Wake Forest will host the 2018 Men's and Women's NCAA Tennis Championships, thanks to new digs. The school's tennis complex holds prestige among the collegiate tennis realm, having been named the No. 3 facility in the country by Tennis.com last year. But even more improvements are underway for Fall 2016 and with the addition of the Southern Family Court Seating, the Wake Forest facility will be home to 718 new, permanent seats beginning this August, opening the door for the national championships.
This complex not only provides a home for both the men's and women's tennis programs, but it also hosts the Winston-Salem Open each August, the last tournament in the Emirates Airline U.S. Open Series. With the new seating undergoing construction at this time, as well as the 13-court lighted facility built in 2011, Wake Forest's complex has the potential to become among the nation's premier venues.
Jeff Wyshner, the women's head coach, recognizes how the continued improvements to the facility can only assist the tennis programs in upcoming years.
"We are very excited about the new facility," Wyshner told HERO Sports. "This will provide a much better experience for fans, players, and even future recruits."
Following the seating addition and being awarded the 2018 national championships, Wake Forest will have four banks of three courts, in addition to the eight court indoor facility. Jeff Bresky, the men's head coach, said that the athletic department is working on future plans for expansion prior to the 2018 championships as well, such as new scoreboards for the indoor facility. As the facility already hosts numerous junior tournaments, the ATP event, 25K Futures event and Challenger events in addition to the Wake Forest men's and women's programs, the new renovations are key to ensuring a proper experience for all who will be in attendance in 2018.
"There is a permanent stadium in the works to help build the program even more," Bresky said. "I'm very excited about the continuing improvement of the facility and to see all that alumni, donors and the administration have done for us."
The new complex exceeds the previous facility without comparison, as the old complex showcased five on-campus courts: one court short of being able to even play a full collegiate-level match. Needless to say, the Wake Forest Tennis Complex, the Southern Family Court Seating, and the eight-court indoor facility entice friends, family and tennis fans to the university.
Wyshner said, "When people attend our matches or visit our facility, you can see that the school, the athletic department, and the community are really behind Wake Forest's tennis program."
The coaches both acknowledged that recruits visiting the campus can view some of the best courts in the world, as the complex boasts an identical playing surface world class players experience at Flushing Meadows at the U.S. Open. Wake Forest's courts are also resurfaced every summer.
The Demon Deacons tennis program enjoyed unparalleled success during the 2015-16 season, both in its tennis complex reputation and its on-court results. The women finished No. 29 in the rankings, and the men finished in top 10. It was one of the best seasons in school history and there are no plans to do anything but build upon it.
