For 127 years people have been playing tennis in Waterville Valley, NH, but what many people don’t know is that the 18 red clay outdoor tennis courts have been consistently ranked as some of the best in the world.  This well-kept secret, set amid the peaks of the White Mountains National Forest, is inspiring as well as world-class.

The Waterville Valley Tennis Center was named “Top 50 Resorts in America” including “Top 5 Resorts for Families” in the 2010 Tennis Magazine awards. The center also received the Gold Medal Resort ranking, landing at #13 in the world during the 2010 annual rankings by the great tennis travel writer Roger Cox and his tennisresortsonline.com listings of tennis resorts across the globe.

Tom Gross, director of the Tennis Center, says there are four main reasons why families and individuals should visit. “It’s affordable, you can play all day on the 18 red clay courts, we have lessons that will improve a player’s game in just one hour no matter what your ability and the area provides one of the most spectacular settings anywhere in the world.”  For an added bonus, Tom was trained by and worked for some well-known names in the tennis industry such as Rod Laver, Roy Emerson and Lew Hoad.

Many tournaments are held at the Tennis Center each year including the Friendship Cup where the U.S. duels Canadian players, the New Hampshire Open Tennis Championships and the very popular Neil Roche ‘Back In The Game’ Mixed Doubles tournament which encourages all tennis players who have been away from the game to get back into it and participate in a fun mixed doubles weekend.  There are also competitive, fun tournaments during the summer and fall for all levels.

A very popular competition offered at the Tennis Center is the Round Robin program. Players rated 3.0 and above can participate and players are matched according to their skill level. It is a great way for players to improve their game while meeting new players.