HIGH ACHIEVERS: Rideau Sports Centre re-converts multi-sport dome back to indoor tennis venue

By Martin Cleary

Tennis is experiencing another boom in Ottawa.

During the 1970s, tennis exploded as a participation sport thanks in part to being promoted as a healthy and lifelong activity as well as the presence of professional players like Chris Evert, Martina Navratilova, Jimmy Connors, Bjorn Borg and Arthur Ashe.

Over the past few decades, tennis has had its ups and downs, but the unexpected arrival and slow departure of the COVID-19 pandemic has actually been a spark for Ottawa tennis, whether the outdoor game or more particularly the indoor variety.

In the past year, the Rideau Sports Centre (formerly the Rideau Tennis and Squash Club) and the Tennis Centre West Ottawa have followed through on major projects to increase and prolong on-court opportunities in the future and help solve the shortage of indoor courts.

The Rideau Sports Centre held a press conference last week to announce the opening of its second tennis bubble, making it the largest indoor tennis venue in Ottawa.

The centre will double its number of under-the-dome indoor hard courts to eight from four, which will provide 864 hours of weekly court time, Rideau Sports Centre CEO Nicki Bridgland highlighted.

This will allow the centre to provide more tennis programs, lessons, tournaments as well as a 250-per-cent increase in hourly tennis court booking opportunities. The indoor court expansion also is expected to see the hiring of more tennis professionals.

The timing of a second dome appears good for the centre as more people are being attracted to give tennis a try or return to sport as the region exits from the COVID-19 pandemic.

The demand for tennis exploded during COVID, and the closure of the Ottawa Athletic Club made indoor tennis space even more scarce, the RSC said upon announcing the project last year.

When Bridgland acquired the Rideau Sports Centre in 2017, four indoor tennis courts were converted to a multi-sport playing surface in the south dome, while the north dome remained a four-court tennis venue. Now the south dome has switched back to tennis, while Bridgland’s Ottawa Sport and Social Club signed a long-term lease at nearby Lycée Claudel high school to provide indoor opportunities for volleyball, basketball and soccer that are no longer available at RSC.

Located at 1 Donald Street in Overbrook, players can make online tennis court reservations as there are no club memberships. The expanded number of indoor courts allows the centre to welcome more newcomers, recreational players and also provide more hours for competitive tournament players, the RSC noted.

When the Tennis Centre West Ottawa celebrated its 100th anniversary last June, the not-for-profit club was involved in major improvements to its indoor and outdoor clay-court venue.

West Ottawa received a pair of grants from the Ontario Trillium Foundation – $498,000 from the Community Building Fund’s capital stream and $64,000 from the Resilient Communities Fund – to replace the existing dome for its indoor courts and repair the irrigation system for the outdoor courts.

The dome replacement project was completed Dec. 1 as six red clay courts were brought back into play and are serviced by 48 new LED overhead lights.

FUTURE OF THE GAME

By increasing its indoor courts to eight from four, the Rideau Sports Centre will definitely assist its junior program.

The centre was recently accepted into Tennis Canada’s U15 Team Canada Club Support Program because of its commitment to tennis excellence and continued focus on developing skilled athletes.

The Tennis Canada program is designed to continue elevating the level of the game in the country.

“Acceptance into this program will help us make a lasting impact on the Canadian tennis scene, as we continue to strive in our journey towards becoming a Tennis Centre of Excellence,” the RSC said in a press release.

“The program’s focus on player development and the creation of a support network sets the stage for a new era of tennis excellence in Canada.”

Here are four junior players on the rise at the Rideau Sports Centre:

· Eli Marks, U12 Ontario champion, fourth at U12 Canadian indoor championships, ranked seventh nationally; played main draw at the prestigious Orange Bowl International Tournament.

· Bronwyn Duggan, represented Ontario at the Canadian U12 and U14 championships, ranked eighth after 2023 Ontario outdoor girls’ U14 tournament, five tournament wins and three runners-up finishes in 2023.

· Julien Gagnon, U12 Quebec champion, ranked No. 5 in national U12 standings, member of the U15 prospect national team.

· Sienna Manashe, played on U12 Team Canada and Ontario squads in 2022, attended the Orange Bowl International Tournament, five tournament wins and one other final in 2023.