My thoughts on the new location of the Orange Bowl; Talking DI Fall Season and the NCAA moves to November on the Great Shot Podcast

I want to preface these observations with my amazement at how much has been accomplished in the twelve months since I first visited the Jimmy Evert Tennis Center at Holiday Park in Fort Lauderdale.

On the way to the airport after the 2024 Orange Bowl, the last at the Veltri Tennis Center 10 miles to the west, we stopped to explore the JETC, which had not yet been publicly announced as the new home of the Orange Bowl. It was not set up for a large tournament that would attract a large crowd, without any viewing, with only two rows of courts next to each other. However, there were clear positives: Holiday Park offered a huge and sporting environment, with ample on-field parking and the Florida Panthers’ on-site practice facility serving as its showpiece.

The $9.5 million transformation was impressive, with a new stadium field and walkways between most of the two-court pods, new fencing, concrete pathways and a place to gather outside the clubhouse. Construction projects, especially municipal ones, are notorious for their delays and problems, but this one was completed on time, as planned.

My comments below are intended as suggestions for the tournament for the second year of a ten-year commitment to the site. I know that JETC Tennis Director Scott Pukys, Orange Bowl Tennis Committee Chairman Doug Wiley and Elissa Hill of the USTA, the tournament director, are eager to continue improving the event.

Chris Evert receives a plaque in her memory Stadium court naming of Orange Bowl tennis chair Doug Wiley

The first day of the tournament’s main draw was as exciting as I remember at an Orange Bowl, with Chris Evert on hand to inaugurate the Stadium field named after her. Hundreds of spectators showed up, with city dignitaries, the Orange Bowl Committee and the USTA providing perspectives on what Jimmy Evert and the Orange Bowl itself have meant to junior tennis.

Fortunately the weather cooperated for that morning ceremony, but rain arrived mid-afternoon and continued throughout the second day, a lengthy disruption that ultimately resulted in a day of two singles matches for all divisions except the 16s boys. Much of the momentum gained from Monday’s ceremony was lost, and with the possibility of more rain, all Sunday finals were scheduled at the same time, reducing the number and concentration of spectators.

The first problem identified by everyone I spoke to on the first day was the lack of practice courts on site. At Veltri there were enough courts to devote some to the practice; at JETC, all 20 courts were needed for competition, with practice courts 15 to 30 minutes away by car or shuttle. This led to warm-ups at 6:30 am at JETC or scheduling a suitable time for a warm-up elsewhere. Due to the rain, this problem persisted throughout the event, although another closer practice location was introduced in the later stages.

With the new world-class lighting on all courts, and, I hope, better weather next year, there should be two courts on site for pre-match warm-ups. If that means 8pm games for the first few days, that may be a necessary compromise.

I can’t emphasize enough how rare this is, but I haven’t heard a single negative comment about the courts themselves from players or coaches.

Conditions in the courts were a major problem in Veltri, where the courts, which had surface irrigation systems, dried out during the day and flooded even after a short heavy rain shower.

The new underground irrigation system on the Har-Tru courts at the Jimmy Evert Tennis Center was a huge improvement and despite all the rain, the courts dried quickly.

Although there was visibility on most courts (it was impossible to watch matches on courts 1, 2 and 20 because there were unnecessary windbreaks around them), it was cramped and there wasn’t enough room for spectators to move from one side to the other due to the player benches and oversized referee chairs. The widescreen side screens should be removed and referee chairs with smaller footprints used to create a crucial number of meters between courts.

The lack of on-site concessions was a problem. At Veltri, there was a vendor who grilled hamburgers and provided other meals and snacks. This year there was no place to buy food except at the hockey arena concession, which is a quarter mile from the tennis center. A food truck in the VIP parking lot could easily solve this problem.

The hockey arena served as a location for player dinners and the players’ lounge. The walk was long, but there were electric shuttles that ran continuously that many players and officials used.

The players hotel, where the hospitality breakfast was served, was a 10 minute walk away, which was very convenient for those staying there, including myself. Unfortunately, the cost was almost double that of hotels in Plantation, so players traveling with their parents paid more because the ITF hospitality policy requires two players per room to be free. Not much can be done about that, I guess, given the convenience, and the tournament rate is reasonable compared to the hotel rate of over $300 per night.

iOnCourt stepped in at the last minute to provide live scores and on-site displays after legacy provider SMT pulled out. Although there were bugs and occasional app crashes, the on-site team was eager to help and provide solutions as they refined the software.

iOnCourt also provided those updating the draft boards with a file that sped up the process, with very little delay between completing a match and posting it to the board.

But one thing I missed about Veltri was the large board of former Orange Bowl champions, which provided a focal point for players, spectators and the media alike.

The JETC has a list of past Orange Bowl champions, but its permanent location under the clubhouse roof means it doesn’t get the same exposure as the draw boards. It’s great to have a display that can be seen all year round, but I would like to see the other, larger display revived the week of the tournament.

Former USTA CEO Lew Sherr has invested in reviving the Orange Bowl in a new location, and although he left the organization before that became a reality, the first phase of that desire to elevate the event’s status has been achieved. With more local and national marketing, the event can cement its reputation as the fifth major for junior tennis, and with the investment the USTA, the Orange Bowl and the city of Fort Lauderdale are off to a great start in that mission.

I recently joined Alex Gruskin, John Parsons and Chris Halioris on a Great Shot podcast focusing on the move of the NCAA Division I individual championships to the fall. That change will likely stick around for reasons we’ll discuss, but all four of us have different opinions on whether that’s a good thing.

You can listen to our conversation about that and the ITA fall season that precedes it hereor wherever you get your podcasts.