ASHEVILLE, N.C. (WLOS) — UNC Asheville Director of Athletics Janet R. Cone announced on July 18 that a $4 million outdoor tennis facility will be built on the campus of UNC Asheville.

According to a news release, the project is part of the ALL IN Comprehensive Campaign and will be funded through donors’ gifts, alumni, grants and also corporate partners. And the courts won’t be only for the players at UNC Asheville. Community members will be able to reserve court time for lessons and play, the release said.

The new facility will replace the hardcourts the Bulldogs have been using on the property of the Asheville Racquet Club. According to the release, those courts will be demolished due to the Interstate 26 connector project.

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A feasibility study by McMillan Pazdan Smith Architects determined that an on-campus facility would best serve not only UNC Asheville student-athletes but also the campus and local community. The announcement comes just five days after 2019 UNC Asheville graduate and former tennis standout Henry Patten won the Wimbledon men’s doubles title with Harri Heliovaara.

“Coming on the heels of two Big South Conference tennis championships in men’s and women’s tennis this past spring, along with alum Henry Patten winning the Gentlemen’s Doubles Championship at Wimbledon, this is the perfect opportunity to kick off this campaign,” Cone said in the release.

Cone said contingent upon securing the funding, they hope to have the facility completed within the next 18-24 months.

Cone said the university also expects to bid on hosting the Big South Conference and other tennis championships, such as USTA Adaptive Tennis, and to create tennis programs for youth and adults, including camps and clinics.

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The facility will be located on the site of an existing parking lot at the corner of Broadway and Campus Drive, and will feature six competition courts with viewing stands. Plans also include a dedicated tennis building that will house coaches’ offices, team locker rooms, storage, a sports medicine room and public bathrooms, the release said.

“The new tennis facility will allow us to grow our programs by offering our student-athletes top-notch training facilities,” said UNC Asheville women’s tennis coach Lise Gregory in the release. “The teams will finally have their own locker rooms and other amenities that will help them in their daily lives as students first and athletes second.”

Bulldogs men’s tennis coach Matt Frost said having the facility will enhance the student-athlete experience and could also be a big asset for recruiting.

“It will greatly improve our recruiting and retention of student-athletes as we set out on our journey to become a dominant force in the Big South.,” he said in the release.

For more information about this project, including naming opportunities for the entire facility, individual tennis courts, locker rooms, lobby or coaches’ offices, contact Cone at jcone@unca.edu or 828-251-6922.