UT Breaks Ground on New Tennis Center

By Sam Bohmfalk in Sports on August 10, 2011 at 1:05 pm | No Comments

The University of Texas broke ground and began construction Tuesday on the Edgar O. and Melanie A. Weller Tennis Center, a facility that will house six indoor courts and four outdoor courts. The $8 million soon-to-be indoor home of the UT tennis program will be completed in the summer of 2012.

The Weller Center will give UT the flexibility to practice indoors or outdoors, depending on weather, and to hold matches in Austin at any point during the season.

“As we all know, weather impacts our sport a great deal,” UT head men’s tennis coach Michael Center said in a statement. “We play a portion of our matches indoors early in the season. This will give us a huge advantage that we haven’t had in the past. It is a big step for our program to add this facility.”

Furthermore, both the men’s and women’s teams will be better prepared to compete in indoor tournaments. The Penick-Allison Tennis Center, which will still be used for outdoor practices, tournaments, and dual matches, does not have indoor courts.

“We compete in national individual and team indoor events throughout the season, often against teams who are primarily indoor teams,” UT head women’s coach Patty Fendick-McCain added. “Now, we will have greater opportunities to prepare for those matches.”

The tennis center will be located between the 1st and 9th fairways of the University of Texas Golf Club in West Austin.

The facility bears the name of former tennis letter-winner Edgar O. Weller who played at UT from 1936-38, and his wife, the late Melanie A. Weller. The Wellers previously established the Edgar O. and Melanie A. Weller Charitable Remainder Trust to provide significant funding for the facility.

“We are so grateful to our donors for making this happen,” Fendick-McCain said. “This facility is something our tennis programs have needed very badly, and we’re absolutely thrilled to have a venue we can use in inclement weather and as a back-up site for our home matches. We are grateful that so many people, including former players, made such a commitment to our program.”

Rendering courtesy UT Athletics.

Tags: Debby Fendick-McCain, Michael Center, Penick-Allison Tennis Center, Tennis, Weller Tennis Center