Varsity Tennis Center
The University of Michigan Varsity Tennis Center is located on a 22-acre parcel of land on South State Street just south of the University of Michigan Golf Course. Completed in 1997, the $6 million indoor and outdoor complex provides the Wolverine tennis programs with a state-of-the-art on-campus training and competition site that is an excellent recruiting tool, and a premier and nationally competitive facility to nurture Michigan tennis players for many more decades to come.
The indoor facility -- named the Preston Robert Tisch Building after the late New York Giants owner and a prime contributor to the facility -- accommodates eight indoor courts. Each court is located 20 feet apart with 24 feet from baseline to curtain. The clean lines of the reflective ceiling and the uniformity of the lighting are textbook examples of indoor court lighting. Using 16 lights per court, the facility lighting produces an average of 165 foot-candles, more than average to host television coverage. These characteristics were key in earning the indoor courts the prestigious "Court of the Year Award" in 2000 presented by Tennis Industry magazine. The indoor building also contains coaches' offices, meeting rooms, training and locker facilities for the teams, and a museum portraying the storied history of Michigan tennis.
The outdoor facility is named after William Clay Ford, a Michigan alumnus and owner/president of the NFL's Detroit Lions, who helped begin the fundraising campaign for the facility with a $1 million donation. The outdoor facility consists of 12 championship caliber courts with seating for 600 spectators.
The facility has served as the host site for some of the most prestigious intercollegiate events, including the ITA National Intercollegiate Indoor Championships (2003-04), the Wilson/ITA Midwest Regional men's (2004-05, 2009) and women's (2000, 2010, 2013) championships, the women's ITA Kick-Off Weekend (2011-15) and the Big Ten Conference men's (1999, 2009) and women's (2000, 2011) tournaments. In addition to offering excellent facilities for national, regional and conference tournaments, this complex is used to host Michigan tennis camps and the state high school boys and girls championships.
From Detroit Metro Airport and points east: Take I-94 west to State Street (exit 177). Turn right. Travel north approximately 1 1/4 miles through one stoplight. Turn left at the Varsity Tennis Center, which is just past the car dealership on the right.
From Chicago and points west: Take I-94 east to State Street (exit 177). Turn left. Travel north approximately 1 1/4 miles through two stoplights. Turn left at the Varsity Tennis Center, which is just past the car dealership on the right.
From Toledo and points south: Take U.S. 23 north to I-94 west. Follow directions from Detroit Metro Airport.
From Flint and points north: Take U.S. 23 south to I-94 west. Follow directions from Detroit Metro Airport.
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