Competitive Tennis in Greater Madison
Greater Madison's USTA infrastructure is anchored by the USTA Wisconsin District, part of the USTA Midwest Section (headquartered in Indianapolis). The Madison local league is one of five USTA Wisconsin local leagues -- alongside Greater Milwaukee, Great Lakes (Fox Valley), La Crosse, and Northcentral -- and administers year-round adult NTRP play across all major facilities. Most private clubs (TPC Wisconsin, John Powless Tennis Center, Maple Bluff Country Club, Nakoma Country Club, and Hitters Tennis Club) and Nielsen Tennis Stadium itself run USTA league teams. Nielsen has historically hosted USTA League State Championships, the WIAA boys and girls high school state tournaments, the Badger State Games, and numerous NCAA Division III regional and conference championships.
The community-tennis backbone is the Greater Madison Tennis Association (GMTA), a non-profit with more than 35 years of history and over 300 members. GMTA programs Tennis Nights at Nielsen and Powless, Round Robin Tournaments, the First Service Doubles program, USTA League coordination, and an extensive junior pipeline -- including the GMTA Junior Tennis Camp and a network of summer camps at TPC Wisconsin (Cherokee), Hawks Landing, Hitters, Nielsen, and Powless, plus partnerships with the Lyle Schaefer Tennis Camp, Grand Slam Camps, the UW Tennis Camp, and Whitewater Tennis Camp. Madison School & Community Recreation (MSCR), and the parks departments of Monona, Verona, Middleton, and Waunakee, fill out the community lessons-and-leagues calendar throughout the season.
Greater Madison also hosts the WIAA boys and girls state team and individual tournaments at Nielsen Tennis Stadium every year -- one of only a handful of state high school tournaments in the country played continuously at a single Big Ten Division I venue. Nielsen has additionally hosted the USTA/ITA Women's National Indoor Team Tennis Championship from 1988 through 2010, the 2009 Big Ten Women's Championship, the 2020 ITA Division I National Men's Team Indoor Championship, and the 2023 and 2024 Big Ten Individual Championships. UW Club Tennis won the USTA Tennis on Campus Midwest Championship in 2024 and represented the Midwest at the national tournament -- continuing one of the deepest college club traditions in the region.
High School Tennis in Greater Madison
High school tennis in Wisconsin is governed by the Wisconsin Interscholastic Athletic Association (WIAA), which contests state tournaments in Division 1 (larger schools) and Division 2 (smaller schools). In Wisconsin, boys tennis is a spring sport and girls tennis is a fall sport; both state tournaments are held annually at Nielsen Tennis Stadium on the UW-Madison campus. Madison-area programs compete primarily in the Big Eight Conference (D1 city public schools, Middleton, Verona, Sun Prairie, Janesville) and the Badger Conference (D1/D2 surrounding suburbs and Madison Edgewood). The most decorated tennis school in the region in recent years is Madison Edgewood, which won the 2024 D2 boys team title and has multiple D2 girls team championships, while Middleton is the leading public-school program with state titles in girls and four D1 boys runner-up finishes.
Madison City / Big Eight Conference
- Middleton Cardinals (Middleton) -- WIAA D1, Big Eight -- 2021 alternate-fall girls team state champions (program's second team title since 2013); four-time D1 boys runner-up (2000, 2007, 2009, 2015). Coach Matt Given.
- Madison West Regents (Madison) -- WIAA D1, Big Eight -- 2019 Big Eight regular season & tournament champions; consistently ranked top-5 in D1; coach Ryan Reischel.
- Madison Memorial Spartans (Madison) -- WIAA D1, Big Eight -- Home of 2018 D1 boys No. 1 singles state champion Colt Tegtmeier; multiple D1 girls team trips to state.
- Madison East Purgolders (Madison) -- WIAA D1, Big Eight -- 2008 D1 team state runner-up; competitive Madison Metropolitan School District program.
- Madison La Follette Lancers (Madison) -- WIAA D1, Big Eight -- Home of 2021 alternate-fall D1 girls singles state champion Annalise Yang.
- Verona Wildcats (Verona) -- WIAA D1, Big Eight -- Home of senior Will Tennison (2025 D1 No. 1 singles top seed and state semifinalist).
- Sun Prairie / Sun Prairie United (Sun Prairie) -- WIAA D1, Big Eight -- Home of senior Aidan Schutter (2025 D1 No. 1 singles state semifinalist); fast-growing program.
- Janesville Craig / Parker (Janesville) -- WIAA D1, Big Eight -- Big Eight Conference D1 schools 35 miles south of Madison.
Badger Conference / Suburban Dane County
- Madison Edgewood Crusaders (Madison) -- WIAA D2, Badger -- 2024 D2 boys team state champions (defeated University School of Milwaukee 4-3 in the Nielsen final); multiple D2 girls team titles incl. 2013 and 2017; D2 girls singles state champion Lily Olson (2021, 2022) and Baluck Deang (2019, 2020).
- DeForest Norskies (DeForest) -- WIAA D1, Badger -- Home of D1 girls singles state qualifier Samantha Fuchs; consistent state appearances.
- Waunakee Warriors (Waunakee) -- WIAA D1, Badger -- Strong tennis tradition; multiple state qualifiers in singles and doubles.
- Stoughton Vikings (Stoughton) -- WIAA D1, Badger -- Regular state qualifier with active doubles tradition.
- Monona Grove Silver Eagles (Monona) -- WIAA D1, Badger -- Multiple individual state qualifiers; competitive Badger Conference program.
- Oregon Panthers (Oregon) -- WIAA D1, Badger -- Strong doubles tradition; multiple state team trips.
- Sauk Prairie Eagles (Prairie du Sac/Sauk City) -- WIAA D2, Badger -- 2025 D2 boys doubles state champions Kelby Mack and Noah Wankerl; 2002 D2 team state champions.
- Watertown Goslings (Watertown) -- WIAA D1, Badger -- Multiple doubles teams to state in recent seasons.
Governing Body:
WIAA Boys Tennis -- D1 & D2 (spring) |
WIAA Girls Tennis -- D1 & D2 (fall) |
WIAA State Results
Collegiate Tennis in Greater Madison
The University of Wisconsin's Big Ten men's and women's programs headline Greater Madison's NCAA Division I tennis scene, with Edgewood College (Madison) providing NCAA Division III competition and surrounding institutions like UW-Whitewater, UW-Platteville, and Beloit College rounding out a regional D-III cluster.
Wisconsin
Madison, WI · D-I
Big Ten
NCAA Division I, Big Ten Conference. Both men's and women's tennis active. Home: Nielsen Tennis Stadium, the 12-indoor / 8-outdoor court complex built in 1968 and named for UW men's tennis alum Arthur C. Nielsen Sr., founder of the television rating system. Men's head coach Danny Westerman; men's program has finished nationally ranked in 11 of the last 13 years. Women's head coach Kelcy McKenna; the 2022-23 team reached No. 11 in the ITA rankings (highest since 1996) and won an NCAA Tournament match for the first time since 2002. Hosted the 2020 ITA D-I National Men's Team Indoor Championship and the 2023 & 2024 Big Ten Individual Championships.
D-III Programs
Greater Madison · D-III
D-III
Madison-area NCAA Division III programs include Edgewood College Eagles (Madison, Northern Athletics Collegiate Conference), with regional D-III programs at UW-Whitewater Warhawks (Whitewater, ~50 miles southeast, WIAC), UW-Platteville Pioneers (Platteville, ~70 miles west, WIAC), and Beloit College Buccaneers (Beloit, ~50 miles south, Midwest Conference) -- collectively forming a competitive D-III tennis cluster in south-central Wisconsin.
Note: Wisconsin Badger men's tennis hosted in-state Big East rival Marquette at Nielsen during the 2026 dual season, continuing one of the state's longest-running NCAA matchups. UW Club Tennis -- divided into Red and White Teams -- is one of the largest college club programs in the Midwest, hosting the annual Badger Classic at Nielsen and qualifying for USTA Tennis on Campus Nationals as the 2024 Midwest Champion.
Frequently Asked Questions About Tennis in Greater Madison
What are the best tennis facilities in Greater Madison? +
Greater Madison's tennis hub is Nielsen Tennis Stadium on the UW-Madison campus, with 12 indoor courts, 8 outdoor courts, and rated by the USTA as one of the finest tennis facilities in the country. The leading private clubs are TPC Wisconsin (formerly Cherokee Country Club, 8 indoor + 4 outdoor clay courts beside the Cherokee Marsh), the John Powless Tennis Center on the west side (8 indoor + 6 outdoor courts, family-owned for over 40 years), Maple Bluff Country Club (Wisconsin's oldest country club, founded 1899), Nakoma Country Club, and Hitters Tennis Club at Hitters SportsPlex. The City of Madison Parks system maintains nearly 100 public courts -- anchored by Quann Park (12 courts) and Rennebohm Park (6 lighted courts).
What makes Nielsen Tennis Stadium special? +
Nielsen Tennis Stadium was built in 1968 for $2 million on the UW-Madison campus and is named for Arthur C. Nielsen Sr., founder of the television rating system and a UW electrical engineering grad who captained the Wisconsin men's tennis team from 1916 to 1918. His son Arthur C. Nielsen Jr. later captained the Badgers in 1940-41, and the two together won two US National Father & Son Tennis Championship titles. The facility now features 12 indoor tennis courts, 8 outdoor courts (the new outdoor stadium debuted in spring 2019, with elevated grandstands seating up to 800), 5 singles squash courts, and 1 doubles squash court. Nielsen has hosted the USTA/ITA Women's National Indoor Team Tennis Championship from 1988-2010, multiple Big Ten Championships, the 2020 ITA Division I National Men's Team Indoor Championship, the WIAA boys and girls state tournaments, and the 2023 and 2024 Big Ten Individual Championships.
Does the University of Wisconsin have active tennis programs? +
Yes. The Wisconsin Badgers field both men's and women's NCAA Division I tennis programs in the Big Ten Conference, both based at Nielsen Tennis Stadium. The men's team -- coached by Danny Westerman -- has finished nationally ranked in 11 of the last 13 years per uwbadgers.com; freshman Patrik Meszaros was named to the Big Ten All-Freshman Team in 2025. The women's team, coached by Kelcy McKenna, had one of its best seasons in program history in 2022-23, reaching No. 11 in the ITA rankings (highest since 1996) and winning a first NCAA Tournament match since 2002. UW also runs a deep club tennis program at Nielsen that won the USTA Tennis on Campus Midwest Championship in 2024 and qualified for nationals.
What is TPC Wisconsin and what's its tennis history? +
TPC Wisconsin at 5000 N Sherman Avenue is the rebranded Cherokee Country Club -- a 60+ year-old private facility that became the first PGA Tournament Players Club property in Wisconsin in 2022 and the 30th TPC Network golf course in the world. The course was redesigned by PGA Tour star and Edgerton, Wisconsin native Steve Stricker (12-time PGA Tour winner and 2021 US Ryder Cup captain) and reopened on August 1, 2023 as part of a $20+ million renovation. The tennis program features 8 indoor hard courts with climate control and tournament-grade LED lighting, plus 4 professionally maintained outdoor clay courts beside the scenic 5,000-acre Cherokee Marsh -- one of the strongest indoor/clay combinations in Wisconsin.
Who was John Powless? +
John Powless (1932-2021) was a Madison tennis legend and the namesake of the John Powless Tennis Center at 801 Struck Street. Born in Flora, Illinois, Powless was an All-American tennis player at Murray State, an assistant basketball coach at Cincinnati during their back-to-back NCAA championships in 1961 and 1962, and head coach of the Wisconsin Badgers men's basketball team from 1969 to 1976 -- coaching nine NBA draftees, the most in program history at the time. Later he became one of the world's top-ranked senior tennis players, was inducted into the USTA/Midwest Section Hall of Fame in 2000, and was an honorary member of 22 national tennis associations. He played tennis at the White House under President Reagan and on courts belonging to the Emperor of Japan. The center bearing his name remains family-owned and has served Madison for over 40 years with 8 indoor and 6 outdoor courts.
Which Madison-area high school has the most state tennis success? +
Madison Edgewood (Crusaders, WIAA Division 2, Badger Conference) is the most decorated tennis school in the Madison area. Edgewood won the 2024 D2 boys team state championship at Nielsen Tennis Stadium, defeating University School of Milwaukee 4-3 in the final -- their second team title in three seasons -- and has multiple D2 girls team championships including 2013 and 2017. Lily Olson won back-to-back D2 girls singles state titles in fall 2021 and fall 2022 before committing to NCAA Division I St. Thomas, and Baluck Deang won D2 girls singles in 2019 and 2020. Among Big Eight Conference D1 schools, Middleton is the leading public-school program -- 2021 alternate-fall D1 girls team state champion (program's second team title) and four-time D1 boys runner-up (2000, 2007, 2009, 2015). Madison Memorial's Colt Tegtmeier won the 2018 D1 boys No. 1 singles title, and Madison La Follette's Annalise Yang won the 2021 alternate-fall D1 girls singles title.
Are there community tennis programs in Madison? +
Yes. The Greater Madison Tennis Association (GMTA) is the area's central non-profit, with more than 35 years of history and over 300 members. GMTA runs Tennis Nights at Nielsen and Powless, Round Robin Tournaments, the First Service Doubles program, USTA League coordination, and an extensive junior program with summer camps at TPC Wisconsin (Cherokee), Hawks Landing, Hitters, Nielsen, and Powless -- plus partnerships with the Lyle Schaefer Tennis Camp, Grand Slam Camps, the UW Tennis Camp, and Whitewater Tennis Camp. The City of Madison Parks Department maintains nearly 100 public tennis courts -- many dual-striped for tennis and pickleball -- with the highest concentrations at Quann Park (12 courts), Reindahl Park (8), and Rennebohm Park (6 lighted courts). Practice walls are available at Bordner, Brittingham, and Elver Parks, and Madison School & Community Recreation (MSCR) along with the Monona, Verona, Middleton, and Waunakee municipal recreation departments coordinate community lessons and leagues throughout the season.
Does Greater Madison offer USTA leagues? +
Yes. USTA league and tournament play in Greater Madison runs through the
USTA Wisconsin District, part of the
USTA Midwest Section. The
Madison local league is one of five USTA Wisconsin local leagues and administers year-round adult NTRP play across all major facilities. Most private clubs (TPC Wisconsin, Powless, Maple Bluff, Nakoma, Hitters) and Nielsen Tennis Stadium itself run USTA league teams; Nielsen has historically hosted USTA League State Championships. Find
doubles leagues and
match play through
Tennis Circuits®.
Are the clubs listed affiliated with Tennis Circuits®? +
