USTA Florida is excited to announce the opening of a new tennis pro shop and the hiring of a new head tennis professional to oversee the Fort Walton Beach Tennis Center.
The facility, directed by the USTA Florida Tennis Management Division in partnership with the City of Fort Walton Beach, will welcome Travis Tressler as its new head tennis professional on Monday, July 20, 2020. Tressler joined USTA Florida in October 2019 as a tennis instructor to help oversee the growth at the four public tennis sites of Play Tennis Gainesville.
“Travis was a standout performer at USTA Florida’s managed facilities in Gainesville in his role as tennis instructor and was instrumental in growing programs and participation there,” said USTA Florida Director of Tennis Management Frank Swope. “We look forward to Travis bringing new and creative ideas to reopen the newly expanded Fort Walton Beach Tennis Center facility and to continue the growth of the tennis and pickleball communities.”
Tressler possesses a strong tennis background with experience at several public tennis and racquet sports facilities. Within his nine months at Play Tennis Gainesville, Tressler helped establish adult and junior programming at Tom Petty Park, in addition to his extensive instructional work with junior, adult, adaptive and wheelchair programming at the Joyce Oransky Tennis Center.
“My time in Gainesville prepared me immensely for this role and I feel extremely lucky that I get to stay with USTA Florida and work as a Head Pro at one of our facilities,” shared Tressler. “I hope to continue introducing new players to the facility, as well as provide a positive experience to returning tennis and pickleball players.”
USTA Florida and the City of Fort Walton Beach are also proud to unveil the brand-new Fort Walton Beach Tennis Center pro shop. The new building, completed in early July, will create new opportunities for the surrounding community and visiting tennis and pickleball players.
“The City of Fort Walton Beach is extremely excited about the reopening of the Fort Walton Beach Tennis Center,” said Jeff Peters, Recreation and Cultural Services Director for the city of Fort Walton Beach. “The building addition has exceeded our expectations and will be a great addition to the tennis community.”
The shop will provide more merchandise, safety for players in inclement weather and will overall serve as a center of activity for all programs at the facility. It will also serve as a family and social area once programs and events can be safely resumed.
“We are pleased and excited for the Fort Walton Beach tennis and pickleball communities to be able to utilize this great new expansion,” added Swope. “The new building ushers in an entirely new opportunity to grow participation and enhance operations.”
USTA Florida urges players to stay tuned for updates regarding play resumption and programming at the Fort Walton Beach Tennis Center. For more information on news and events, please visit www.fwbtenniscenter.com.
ABOUT USTA FLORIDA TENNIS MANAGEMENT
The USTA Florida Board of Directors in 2017 unanimously approved the creation of a new Tennis Management Division to promote and develop tennis in Florida. USTA Florida Tennis Management delivers high-quality tennis programs, teaching pros and management, utilizing USTA networks and partnerships to ensure tennis grows in local communities for all ages and demographics. USTA Florida Tennis Management is raising the standards for tennis programming and facility management across the state of Florida. For more information, please visit www.USTAFlorida.com/tennismanagement.
