Every top tennis player went to a tennis academy at some point. That’s true whether you are talking about professional tennis, college tennis, or even competitive junior tennis.

Tennis academies train students not just on their tennis game, but also on thier fitness and their mental strength. They give you access to top coaches and staff. You will also meet current and future great players at these academies. Many top stars still return to their academies to fine-tune their game between tournaments and during the off season.

Best Tennis Academies In The USA

Saddlebrook Tennis Academy, Tampa, Florida

Saddlebrook has 45 tennis courts that include all 4 major surfaces. A lot of well-known players such as Jim Courier, Pete Sampras, Jennifer Capriati, Martina Hingis, James Blake, Mardy Fish, Andy Roddick, Jack Sock, Bob & Mike Bryan, Alexander Zverev, Mischa Zverev, Caroline Wozniacki, Belinda Bencic, and  John Isner have trained at Saddlebrook.  Many current players still return to tune up their game.

The tennis program at Saddlebrook was originally founded by former Australian Davis Cup captain, Harry Hopman, who ran the program at Largo, Florida. Saddlebrook acquired the program in 1986 after Hopman’s passing.

Saddlebrook offers boarding and non-boarding options for students. The academy also hosts summer camps. It also has excellent fitness facilities, pools, and spa.

The tennis program costs about $65,000 for boarding students and $50,000 for non-boarding students.

IMG Tennis Academy – Bradenton, Florida

IMG is one of the best tennis academies in the world. Since it was founded more than 40 years ago, the academy has produced many top male and female tennis players.

The academy has 55 tennis courts (34 hard, 17 clay, and 4 indoor) and has tournaments on campus to promote competition.

IMG bought the Nick Bollettieri Tennis Academy, founded by Nick Bollettieri  in 1987. IMG alumni include Andre Agassi, Monica Seles, Jim Courier, Kei Nishikori, Anna Kournikova, Serena Williams, and Maria Sharapova.

Tuition for the program is between $65,900 to $85,900 per year based on the student’s age, grade, and boarding status.

Evert Tennis Academy – Boca Raton, Florida

Evert Tennis Academy was founded by former world number one and 18-time singles grand slam champion Chris Evert and her brother John Evert in 1996.

The main campus has 23 tennis courts (12 hard and 11 clay). Notable alumni from the program include Lauren Davis, Sebastien Grosjean, Madison Keys, Jesse Levine, Andy Roddick, and Ajla Tomljanović.

Evert Academy offers boarding and non-boarding option for students. Cost ranges from $29,500 to $45,500. As you probably noticed, the cost is much cheaper than most other tennis programs.

Evert Academy claims that 100% of its graduates who have pursued a college scholarship have received at least some financial assistance.

Saviano Tennis Academy – Plantation, Florida

Saviano Tennis Academy was founded by well-known tennis coach Nick Saviano. The academy counts Sloane Stephens, Amanda Anisimova, and Eugenie Bouchard as its alumni.

The academy has 28 hard courts and offers full-time, part-time, and holiday programs for students. The cost for the full-time program is $30,550.

John McEnroe Tennis Academy, Manhattan, New York

John McEnroe Tennis Academy is located in Manhattan, New York. The academy was founded by legendary tennis player, John McEnroe, in 2010. Since it is new, it doesn’t have big-name alumni like the other academies. Noah Rubin, 2014 junior Wimbledon champion, is an alumnus of the program.

The academy has 20 courts (10 hard courts, 10 clay courts). The advanced tennis program has placed a number of students at top US Collegiate programs including Amherst, Columbia, Harvard, Princeton, University of North Carolina, Wake Forest, and Yale.

Unlike other tennis programs, the John McEnroe Tennis Academy offers multiple training options. The cost of a 34-week training program (2 hours a day, 5 days a week) is around $30,000.

Van Der Meer Tennis Academy – Hilton Head Island, South Carolina

Van Der Meer Tennis Academy, located in Hilton Head Island, South Carolina, was founded in 1973. Van Der Meer also founded the Professional Tennis Registry, an organization that certifies and trains tennis coaches. He passed away in 2019.

The academy has 37 tennis courts, including 7 indoor courts. Academy alumni include  John Isner, Amanda Coetzer, Margaret Court, Billie Jean King and Alison Riske.

Van Der Meer Tennis Academy costs $23,745 per year for boarding students and $39,000 for boarding students.

The John Newcombe Tennis Ranch, New Braunfels, Texas

The John Newcombe Tennis Ranch is located in the Texas Hill Country. Founded in 1968, the academy has 27 hard courts and four hydro clay courts.

Lleyton Hewitt, Li Na and Ryan Harrsion trained at The John Newcombe Tennis Ranch. The academy has successfully placed students in college tennis programs for over 15 years.

Because of its proximity to San Antonio and Austin, the academy offers commuter programs to students who live in these two cities.

Weill Tennis Academy – Ojai, Southern California

Weill Tennis Academy is located in sunny Southern California, an idea place for tennis due to its sunny weather for most of the year. The academy has 22 courts and an excellent gym.

The academy has a great track record of sending its students to college tennis programs. Max Cressy is one of its recent alumni, who went to UCLA and later turned pro.

Sample Daily Schedule

The cost for full-time boarding students is $54,500 per year. 

Austin Tennis Academy, Austin, Texas

Austin Tennis Academy is located in the Texas Hill Country. It has 12 hard courts and 2 red clay courts in its premises. The academy also has an excellent 3200 sq ft fiteness center.

The academy offers two programs – a junior academy and an adult program. It also offers spring break, summer and winter camps. 

Austin Tennis Academy does not offer boarding for its students. Cost is approximately $15,000 per year. 

Gorin Tennis Academy –  California & Washington

Gorin Tennis Academy has multiple locations in California and Washington. Founded by Vitaly Gorin, the academy has 7 courts and has produced a number of professional tennis players including Dmitry Tursunov, Igor Kunitsyn, Nikoloz Basilashvili, and Yaroslava Shvedova 

85% of the academy’s students go to college with scholarships or turn professional. 

Gorin Academy Daily Sample Schedule

Cost of the  full time boarding program is $33,175 per year. Full-time non-boarding costs $21,300 per year.

Comparison Of The Best Tennis Academies In The United States

Tennis is one of the most popular sports in the world today. Around 90 million people around the world play the sport. The TV audience for tennis is in the hundreds of millions.

Let’s take a look at how the game of tennis started and how it has evolved over the years.

12th century  – A game called jeu de paume (“game of the palm”) was played in Northern France. The game involved striking the ball with the hand.

16th century – The name “tennis” became associated with the game. Racquets were used for the first time. Racquet derives its name from the Arabic word,  rakhat, which means palm of the hand

1830 – The lawnmower was invented. It was a big catalyst for the growth of tennis because it made preparing lawn courts for tennis easy

1870 – All England Croquet Club was established at Wimbledon.

1874 – First tennis racquet was made by Major Walter C. Wingfield in London.  The racquet was made of solid wood.

1877 – First World Tennis Championships were held at Wimbledon. Only 22 players entered the tournament. Spencer Gore won the tournament.

1881– First US Open championships held at Newport, Rhode Island. Entry was restricted to US residents. Dick Sears won the first US Open title.

1884 – Wimbledon Championships feature women and doubles for the first time.

1887 – US Open features women for the first time. Lottie Dod is the first female US Open champion.

1891 – First French Championships held. The tournament was open only to French residents.

1896 – Tennis was included in the Olympics for the first time.

1897 – French Championships are open to women for the first time.

1900– Harvard student, Dwight F.Davis, developed a structure for a new international competition along with three others. The competition was called  International Lawn Tennis Challenge. It was later renamed the Davis Cup in his honor.

1905 – First Australasian National Championships held (later renamed Australian Open). The tournament alternated between Australia and New Zealand.

1912 – International Lawn Tennis Federation formed (ITLF).  It was formed to operate the four big tournaments in tennis – Australasian Championships, French Championships, Wimbledon Championships, and the US Open). In 1977, it became ITF.

1922 – Australasian championships are open to women for the first time

1924 – Tennis dropped from the Olympics

1925 – French Championships allows residents of other countries to participate. Australasian Championships held only in Australia (no longer alternating between Australia and New Zealand)

1927 – Roland Garros stadium built. Named after World War I hero. Wimbledon introduced seeding for players.

1938 – Don Budge wins the “Grand Slam” – winning the four major tennis championships.  The term “Grand Slam” comes from the card game bridge.

1950 –  Jack Kramer creates pro tour for tennis players

1953 – Maureen Connelly becomes the first woman to win a grand slam (all 4 majors)

1960 – Idea to merge professional and amateur tennis defeated at the ITLF annual meeting.

1967 – Wilson introduces the first metal tennis racquet.

1968 – Start of the Open era.  First Open tournament held at Bournemouth.

1969 – Rod Laver wins the Grand Slam ( 4 majors), first in the Open era. He won the Grand Slam in 1962 as an amateur.

1970 – Tie-breaks introduced. Winner in the tie-break is the first person to get to 5 points.

1972– Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP) formed.

1976– Graphite and fibre glass racquets introduced

1977 – US Open moved from Forest Hills to Flushing Meadows, NY

1984– Tennis included in the Olympics again

1985– Boris Becker becomes the youngest Wimbledon champion at 17 years and 227 days

1988 – Australian Open moves to Flinders Park (Melbourne Park). Steffi Graf wins Golden Grand Slam (all 4 grand slams + Olympic gold)

1990 – Martina Navratilova wins record 9th singles title

2001 -Goran Ivanisevic becomes first wild card to win Wimbledon title

2005 – New doubles scoring system introduced. No advantage points after Deuce. Tie-break (first to ten points) instead of a third and deciding set.

2017 – Federer wins record 8th Wimbledon title (his 19th grand slam)

2018 – Federer wins 6th Australian Open title and 20th grand slam

2020 – Rafael Nadal wins record 13th French Open and 20th grand slam

2021 -Novak Djokovic wins sixth Wimbledon title and 20th grand slam