Tommy Haas on His New Florida Real Estate Venture, Pickleball, and U.S. Open Predictions
In the ‘70s, a golden era for tennis in America, court superstars Martina Navratilova and Chris Evert used to train at the original Bath & Racquet Club in Sarasota, Florida. Founded in 1969, the venue hosted historic women’s tournaments, including the Virginia Slims Circuit, and served as a gathering place for locals to play a variety of racquet sports. Now, the iconic facility is being reborn as a swanky residential development and private members club with former tennis pro Tommy Haas at the helm.
The revitalization project, which is currently underway, marks Haas’s first foray into real estate. The German-born athlete moved to Florida in the early ‘90s to attend the Nick Bollettieri Tennis Academy in Bradenton and, with his new business venture, is on a mission to give back to the area that helped shape his career. “Sarasota and Bradenton have always been my home away from home,” Haas told Robb Report.
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The revamped Bath + Racquet Residences and Club will comprise 256 luxury condos with three-bedroom units starting at $1.3 million, in addition to a racquet sports members club. Haas has stepped into the role of club curator and global ambassador, in which he’ll lend his decades of expertise to the design and programming, including overseeing the coaching experience and daily tennis operations.
“There’s going to be my input on what I think would work and what would help, having had the opportunity to travel around the world and having seen quite a few interesting clubs with their own spin. It might be the landscaping or the location of certain courts, knowing where the sun shines and stuff like that,” Haas said.
In terms of recreational amenities, the forthcoming development will sport 13 outdoor tennis courts, plus 16 pickleball and padel courts, 12 of which are located indoors with air conditioning. “I’ve been getting more into racquet sports myself,” Haas said. “I’ve played lots of padel over the last two and a half years. Pickleball I’ve tried here and there, but I feel like that’s the future of these kinds of clubs.”
Elsewhere, the property will comprise two swimming pools, a 7,000-square-foot gym and wellness center, running trails, a restaurant, and two acres of parkland. There will also be 65,000 square feet of commercial and office space. “Not only is Tommy a tennis legend, he understands what we’re trying to achieve, and he knows the area very well,” said developer and managing partner of Sarasota Springs LLC, Fabio Di Prima. The tennis club, he clarified, will be for members only. However, non-residents can buy in. The project is slated to reach completion by the end of 2026.
In the meantime, Haas, an Olympic silver medalist and the former world No. 2, will be tuning in to watch the 2024 US Open. Of course, he had some thoughts on how the two-week tournament will play out. “The US Open is always buzzing. There’s always electricity and so much going on besides just the tennis,” said Haas. “I would say the usual four or five suspects that could potentially win a title are Novak Djokovic, Carlos Alcaraz, Jannik Sinner, and Daniil Medvedev. On the women’s side, can Coco Gauff have her run again like she did last year? I think that’s the big question.”
Click here to see more photos of the Bath + Racquet Residences and Club.
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