A Rich Tennis History

Built in 1952, the Bitsy Grant Tennis Center (BGTC) was once the headquarters of the Atlanta Lawn Tennis Association (ALTA), the country’s largest grass roots tennis organization. Considered the showplace for tennis in the Southeast, the BGTC hosted ALTA’s Atlanta Invitational tournament, drawing the great national players of the 1950s, 1960s and 1970s to Bitsy Grant.  Today, BGTC is the largest public tennis facility in Atlanta with the only public clay courts available. 

In addition, the BGTC was the site of:

• the 1955 U.S. Clay Court Championships;
• the USTA National 40 Clay Championships (1983-1988);
• the USTA National Father & Son Clay Court Championships;
• the 2012 ATA Nationals;
• Many other national and sectional tournaments.

Atlanta legends John Skogstad, Joe Becknell, Bailey Brown, and Hugh Thomson are also part of BGTC history. Skogstad and Ashe played one of the most memorable matches in Atlanta history here in the 1960s.

Arthur Ashe, Bobby Riggs, Chuck McKinley, Whitney Reed, Tut Bartzen, Vic Seixas, Barry McKay, Tony Traebert, Charles Pasarell, Cliff Richey, Clark Graebner, Andy Lloyd, Marty Reissen, Alan Morris, Ham Richardson, Bill Talbert, Gardner Mulloy, Frank Willet, Howard McCal, Russell Bobbitt, Ned Neely, Mike Belkin, Bobby Dodd, Dan Magill, Zan Guerry, Richard Howell, John Skogstad, Crawford Henry, Armistead Neely, Robby Ginepri, Brian Vahaly, Edina Galovits, Donald Young, Bobby Reynolds, Horace Reid