Officials in D.C. broke ground on an $18 million project to expand the Southeast Tennis and Learning Center in Ward 8 on Wednesday.
The expansion will allow the center, which is located on Mississippi Avenue near Oxon Run Park, to go from 12 to 19 tennis courts and from one to five pickleball courts.
The new facilities will help grow services for D.C. residents. Delano Hunter, director of D.C.’s Department of General Services, said he hopes it will bring more junior tennis tournaments to the city.
“We’re introducing the sport of tennis to a new generation of District residents in this project,” Hunter said. “We can’t wait for the next maybe Francis Tiafoe to play, learn and be developed at the Southeast Tennis and Learning Center.”
Once the expansion is complete, the center will have three new indoor tennis hard courts with spectator seating, locker rooms and multi-purpose rooms.
New outdoor facilities will include four tennis courts, four pickleball courts and a pedestrian bridge. A new plaza and an expanded parking lot will also be included, D.C. officials said in a news release.
Ryan Battaglia, who trains at the center, said this project will help the D.C. community.
“The more tennis opportunities there are in the D.C. area is just going to be a great help for any community, especially this community,” Battaglia said. “Tennis is one of those sports where it kind of brings communities together.”
Andrew Moore, 13, is among the many kids who love to play tennis at the center. It also helps that he lives a walking distance from the facility.
“This is competitive for me. I want to take it top level, top tier,” Moore said. “Just the passion for the sport has just driven me to take it top level.”
The expansion project on the Southeast Tennis and Learning Center is expected to be finished in 2026.
WTOP’s Mike Murillo contributed to this story.