NOTE - Most of this information was taken from a publication about the Louisville Tennis Center originally published by Sam English Jr., in February 1998.
The idea for the Louisville Tennis Center was conceived in July 1964 by Sam English Jr., who then founded a private non-profit corporation named Louisville Municipal Tennis Center, Inc. John L. Richards was elected secretary-treasurer and English became president. Initial board directors were Joe Creason, Tom Graham, Jr., Wes A. Gunther, Charles J. Kane, Sr., William F. Lucas, Richard Swigart, Richards and English.
The Center's objectives were:
- To provide a centrally-located tennis center for the promotion and development of tennis in the Louisville area;
- To increase Louisville's reputation as a city which actively supports and produces players of exceptional ability;
- To provide a public facility which can immediately attract national amateur and professional tournaments;
- To provide a public facility on which high school, college, local and state championships can be held;
- To provide for public instruction through the Kentucky Tennis Patrons Foundation or the City Division of Recreation.
Tennis Center, Inc. then approached Mayor William Cowger and Alderman President Kenneth Schmied for financial assistance. These city officials agreed to give their full support if the Tennis Center, Inc. would raise additional funds. Barry Bingham, Sr., Chairman of the Courier-Journal and Louisville Times Foundation, immediately agreed to donate one of the fast-dry courts. A large number of individuals and companies gave $5 to $250. The newspaper foundation and the Jerry McNerney Foundation were the major private contributors. The two center courts were dedicated to McNerney in appreciation for his past service to local tennis.
In 1965, Kenneth Schmied became mayor, and during his term in office the administration purchased a large portion of the Ben Collings estate on Trevilian Way. After Schmied recommended that part of the land be the location of the Louisville Tennis Center, the city made a major financial commitment. Local tennis enthusiasts Claude Harris and T. Ballard Morton were most helpful in the negotiations with Mayors Cowger and Schmied.
On May 19, 1969, the ten-court center was opened at 4:30 p.m. in spite of a heavy rain earlier in the day. A few weeks later the air-conditioned clubhouse was completed and the seating capacity was increased from 600 to 2,300. Attending the May 19 ceremony were all-time greats Pancho Gonzalez, Roy Emerson, Dennis Ralston and Earl Bucholz. Lamar Hunt in Dallas arranged for the players to come. Daniel Boone Fried Chicken Company provided their transportation, and Tennis Center, Inc., gave each player $100 for their exhibition. A very large overflow crowd appeared, causing a large traffic jam. An undetermined number of fans were turned away due to limited parking and seating.
Later that summer, the Tennis Center hosted the third annual USTA Junior Clay Court National Championships, the Kentucky State Championships, and the Falls City Tournament. In 1970, the Louisville International Tennis Classic was founded. Rod Laver, the number one player in the world, defeated John Newcombe in the finals. Over the following years, many great players such as Ken Rosewall, Arthur Ashe, Stan Smith, Manuel Orantes, Guillermo Vilas, Jimmy Connors, John McEnroe, Billy Jean King and Bobby Riggs played at the center.
After 1969, many improvements were made. The two center courts were converted to one in order that the seating be gradually increased to an approximate capacity of 5,100. Lighting was place on the center court for night play. These improvements were primarily made possible by the administrations of Mayor Frank Burke, Mayor Harvey Sloane, Jefferson County Judge Todd Hollenbach, the Kentucky Tennis Patrons Foundation and First National Bank of Louisville. In the late 1980s, the quality of the center began to decline, and the north and southside seating were removed.
In 1996, Mayor Jerry Abramson, Metro Parks, Caritas and Sam English, Jr., arranged to have the center completely renovated, and the National Public Parks Tennis Championships were held there during the summer.
The Tennis Center began experiencing difficulties in 2000, and was closed during 2002 and 2003. In 2004, the Center re-opened under the direction of Metro Parks Director Mike Heitz and Head Pro Pete McGrath, and quickly became a profitable and viable operation as demand for courts and tennis programs rose sharply. In 2007, the Tennis Center was expanded to 11 courts in an attempt to keep up with demand. By that year, the Tennis Center operated a juniors program with more than 500 kids taking lessons weekly, and the courts full with adult league play on evenings and weekends. Between 2004 and 2008, the Tennis Center grew at more than 60 percent each year and became the most-played tennis facility in the state.
In 2008, the Louisville Tennis Center reintroduced tournament play by hosting the Sam English Clay Court Championships and was chosen by the USTA/Kentucky Tennis Facility of the Year.
During 2009, the Tennis Center will reintroduce the Falls Cities Championships, which had been known as Louisville's city tennis championship since its inception in 1907 until the closure of the Tennis Center in 2000.