Tennis a Grand Slam On College Campuses

USTA Tennis on Campus
For Active.com

The inspiration for Tennis on Campus began nearly 30 years ago as an idea shared between Billie Jean King and Larry King.

The goal was a program to promote and support the expansion of recreational tennis on college campuses across the country.

Today this dream is a reality with over 500 colleges and 35,000 student-athletes currently participating in the Tennis on Campus program. Featuring co-ed teams competing in intramural and intercollegiate (club) play using the World Team Tennis format, Tennis On Campus offers many college students an opportunity to continue playing tennis throughout their college career.

"I've always felt that for kids that play high school and junior tennis, there should be something for them in college," said tennis coach Wayne Bryan. "Well, now there is."

Perfect for athletes who have chosen not to make the jump from high school to college varsity, Tennis On Campus offers match play and regional and national championship competition, while helping students maintain active and healthy lifestyles through their college years.

“With more than 300,000 varsity high school tennis players who don’t play collegiate varsity tennis, the USTA Tennis On Campus program provides the ideal alternative for organized tennis play on college campuses,” said Kurt Kamperman, USTA Chief Executive of Community Tennis.

The program focuses on providing co-ed team play opportunities for the entire campus community through sport club tennis teams and intramural tennis programs.

"Tennis on campus provides a lot of things for college students," said Glenn Arrington, USTA National Manager, Collegiate and Corporate Tennis. "For one, it provides student leadership. Students have to form their own teams, raise their own money and organize their schedules to get here. They really become young leaders."

Following the collegiate academic schedule, all 17 USTA sections hold championships in the spring, with the winner and second place finisher earning an automatic bid to the USTA National Campus Championship.

The National Campus Championship is the pinnacle of the Tennis On Campus program. 64 teams representing colleges and universities throughout the nation will join four-time defending champion Texas A&M for the three-day event. Tennis legend Billie Jean King will be on hand as honorary guest to support and share her tennis insights with participating teams.

"This is as cool an event as we offer all year at the USTA," said Kamperman. "The camaraderie and social interaction, combined with the competition, which is really strong, is exciting to watch."

Played at the award winning 30-court Cary Tennis Park in Cary, North Carolina, the Campus Championships provide a minimum of six matches for each school and round robin and playoff opportunities.

The USTA National Campus Championship is administered in partnership by the USTA, National Intramural-Recreational Sports Association (NIRSA), World TeamTennis (WTT), and Intercollegiate Tennis Association (ITA).