The United States Tennis Association [USTA’s] attempt to make America the number one tennis playing nation by 2035 has led it to invest in modern technology. The body has invested in Rec Technologies, a company modernizing how Americans discover and access places to play the sport.

According to the United States Tennis Association (USTA), 27.3 million people in the country played the sport in 2025, with nearly 40 per cent of them playing in public parks. Where Rec comes into play is that it helps connect players, coaches, organisations with spaces for sports including tennis and soccer.

The main aim of this technology is to discover and access opportunities to play tennis on public or private courts. They are already managing courts in nearly 100 cities across the USA.

“A large portion of tennis play happens on public park courts, yet the process for finding and booking a court or a coach can often be a barrier for players,” USTA Senior Director Michael Hughes said in a statement. “We see tremendous opportunity to enhance that experience. Rec is leading the way in modernizing local park infrastructure, and USTA Ventures is excited to support their work as we make tennis more accessible to communities nationwide.”

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Rec aims at stopping the barrier recreational sports have in America. Co-founder and President, Rachel Williams, is also confident about their AI-driven approach and believes that USTA’s investment will help them reach countless more people in the country.

“Technology for local recreation has become the biggest obstacle between people and play; it’s hard to search and even harder to book,” she said in a statement. “We built Rec to make it effortless for everyone in a community to find a court, book that tennis lesson you’ve always wanted to take, or simply get outside in your own neighborhood. Having USTA Ventures behind us — a partner whose mission is to grow the game — accelerates our ability to put technology in the hands of more community members who want better access to play.”

While the USTA and Rec are focusing on the growth of tennis in the USA, there are some places in the country where the tennis community is suffering. This applies to the community in South Carolina in particular, who are about to lose one of their most renowned tennis clubs.

Tennis club in South Carolina set for demolition despite several appeals

The situation at the Grande Dunes Tennis Club may be beyond repair. The club was founded in the 1960s and was designed by Arthur Ashe, the first Black man to win singles titles at Wimbledon, the US Open, and the Australian Open. But its future now seems bleak, and the tennis community may soon lose it.

Though there have been plans to demolish the club for years, the tennis community in South Carolina has fought long for its survival. But it appears that there is no way back now, as a redevelopment plan for the tennis club was recently proposed at the Myrtle Beach City Council meeting.

This plan includes the demolition of the 10-court facility in place of a 31-home subdivision. This proposal has already received approval from the planning commission. Though the community certainly doesn’t want the club to be demolished, the city officials appear adamant about fulfilling the redevelopment plan.

The final decision doesn’t rest in the hands of Myrtle Beach’s tennis community. They cannot prevent a project from going forward on the basis of public opinion. Thus, it is likely that more than 500 people in Myrtle Beach will be left without a nearby place to play tennis in the near future.