VALDOSTA — With almost 60 years of tennis experience between them, Izzie and Wes Sadler labeled the new tennis complex at McKey Park as top-ranked. 

The husband-and-wife duo traveled from Albany to Valdosta to compete in the United States Tennis Association’s Mixed Doubles State Championship held Friday through Monday.

With a 1-1 record, the Sadlers were resting as they watched competitors play on the blue and green paved courts Saturday during the championship.

The tournament featured 60 teams vying for the award-winning title. Some played on courts at Valdosta State University and the new Valdosta High School.

But others, such as the Sadlers, acclimated themselves to McKey’s courts.

“The courts are beautiful; they play very well,” Izzie Sadler said. “The facility’s beautiful, has a great viewing area here, and the expansion’s fantastic. It’s gotta be good for the City of Valdosta I would think.”

Izzie and Wes Sadler agreed McKey’s tennis courts are top-notch compared to others they’ve played.

The shaded viewing area overlooking six of the tennis courts was appealing to Wes Sadler, who said the courts are in excellent shape.

“The quality of them is at the top. I mean, there’s nothing that you don’t have here that anybody else would have … we’re very impressed with it,” he said.

Talk about changes to McKey’s tennis courts began at least five years ago, said George Page, executive director for the Valdosta-Lowndes County Parks and Recreation.

Special purpose local option sales tax funded the repaving of the park’s courts, completion of a six-court addition is expected to take place mid-October, according to parks and recreation officials.

Compared to McKey’s previous tennis facility, Page said the expansion offers opportunities to more players. 

“We’re very thankful that we have had the existing 12 courts; but, with all the local league play and free recreation play, the existing tennis center, it was hard to get courts,” he said.

Suzan Prince is president of the Community Tennis Association and also the chairman for VLPRA’s authority board.

USTA’s state championship is the first of its kind for Valdosta, according to Prince, who said the city has never hosted a tennis event of this magnitude.

CTA offered the bid for the USTA to host its state championship in Valdosta this year and August 2019, Page said.

Prince said the USTA estimates the economic impact of the tournament for the two-year period is close to $1 million for Valdosta. The expansion made Valdosta attractive in the bidding, Prince said.

David Bain, senior director of adult and junior leagues for USTA, said the renovation and expansion helped CTA win the bid.

“It makes it a much better atmosphere for the players. The more courts you have at a facility, the better an experience it is for the players because they’re not having to drive around to sites as much,” he said.

McKey’s facility is the equivalent of other 18-court facilities in larger cities, Bain said.

The largest element to hosting a national tournament is the tax dollars it rakes in from out-of-towner guests who are eating, sleeping and shopping locally, Prince said.

“Not only is that benefitting our business people, but it’s also bringing in tax dollars that otherwise would not be coming into our community,” she said.

Page said hosting the USTA championship brings visitors to Valdosta; but Prince said the expansion is more about Valdosta residents.

“We want to provide our local community with facilities that they can come out and utilize free of charge, to get exercise and to have healthy lifestyles,” Prince said.

Vendors included Gayla’s Grits of Lakeland, Mindful Massage and Bodywork, The Mix, Smoothie King and Thacker Dermatology.

Free Gatorade, water and bananas were given to players and a VLPRA Italian ice cart was present. 

Amanda Usher is a reporter at The Valdosta Daily Times. She can be contacted at 229-244-3400 ext.1274.