and is also open to the public for court rentals or to participation in various programs. Year-round programming at the Hall of Fame Tennis Club includes youth and adult instruction, league play, social programming and more. The Club is also home of TeamFAME, a youth tennis and education program that provides are middle schoolers with access to tennis, academic support, and personal enrichment programs ranging from nutrition education to STEM activities. Additionally, annually in July the facility hosts the Hall of Fame Open, an ATP Tour tournament. In 2018, all grass courts at the historic property were full renovated and restored, to glowing feedback from both amateurs and professional players.

"Our team of tennis pros, groundskeepers, club staff, and leadership work really hard to deliver a wide array of high-quality programming and experiences to our tennis club members, the Newport community, and visitors to our facility. There are thousands of incredible tennis facilities across the nation, and it is a tremendous honor to see our efforts be recognized as being among the best of the best with this prestigious award from the USTA,” commented Brewer Rowe, Senior Vice President of Tennis Operations.

Facilities were judged on the following criteria: overall layout and adaptation to site; excellence of court surface and lights; ease of maintenance; accommodations for players, spectators and press/officials; aesthetics; graphics (including the use of signs and landscaping); amenities such as casual seating for spectators, food services and social areas; and the facilities’ participation in USTA programs. 

"There are thousands of incredible tennis facilities across the nation, and it is a tremendous honor to see our efforts be recognized as being among the best of the best with this prestigious award from the USTA."
- Brewer Rowe, SVP, Tennis Operations

The USTA is the national governing body for the sport of tennis in the U.S. and the leader in promoting and developing the growth of tennis at every level -- from local communities to the highest level of the professional game.

The Hall of Fame Tennis Club is among great company with the 2021 USTA Outstanding Facility Award winners, comprised of:

Public Courts: Small Tennis Centers (2 to 10 courts)

• Barceloneta Tennis Academy (Barceloneta, Puerto Rico)
• Guam National Tennis Center (Dededo, Guam)
• Kinetix Tennis (Norristown, Pa.)
• Lighthouse Point Tennis Center (Lighthouse Point, Fla.)

Public Courts: Large Tennis Centers (11 or more courts)

• Barnes Tennis Center (San Diego)
• City of Palm Beach Gardens Tennis and Pickleball Center (Palm Beach Gardens, Fla.)
• Delray Beach Tennis Center (Delray Beach, Fla.)
• HCC Tennis Center (Tampa, Fla.)
• International Tennis Hall of Fame / Hall of Fame Tennis Club (Newport, R.I.)
• Mesa Tennis Center (Mesa, Ariz.)
• Rick Macci Tennis and Fitness Center (Boca Raton, Fla.)
• Rock Hill Tennis Center (Rock Hill, S.C.)
• Southlake Tennis Center (Southlake, Texas)
• SVB Tennis and Wellness Center (Zephyrhills, Fla.)
• Tennis Center of Camden (Camden, S.C.)
• The Swim and Racquet Center (Boca Raton, Fla.)

Private Facilities

• Court 16 (Long Island City, N.Y.)
• DuPont Country Club (Wilmington, Del.)
• Matrix Racquet Club (Lowell, Ark.)
• Raleigh Racquet Club (Raleigh, N.C.)
• The Birch Racquet and Lawn Club (Keller, Texas)
• Top Seed Tennis Club (Nicholasville, Ky.)

Educational Institutions

• Marshalltown Court Complex (Marshalltown, Iowa)
• St. James High School Tennis Courts (St. James, Minn.)
• The Prout School (Wakefield, R.I.)

All 2021 award winners will receive a wall plaque and an all-weather sign, which can be mounted at the facility. One of the award winners will earn the prestigious “Featured Facility of the Year” designation and be honored as part of the USTA’s Semi-Annual Meeting later this year.