Stone Mountain Tennis Center

Earlier this year, the Stone Mountain Tennis Center facility closed due to a non-sustainable business model. I learned about this in an issue of Net News, the great tennis magazine published by the Atlanta Lawn Tennis Association, or commonly known as ALTA here in Atlanta. I had the privilege of playing at the Stone Mountain Tennis Center on two occasions and while I am not surprised that the facility had to finally close its doors, it is unfortunate that such a great facility is no longer being used by tennis enthusiasts throughout the southeast.

The center was built for the 1996 Summer Olympic Games. Andre Agassi captured the gold medal for the United States during those games. After the Summer Games, the center was operated by a number of management organizations, but because of its location and size, it was just too difficult to bring the kinds of crowds needed to make it work.

When I moved to Atlanta from Charlotte, NC, I got in touch with the Coan Tennis Association. Our Charlotte organization usually played representatives from the Coan Association as part of a summer southeastern traveling league. The Coan Association is a great group of people committed to growing the game of tennis and they have all kinds of events throughout the year for its members as well as the larger Atlanta tennis community. One of their events is the annual Rainbow Tennis Tournament, a three day affair that brings players of all skill levels together from all over the southeast. It had been held in late May at the Stone Mountain Tennis Center. I am not sure where it will be held this year, but it is a great event to consider playing in, no matter what location it is at.

I am happy I had the chance to play in the facility. Walking the grounds, you knew it was a place where big time tennis was played. The stadium court was rather intimate with approximately 7,000 seats, but at the time of the Summer Games it held about 12,000. The grounds are very spacious, with plenty of room to stand if you want to watch the action at any of the 15 courts. Having been to a number of professional events, this setting was ideal for a major tournament. The only issue in Atlanta is that Stone Mountain is a bit out of the way in regards to downtown and routine traffic patterns and so it could be a bit of a pain to get to regularly. They hosted a few NCAA events there, but it really is not a great place to see an NCAA tennis match because the courts are all spread out. Having six courts all together is really necessary for a successful college tennis event.

After you got your court assignment at the Rainbow Tournament, you could feel the energy building as you walked the grounds with your bag over your shoulder and approached the court. It was different than showing up at a local park. The courts were always in top condition and you knew during warmups this was a special place. Looking back over your shoulder and seeing the stadium court in the distance was a simple reminder that some great tennis had been played here - Olympic tennis. Wow. Great stuff.

Thanks to the Coan Rainbow Tennis Tournament, I had the chance to play in a place very few tennis players ever have an opportunity to play in. I'll look forward to the announcement of the 2008 Rainbow Tournament, but I will be disappointed in knowing it will not be held at Stone Mountain.

Time.