Jimmy Borendame, the Head Men’s Tennis Coach at Middle Tennessee State University (MTSU), recently addressed the construction in front of Murphy Center on Middle Tennessee Boulevard. “By next year the space will look completely different…Our new tennis center will be the front porch of the university.”
Last year, MTSU announced that they would be building a new $4.8 million dollar outdoor on-campus tennis complex to replace the current 40-year-old Buck Bouldin Tennis Center consisting of 14 outdoor courts that sit on the corner of Middle Tennessee Boulevard and Greenland Drive. While those courts received some extensive renovations in the early 2000s, the most recent update was in 2012. And they were heavily affected by all of the construction during the huge facelift that Middle Tennessee Boulevard received over the last few years.
The new complex will include eight competition courts with viewing stands. Initial plans also call for the building of coach’s offices and team locker rooms. The new tennis complex project is being funded through gifts from former players, the local tennis community and funds set aside from the Middle Tennessee Boulevard road improvement project.
“We appreciate our players and supporters stepping forward to create a true competitive advantage for our tennis teams and further enhance our campus,” said MTSU President, Dr. Sidney A. McPhee.
In a press release, MTSU Athletics Director Chris Massaro said, “[The complex] comes on the heels of improvements to the school’s softball and golf facilities, continuing Middle Tennessee’s commitment to improving our facilities. This complex will enhance the vision for improvements in our athletic village area including a new Student Athlete Performance Center and improvements to Floyd Stadium, Murphy Center.”
McPhee explained that when combined with the current Adams Tennis Complex, this project will make the MTSU facilities some of the best in the region.
The $5.8 million dollar, 70,000 square foot Adams Indoor Tennis Complex at Old Fort Park was built in 2015. Funding came from the City of Murfreesboro, MTSU and the Christy-Houston Foundation, as well as interested individual donors. It provides eight indoor tennis courts, two electronic scoreboards, a pro shop, a lounge area, and a mezzanine for spectator viewing. It is also available for public use.
MTSU will also share the new courts with the community. One way they will be sharing is through the tennis programs’ kid’s activities, including camps and introductions to the game. Their Rally Cats program is a way for kids to get a chance to swing a racket and hit a few balls while keeping prices down. They also run summer tennis camps for kids through partnerships with Nike and Wilson.
“This new facility will be a game changer,” said Borendame. “It will bring more people to the campus, and grow the game of tennis.”
MTSU’s men’s tennis currently holds the longest home winning streak in the country, and both men’s and women’s tennis have been on the rise which has attracted lots of attention, including Notre Dame coming to the MTSU campus for a tournament for the first time ever.
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