Narva‑Jõesuu to build €1.2 million tennis and padel center
At the initiative of the Narva‑Jõesuu tennis club and with support from European Union funding, a racket‑sports center with four tennis courts and two padel courts will be completed there by next summer.
The center will give both local residents and visitors better opportunities for sports and help enliven the Narva‑Jõesuu town center area.
Narva‑Jõesuu actually has the longest tennis history in Estonia. The first tennis club was founded 117 years ago by summer visitors from St. Petersburg, and before World War II the town had six tennis courts.
After the war, decline began, and the resort town's last tennis court became overgrown by the end of the previous century, explains Erki Jaanson, board member of the Narva‑Jõesuu tennis club.
"The same thing happened as in other small towns. It wasn't a priority sport, nor was it an Olympic sport for a long time, so the Soviet era did its work," Jaanson said.
Now Narva‑Jõesuu is one of the last resort towns in Estonia to bring back major tennis.
At the initiative of the local tennis club, a racket‑sports center is being built near the seaside, with four tennis courts, two padel courts, and space for several more courts if the project gains momentum.
"Everyone I've spoken to is eagerly waiting for these courts and promises to come play. One goal is definitely to have a summer base for Kadriorg, where training camps can be held," said Jaanson, who also heads the Kadriorg tennis club.
"A few years ago, the situation in Viljandi was such that to hold a training camp there, you had to book the courts three years in advance. Things have improved somewhat now because so many padel courts have been added and the player groups overlap a bit. The situation has normalized," he explained.
Tennis players are not jealous of padel's success.
"I'm rather glad that a somewhat simpler sport has emerged alongside tennis. It also works the other way — some people reach tennis through padel," Jaanson said.
Construction has already begun in Narva‑Jõesuu, and the tennis courts are taking shape.
According to Jaanson, it took more than ten years from idea to implementation.
The undertaking is expensive, because at least four tennis courts are needed to practice properly and host competitions.
The Narva‑Jõesuu racket‑sports center will open next summer. Building the courts costs €1.2 million, most of which is covered by European Union support.
--
Editor: Mait Ots, Argo Ideon
