The first tennis court, used for both intercollegiate and student play, was built in 1909 on the Hill behind South College. In 1914 the tennis club was reorganized, and matches were played at the Knoxville Lawn Tennis Club. In 1921 four tennis courts were built on Wait Field (current site of Walters Life Sciences Building) and expanded to seven in 1923 by the Tennis Club, which also fenced the courts. The court on the Hill was removed in 1919 as part of the construction of Ayres Hall. Two courts were built on Wait Field at the time of construction of Jefferson Hall, and six more were added in 1936 with WPA funds on the site of Jefferson Hall, which had burned. The Athletics Department then built additional courts, as varsity courts, on the site of the current Neyland-Thompson Sports Center. Adjacent to the Goodfriend Indoor Tennis Center, the current Varsity Tennis Courts were built in 1976. A two-thousand-seat grandstand for the outdoor courts was added in 1981, and a two-story clubhouse was built. In 1987 the courts were lighted, with funds donated by former Vol All American Paul Annacone.
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