Home Court Advantage: What to Know Before Buying a Home with a Private Tennis Court
by Grace Cassidy
August 2025
With the 2025 U.S. Open Tennis Championships underway at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center in Flushing Meadows, Queens, perhaps you are one of the many amateur tennis players out there watching the matches and fantasizing about having your own private court to play on.
Long on the wish list for homebuyers, private tennis courts became a must-have for many during the pandemic, particularly in high-end markets like South Florida.
“People come to Florida, and they want to be able to have their own tennis court,” says Senada Adžem, a Douglas Elliman agent based in Boca Raton. “It’s about privacy. They can have their coach or friends come to play, and it adds tremendous value to the property. It’s a resort-style vibe.”
Take, for instance, the property that Adžem represents at 9200 Rockybrook Drive in Del Ray. Spanning nearly 18,000 square feet on 2.5 waterfront acres, the estate features a hoste of health and wellness amenities, including a private tennis court with lighting for nighttime play.
“In Florida, land is scarce,” Adžem adds. “A tennis court is not just about lifestyle, it’s more than that. It gives you the opportunity to have the ability to utilize your land properly.”
If you’re in the market for your very own home court advantage, here are some important considerations to keep in mind when it comes to the construction, surfacing, and long-term maintenance.
Follow the sun
Whether you’re looking to buy a home with a court or planning to install one on the property, the first thing to consider is the orientation.
“You can’t really do east-west exposure—you have to do north-south, because otherwise one person will have the sun in their eyes,” explains Adžem, who has had buyers walk away from properties with poorly placed courts. “It’s extremely important to orient the court just perfectly.”
Because the sun’s position will change throughout the year, buyers should keep in mind the position of the court during the season when they plan to play most frequently. (For many Florida homeowners, that means winter.) In South Florida, of course, tennis can be played pretty much year-round. And many of Adžem’s clients will even design their landscaping to allow for more shade.
Surface value
Like any major property addition, tennis courts require regular care and maintenance. After all, tennis courts are an investment. The average installation cost is $65,000, so caring for that investment ideally will save substantially on repairs or reinstallation.
While there are a range of surface options for those looking to install a court at their home, including red clay and even grass, the most common in the U.S. are Har-Tru and hard.
Har-Tru Courts
Har-Tru is a brand name that has become synonymous with clay courts. These green clay courts are sometimes referred to as “soft” courts and are often preferred by players prone to injuries.
Har-Tru claims that these types of courts can cost between 5 to 10 percent less to install than a hard court. They do, however, require daily maintenance.
Ned Kaplan, CEO of tennis court maintenance company Court Order Inc. in Quogue, New York, has been installing, maintaining, and repairing tennis courts for 40 years. His company services the Hamptons and takes care of approximately 300 courts every week.
According to Kaplan, Har-Tru courts require daily sweeping—not just to remove debris and keep the lines visible but also to ensure the clay is evenly distributed over the surface of the court. And then there’s daily watering.
“They need an irrigation system,” Kaplan explains. “We typically install six to eight sprinkler heads per ,court and they need to be watered between 15 and 20 minutes per day. In the summer, they may be watered twice per day. The courts should be green, not grey.”
Hard courts
Also referred to as all-weather courts, hard courts require higher up-front installation costs but lower maintenance throughout the year.
Generally, homeowners with hard tennis courts should regularly discard debris and leaves that accumulate, and immediately address any cracks, which can introduce moisture and lead to further problems down the line.
Hard courts have another advantage besides easy upkeep, adds Kaplan: “You can play basketball or pickleball on it, too.”
Beyond self-care
Daily maintenance on Har-Tru courts, from clearing debris and sweeping the clay to installing nets, can be performed by homeowners or groundskeepers. Anything more than that, from cracks to fading paint, should be left to the professionals.
“It’s not useful for most people to own a power roller,” he says, referring to the heavy leveling implements that can cost more than $10,000.
Closing time
In climates with cool falls and cold winters, it’s important to close down your tennis court after the playing season has come to an end.
For hard courts, this may mean simply sweeping off the debris, taking down the nets, and removing the windscreens. Those with Har-Tru courts will need to blow out the water from the irrigation system and remove line any tape and nails.
Explore Douglas Elliman listings for homes with private tennis courts.
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