Our story
Thirty-five kids and one summer.
That was 2007. Today it is eleven indoor courts and more than a thousand members, built on one rule that never changed: every player deserves the same amount of attention from our staff, regardless of age or ability level.
How we got here
A camp that outgrew its courts, twice.
Nothing about this club was planned in one go. Each stage happened because the last one filled up.
2007
A summer camp for 35 juniors
We began as a summer camp for junior players of varying abilities. Thirty-five kids, one season, and a coaching approach that treated the beginner and the tournament player as equally worth the time.
Five years in
Enrollment past 200
Word travelled the way it does in a tennis town, one family at a time. Within five years the camp had grown past 200 participants, and outdoor summers stopped being enough.
January 2, 2014
The indoor club opens
Illinois’ first new indoor tennis facility in two decades. Five courts to start, serving roughly 250 junior players, and a season that no longer ended when the weather turned.
November 2015
Eleven courts
Within a year of opening we had doubled our courts. By November 2015 we were at eleven, with expanded viewing on the second and third floors so parents could actually watch the lesson they were paying for.
2016 & 2017
Buddy Up For Life, then Serve It Up
Buddy Up For Life launched here in 2016, bringing weekly clinics for athletes with Down syndrome. The Serve It Up Foundation followed in 2017. Both are still part of the week.
Today
More than 1,000 members
Over a thousand members and over a thousand class enrollees. Tuesday night drills turned into social gatherings with themed events. We have celebrated life milestones with our pros and members, carried people through hard ones, and sent junior players to demonstrate at the US Open.
Next
Indoor pickleball, outdoor courts, a clubhouse
We are excited for the future of this facility. Indoor pickleball courts, outdoor courts and a clubhouse are the next things we want to build.
What we hold to
Three things we will not trade away.
A family-oriented environment
Ages and abilities mix here on purpose. Parents drill on one court while their kids rally on the next, and the club is built to hold both at once.
An exceptional player experience
Coaches who know your name, practice plans written for the level actually on court, and events that give people a reason to stay after the last ball.
Real player development
A USTA-recognized facility running to USTA and PTR guidelines, with structured pathways from Red Ball up, and Tennis University for adults starting from zero.
I am a lifelong tennis player, who grew up in a tennis family. It is the lifelong sport of tennis that has provided so many great memories for me and my family. Here at Five Star Tennis we strive to create a community for our staff, members and guests to make it feel like a Five Star Family.
I couldn’t be prouder of the team of individuals that we have at Five Star Tennis. From our front desk staff to our tennis teaching staff, to the administrative staffers, our focus is making the Five Star Tennis Center a second home for so many tennis players and their families. We call it the Five Star Family, and we mean it.
Join the Five Star Family.
Join as a member, or join the staff. We are usually hiring, and the current openings are posted with the news.