New USTA Spending Spree Pours $1.4 Billion Into Two Zip-Codes

Hello, dear readers, friends, and racquet sports enthusiasts.

I hope you all had a good January and stayed warm in large parts of the USA. At times, I did not succeed in staying warm in Germany. Happily returning January 4 to a balmy 70-75 degrees in Los Angeles, where I was looking forward to my first-ever Jury Duty, but was dismissed on the 1st day.

Had an interesting afternoon at Steve Bellamy’s TYPTI event in El Segundo (Los Angeles area). The highlight of this event for me was getting to experience the outstanding California SMASH pickleball facility. TYPTI seems to be more fun to play than pickleball. However, in a world of Pickleball, Padel, and POP, does TYPTI solve a problem players actually have, or is it just another paddle in an already full bag?

See my report in this month’s article TYPTI: A New Sport for People Who Have Never Heard of Touchtennis.

Saw this Facebook post by College Tennis Coaching Legend Dick Gould and decided to repost it here. Regardless of whether you knew Scott Davis or not, if you have a few dollars to spare, help out a fellow tennis coach. Click on the image to get to the GoFundMe page.

Scroll down to check out the PTR/PPR ad promoting the upcoming International Racquets Conference, February 13-16 at Saddlebrook Resort.

Why don’t you join them at this beautiful resort this year? For learning, networking, and a little fun. And join me for a cup of coffee (or something stronger) because Racket Business has a booth again this year. Click on the ad for registration info. (While you’re there, check out the amazing list of 58 speakers!)

Btw, watch out for more details about this super event in your emails next week.

I do hope you all stay warm, especially in the Midwest and on the East Coast, and wish you dry courts wherever you are teaching or playing.

Rich Neher
Co-Publisher

Rich,

I read this article about an AI fitness coach in the Wall Street Journal: I Tested an AI Fitness Coach Who Wouldn’t Accept Any of My Excuses

The description of it is more sophisticated than I expected. For the most part, the people who left comments that I read were not impressed.

How far are we from having an AI equivalent that is an AI tennis coach?  It seems like AI could be used in conjunction with a ball machine or to provide tactical feedback.

The Commish
Everywhere, USA
Pronouns: They/Them

Rich,

How can the USTA get away with spending almost a billion dollars on those US Open improvements while thousands of tennis courts are either being converted to pickleball or dying in need of desperate repair? To add insult to injury, there is a rumor that part of the billion for the improved US Open facility will go to building brand-new Pickleball courts. The same rumor says they’ll add 24 new Pickleball courts at their Orlando “National Campus.”

WTF?

The Commish
Everywhere, USA
Pronouns: They/Them

Re: USTA Competing with Clubs and Pros Threatens the Livelihood of Private Businesses

CBS 12 News reported on December 3: West Palm Beach residents push back against USTA takeover of public tennis centers.

STET News Palm Beach County reported on December 18: Final set? West Palm dumps tennis pro over public comments.

More often than not, it’s the USTA Pacific Northwest making anti-business headlines. See our articles from December, 2025 (USTA: Is the PNW Section in Direct Competition with Clubs?), September 2025 (When Will Tennis Break Its Shackles?), and August 2024 (USTA Sections' Undeclared War On Private Clubs and Independent Teaching Pros). We also had many articles about the shenanigans at PNW in the Racket Business predecessor, Tennis Club Business. It all started with whistleblower allegations about PNW executives (VEO and COO) “looting our section.”

So, I wasn’t suprised reading this article reported on January 7 in WWEEK: USTA COULD TAKE OVER PORTLAND TENNIS CENTER. We now know their m.o.: Promise the city a lot, take over, and lower prices so the surrounding businesses can’t keep up.

Shame on you, PNW!

Re: INTENNSE

• INTENNSE Announces First Group of Head Coaches Ahead of Second Season and March 13 Draft

• Bryan Brothers Join INTENNSE™ Ownership Group

• INTENNSE Rounds Out 2026 Head Coaching Staff in Advance of March 13 Draft
  

Re: Transgender Issues

Athletes, coaches and sports officials supporting the "save women's sports" defendants

Re: Child Predator lawsuits

===> Former USTA tennis coach with ties to Florida charged with rape from 1980
Douglas Wade Booth, 71, of Glenville, North Carolina, is charged with second degree rape, indecent liberties with a child, second degree sexual offense, indecent liberties with a child, and second degree sexual offense.
Read article

===> Local organization leads efforts against human trafficking during prevention month Read article

Re: PTPA

===> PTPA May Seek $1 Billion Raise for Efforts to Remake Pro Tennis
The PTPA—which has advocated for improvements in player benefits, safety, rules, tournament schedules and compensation in pro tennis—is looking for an organizational advisor. Read article

Re: ITIA and Doping

===> Croatian tennis player provisionally suspended under Tennis Anti-Doping Programme.
The International Tennis Integrity Agency (ITIA) today confirms that Jana Fett, a 29-year-old tennis player from Croatia, has been provisionally suspended under the Tennis Anti-Doping Programme (TADP).  Read article

Re: San Diego Open: An “Unforgettable” Tennis Experience?

===> I may have been a little too hasty in criticizing this event.
In the meantime, reading the tournament’s regular posts, I realize how much energy Ryan Redondo and his team are putting into making it a success. Very professional. Very impressive. I apologize for my criticism! San Diego Open.

Re: USTA Southern California: Masters in Deception

Response from the CEO: Crickets.
Response from the President: Crickets.
Response from an insider: “You nailed it!”

I must have been right.

Oh, darn it, I forgot. They are probably following the USTA National doctrine to “ignore the noise” like lemmings. Proclaimed by Kurt Kamperman at the 2016 Annual Meeting at La Costa Resort in Carlsbad, California.

Sigh. That USTA section was once so great…

(Did you hear the noise? That was Henry Talbert turning in his grave…)

Re: USTA to hire Craig Tiley? Really?

At the time of this writing, it is believed that Tiley is in possession of a job offer from the USTA. Here are some thoughts:

• Is the USTA looking for a visionary for the sport, or just a CEO who knows how to maximize Grand Slam revenue at any cost?

• Hiring Tiley might fix the balance sheet, but will it fix the empty local courts?

• Tiley’s decision to break ranks and reach a private settlement with the PTPA has led many to view him as a traitor to the other Grand Slams. By reportedly agreeing to cooperate against his peers and share confidential financial data, he has effectively traded the unity of the 'Big Four' for his own legal immunity.

Re: Another set of USTA-generated bogus numbers?

• I suggest you read the Project Play data and want to point out the "strained plausibility" of tennis growing while every other sport (except golf) shrinks.

• If tennis is truly growing at this rate, why are we seeing a record number of court conversions? The math simply isn't mathing.

Aaaah, Pickleball. Remember the times when every Pickleball player was like an Ambassador, very welcoming to anyone approaching the court? I remember some time in 2015, at a public park in Palm Desert, California. My good friend Barbara Wintroub pointed that place out to me. I heard this strange noise coming from a pair of public tennis courts. Approaching the fence, a woman on the court shouted to me, “Come on in, we have a paddle for you.”

That was my first ever exposure to Pickleball. One thing immediately crossed my mind: This would have never happened on a tennis court. Especially in an area with a lot of USTA league players who are notoriously cliquish and unwelcoming to beginners. (USTA Section League Coordinators, responsible for revenues from League transactions, would of course never admit to that.)

Over the years, I became exposed to much more Pickleball and to a bunch of very passionate USPA Ambassadors who volunteered their time and welcomed anyone into the Pickleball fold. Very admirable.

Well, in the meantime, pickleball has experienced some “growing pains.”

• Increased Competitiveness and Cliques: As the sport has matured, higher-level players sometimes form exclusive groups, creating an unwelcoming atmosphere for beginners or intermediate players.
  Looks familiar?

• Skill Gaps and Judgment: New players report being made to feel unwelcome if they cannot keep up with more skilled players.
  Looks familiar?

• Court Space Conflict: Intense, high-demand, and sometimes aggressive competition for, specifically, dedicated court space has created tensions between players.
  Looks familiar at times?

• Noise Concerns: The noise generated by Pickleball, described as a persistent "popping" sound, has led to what is often called "noise pollution" complaints in residential areas, causing backlash from, for example, neighbors.

I predicted some time ago that Pickleball would eventually migrate from its friendly, welcoming atmosphere toward the more rigid culture we see in tennis today. We see this most clearly in USTA Adult Leagues, which have arguably caused many of the participation issues tennis faces today.

It isn't just a youth recruitment problem, either. Remember when former USTA CEO Lew Sherr pointed out that 98% of the 'Covid-era' adult players left the sport after only twelve months? I am convinced that a significant portion of the millions who abandoned tennis found exactly what they were looking for in Pickleball and traded their rackets for paddles.

My “Hmmm…” Moment

So, as we watch more tennis courts being converted to Pickleball and more beginners walking away after a single year, we have to ask: is the USTA’s current strategy actually working for the sport, or just for the bottom line? One thing is certain—while the USTA is busy debating PR tactics, Pickleball is busy welcoming your former players. And they’re bringing their own paddles.

If the USTA continues to ignore these cultural cracks while chasing marquee US Open revenues, they may eventually find themselves presiding over a sport that has plenty of history, but very few players left to share it.

The Billion-Dollar Disconnect: Luxury in New York, Exit Ramps in Orlando

The USTA’s recent financial maneuvers reveal a staggering concentration of wealth in two "marquee" hubs, while the rest of the American tennis infrastructure is left to fight for scraps. Between the massive "reimagination" in New York and the continuous expansion in Orlando, the USTA has effectively poured billions into two zip codes while local community courts continue to crumble.

1. The $800 Million New York "Reimagination"

The USTA recently announced the largest single investment in US Open history—an $800 million makeover of the Billie Jean King National Tennis Center. When added to the $600 million transformation completed in 2018, the total investment in this single facility has reached nearly $2 billion.

• Arthur Ashe Stadium Upgrade ($550 million): This includes a flashy new "Grand Entrance" and an upward extension of the courtside bowl to add 2,000 new premium seats.

• Player Performance Center ($250 million): A four-story luxury facility featuring "spa-like" locker rooms, private cafes, and expansive indoor/outdoor fitness areas reserved exclusively for elite athletes.

• The Luxury Pivot: Nine new club spaces and restaurants are being built into the stadium's lower levels, effectively replacing the USTA's own administrative offices to maximize high-end hospitality revenue.

2. The Orlando Expansion: 80,000 Square Feet of "Mixed Signals"

While the billion-dollar projects in New York grab the headlines, the USTA National Campus in Orlando is quietly doubling down on its own massive infrastructure.

• The Original Cost: The campus, which opened in 2017, already required an initial $63 million investment.

• Massive New Footprint: Recent reports indicate a new 80,000-square-foot indoor facility is in development to support the campus’s role as the "Home of American Tennis".

• Building the Exit Ramps: Despite its tennis-first branding, the campus is increasingly marketed as a destination for pickleball and padel, featuring dedicated courts for each to accommodate the rising demand.

My "Hmmm..." Moment

How can the USTA justify spending nearly a billion dollars on 2,000 more luxury seats and "spa-like" player lounges while simultaneously admitting that community courts nationwide are in desperate need of repair?

In 2025, the USTA celebrated its "most significant financial pledge" for nationwide courts: an additional $10 million in grants. While that may sound impressive, it represents a mere 1.25% of what they are spending on the current US Open stadium upgrades. It seems the USTA's "35x35" vision is more focused on building luxury suites in New York and elite centers in Orlando than it is on saving the local courts where 35 million people are actually supposed to play.

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The FUNNIEST Tennis Press Conference Moments

My favorite clips are with Nole!