Seattle finally gets indoor tennis courts

It’s been in the works for many years. The new indoor tennis center at Magnuson Park in Seattle is finally opening its doors this Labor Day weekend and it could be a game changer.

Up until now, the city of Seattle has only had one public tennis center with covered courts.

“Ironically, it rains so much here, yet we have the least amount of indoor courts in any major city in the country,” says Jamie Dieveny, the director of Tennis Center at Sand Point.

He describes the facility as a public tennis club with private amenities.

“We want to provide kind of a county club feel where the quality is very high, the environment is first class, so if you come inside to play here, you will have a phenomenal tennis experience,” he says.

The main building includes six courts, locker rooms, a full service cafe and a pro shop. There are four additional covered courts in the building next to it.

The tennis center is being financed by a large group of private investors. They paid for the construction of the $6 million facility and are leasing the park land at Magnuson.

Long-time local high school tennis coach, Jake Moe is one of those investors.

“I set up the nets this morning for the first time and it was very emotional,” Moe says. “To have spent 15 years on this project and to be actually hooking the nets up and getting ready to play. It’s unbelievably exciting.”

Moe knows all too well how hard it is to help players improve their tennis game when they can’t get any court time or have to play matches between rain showers and squeegee wet courts. He says the opening of the tennis center is a dream come true.

Tennis Center at Sand Point will offer classes for all ages and skill levels. It will also host men and women’s leagues and Seattle University’s matches.

Barbara Ann Carey is a top state player who accepted a scholarship to Seattle U, largely because of the new tennis center.

“Oh it’s awesome. It is one of the reasons why I decided to stay in Seattle because I would be able to play in front of my family and friends,” Carey says.

Now that Seattle has a second covered tennis center that is open to the public, Dieveny predicts the city will finally be on the map when it comes to tennis.

“We want to make a difference on the national scene for tennis. Seattle has always kind of been known as a rainy place that doesn’t have much tennis going on, so this is going to make that happen,” he says.