“Johannesburg’s historic Ellis Park Tennis Centre is experiencing a revival through a grassroots initiative providing free tennis sessions to children from Troyeville and Bertrams. The programme, established by retired teacher Alec Galanakis, is bringing new opportunities to young learners while helping preserve a sporting facility with a significant history in South African tennis.”
Johannesburg’s historic tennis venue finds renewed purpose
Johannesburg’s Ellis Park Tennis Centre is beginning a new chapter as a grassroots tennis initiative brings children from surrounding communities onto courts that once hosted some of the world’s most celebrated players. The revival is being driven by the Joburg Tennis Grassroots Foundation, an organisation established by retired teacher Alec Galanakis to provide free tennis opportunities to children from Troyeville and Bertrams.
The initiative represents an important development for South African tennis, particularly in communities where access to sporting facilities, equipment and coaching remains limited. It also offers a new opportunity to preserve the sporting heritage of Ellis Park Tennis Centre, which has experienced years of deterioration and declining activity.
According to GroundUp’s report published on 6 November 2026, the foundation began operating in February 2025. Its activities have gradually transformed the facility into a place where children can learn tennis, develop confidence and explore opportunities beyond their immediate neighbourhoods.
From forgotten courts to a community sporting programme
For Galanakis, the revival of Ellis Park Tennis Centre is a personal mission. Having played tennis there as a junior and watched major competitions from its stands, he understands the significance of the venue in South African sporting history.
However, the deterioration of the facility became increasingly concerning. The courts were largely unused, while the grandstands and surrounding infrastructure reflected years of declining investment.
Galanakis worried that the City-owned property could eventually lose its sporting identity or be repurposed entirely. Rather than allowing the venue to disappear from Johannesburg’s tennis landscape, he decided to establish a foundation that could introduce children from surrounding neighbourhoods to the sport.
The programme began with donated equipment and support from Joburg Tennis, the district tennis association. Local clubs contributed additional resources, while volunteers assisted with coaching and organisation.
The initiative has since attracted between 30 and 60 children, depending on the day and season. Many participants had never held a tennis racket before joining the programme.
For these learners, Ellis Park Tennis Centre is no longer simply an old sporting venue. It has become a place where they can experience tennis for the first time, practise regularly and begin developing their sporting abilities.
Bringing tennis within reach of disadvantaged children
One of the programme’s most significant contributions is its commitment to free participation.
Tennis can be expensive for families who must pay for equipment, coaching, transport and club membership. These costs frequently make the sport inaccessible to children from economically disadvantaged communities.
The foundation seeks to address some of these barriers by supplying donated rackets, tennis balls, clothing and coaching support.
Nevertheless, the programme continues to experience shortages. Children sometimes have to search through donated tennis shoes to find suitable pairs, while the available equipment cannot always accommodate everyone attending training.
The challenges demonstrate that expanding tennis participation requires more than opening courts. It also requires sustained investment in equipment, qualified coaches, transportation and appropriate facilities.
The foundation’s approach nevertheless provides an encouraging example of how community initiatives can introduce young people to sports traditionally associated with more privileged environments.
A historic venue with international sporting significance
Ellis Park Tennis Centre once occupied an important position in international tennis.
During the 1960s and 1970s, the venue hosted the South African Open, which attracted prominent international players and enjoyed considerable prestige.
Its courts welcomed tennis legends including Rod Laver, Chris Evert, Billie Jean King, Boris Becker and Björn Borg. The centre also hosted Davis Cup matches, bringing international competition to Johannesburg.
Arthur Ashe, one of the most influential figures in tennis history, played at the venue in 1973 and 1974, including encounters against Jimmy Connors.
Those matches took place during apartheid, when international sporting participation in South Africa became increasingly controversial. The growing sporting boycott contributed to the country’s isolation and the eventual decline of international tennis activity.
As investment diminished, Ellis Park Tennis Centre gradually deteriorated. Although occasional court bookings and junior tournaments continued, the venue largely lost its position as a major tennis destination.
Galanakis hopes to reverse that decline by developing a facility that preserves its historical significance while serving the needs of contemporary communities.
Tennis as a pathway to education and personal development
The foundation’s ambitions extend beyond developing talented tennis players.
Coaches involved in the programme believe tennis can provide children with discipline, concentration, confidence and a positive environment in which to develop personal responsibility.
Grade 7 pupil Sam Motsepe, from Bertrams Junior School, highlighted the relationship between sporting discipline and academic performance.
He explained that maintaining focus, developing a positive attitude and committing to education can help young people progress in life.
His experience reflects the programme’s broader educational objectives.
The foundation has begun working with University of Johannesburg students to monitor participants’ academic performance and identify children who may require additional support.
The intention is to ensure that tennis participation complements education rather than competing with it.
Coaches want young participants to remain engaged throughout their schooling and potentially progress into university.
This approach could help address a common challenge in youth sport: talented children frequently lose access to structured opportunities when they transition from primary to secondary education.
By combining tennis development with academic monitoring, the foundation hopes to create a more sustainable pathway for participants.
Expanding tennis beyond traditional courts
Coach Patric Tsunke, who joined the programme in 2026, believes the future of grassroots tennis depends on introducing the sport directly into schools.
His approach involves using portable nets and softer tennis balls to create opportunities for children to play on school grounds, including paved surfaces.
Such arrangements could reduce dependence on specialised tennis facilities and allow more learners to experience the sport.
Schools could also organise competitions between classes, identify promising players and connect them with clubs or organised tournaments.
This strategy would potentially increase participation while creating a structured development pathway from school tennis to competitive opportunities.
For communities where sporting infrastructure is limited, portable equipment and school-based programmes could provide a practical alternative to traditional facility-based development.
Building a sustainable future for Ellis Park Tennis Centre
Despite the progress made, the foundation faces several operational challenges.
More coaches and equipment are needed to accommodate growing participation. Transportation is also important, particularly when children must travel between schools and the tennis centre.
The transition from primary school to high school remains another concern, as participants can become disconnected from the programme during this period.
Additionally, children from inner-city communities may face broader social difficulties, including exposure to violence, neglect and irregular school attendance.
These challenges highlight the importance of building partnerships with schools, community organisations, universities, sporting associations and municipal authorities.
Galanakis believes the City should invest in restoring Ellis Park Tennis Centre and supporting its long-term development.
He has engaged municipal and provincial officials as part of efforts to improve the facility.
His vision is to transform the centre into a comprehensive sports and development hub featuring expanded coaching, academic support, aftercare services and opportunities for talented children to pursue scholarships or university education.
The project could also preserve the venue’s sporting heritage through the creation of a living museum documenting its history.
Such a facility would combine historical preservation with contemporary community development.
An opportunity for South African tennis development
The revival of Ellis Park Tennis Centre offers lessons for South African tennis more broadly.
National tennis development depends not only on producing elite players but also on expanding participation at grassroots level.
Children need accessible facilities, affordable equipment, knowledgeable coaches and opportunities to progress through organised competitions.
Initiatives such as the Joburg Tennis Grassroots Foundation demonstrate how local programmes can contribute to those objectives.
They also highlight the importance of partnerships between sporting organisations, schools, universities, government and private-sector supporters.
By connecting tennis with education and community development, the foundation is attempting to establish a model that could potentially be replicated elsewhere.
The programme’s continued success will depend on securing additional resources and ensuring that participants receive sustained support as they develop.
A new generation discovers an old sporting landmark
For the children attending training at Ellis Park Tennis Centre, the venue’s international history may initially mean little.
Their immediate concerns are learning to serve, improving their forehands and backhands, practising footwork and enjoying time on court.
However, the opportunity to play at a historic facility gives them access to something much larger than a weekly sporting activity.
They are becoming part of a venue’s continuing story, helping transform a neglected sporting landmark into a place of opportunity.
As Galanakis continues his work, the foundation hopes to attract additional coaches, equipment donations and institutional support.
The long-term objective is to ensure that children from surrounding communities can develop their abilities, maintain their education and potentially progress into competitive tennis.
The revival of Ellis Park Tennis Centre is therefore both a sporting and social initiative.
It demonstrates how historical facilities can be given renewed purpose through community participation and sustained commitment.
For Johannesburg’s young tennis players, the courts represent a chance to learn, grow and imagine a future that previously seemed inaccessible.
And for South African tennis, the initiative offers an encouraging reminder that the next generation of players may emerge not only from established academies but also from grassroots programmes that make the sport available to everyone.
