Tennis appears for the first time in France during the XVIII century. By 1896 it was included as an olimpic sport in the Olimpic Games of Athens. By 1926 it had its first tournament becoming a professional sport. In 1978, La Romana saw the first tennis tournament that took place in the Dominican Republic and it it had athletes from several countries making it an international tournament. Since then it has tsken place every year.

With the passage of time, our country has aquired many tennis courts in various public and private tennis centers, in various social and sport clubs, as part of various luxury hotels and resorts among other places. It also has the Dominican Tennis Federation (FEDOTENIS) and tennis associations of 18 provinces and the National District.

National Tennis Center (Centro Nacional de Tenis)

The National Tennis Center is located in the Mirador del Este Park in the Tennis Pavilion in Santo Domingo Este. It has 12 tennis courts with public access and which are used by the Elvis Espinal Tennis Academy. This is one of the largest tennis centers in the Dominican Republic and it is open to the public.

Perhaps its most impressive aspect that differentiates this tennis center from any other in the Dominican Republic whether it is public or private, is that it has a 13th tennis court in a stadium. The Tennis Stadium of the Dominican Republic is the only one of its type in the Caribbean and certainly the most beautiful. Central America in its entirety has one stadium in San Salvador, however it isn’t as impressive and not as big as the Dominican stadium.

Tennis Stadium of the Dominican Republic

The Tennis Stadium of the Dominican Republic was inaugurated in 2003 by then president Agri. Ing. Mr Hipólito Mejía. It has capacity for 3,700 people, 2 VIP rooms, store, medical dispensary and more. This where the Davis Cup, the Federation Cup and other tournaments takes place. They include the participation of young and adult athletes from various countries such as Spain, the United States, Puerto Rico, Barbados, Guatemala and others, plus professional tennis athletes too. The Dominican Tennis Federation (FEDOTENIS) is based here with its administrative office, the most important tennis organization in the Dominican Republic.

Björn Borg Interview in the Dominican Republic (2021)

In 2021 the world famous Swedish tennis athlete (now retired) Björn Borg was in the Dominican Republic for the first time. He was impressed with the National Tennis Center and the Tennis Stadium of the Dominican Republic. The following were his words.

“The facility here is incredible. It impresses in the Caribbean. It has to be one of the best.”

The opinion of Björn Borg is extremely important. He won 96 tennis tournaments with 11 Grand Slam titles, includig 5 consecutive ones in Wimbleton. Without a doubt, he is one of the world’s greatest tennis athlete. He became the first tennis super star and changed the sport forever as he attracted the interest of the mass of the peolple and along with that increased its importance. The interviewat the National Tennis Center is shown next. It was done in English with Spanish subtitles.

Juan Pablo Duarte Olympic Center Tennis Pavilion

One of Central America and the Caribbean largest tennis courts center is the Tennis Pavilion at the Juan Pablo Duarte Olympic Center in Santo Domingo. It has 12 spaces for tennis courts. All are open to the public, built and owned by the Dominican government.

Select Tennis Centers in the Dominican Republic

The Dominican Republic has many tennis centers throughout the country. The majority belong to private clubs and resorts. As such, thrir use is limited to members only and visitors. A very small sample is shown next.

Rafael Nadal in the Dominican Republic (2012)

The Spanish professional tennis athlete Rafael Nadal was in the Dominican Republic in March of 2012. What brought this international tennis star to the country was he officially received the key to his new vacation home in Playa Nueva Romana. This is a paradisiacal private community and resort next to a tropical beach, an extraordinary golf course (in reality it’s two back-to-back), a shopping plaza and more.

Víctor Estrella Burgos: The Best Dominican Tennis Athlete of All Times

Native of Santiago de los Caballeros, the most important city in the northern Dominican Republic and the first Santiago of the Americas, has distinguish himself as the best Dominican professional tennis athlete. He retired in 2019. He reached in the ATP Ranking the top 100 positions when he was 33 years old and within the top 50 when he was 34. He has won the most tournaments for the Dominican Republic in the Davis Cup, in addition to winning in individual and doubles. During the course of his professional tennis career he has won more than US$2 million.

The following are the medals he won.

• Bronze: 2 in 2006 in Cartagena, Colombia and 1 in 2011 in Guadalajara, Mexico.
• Silver: 1 in 2002 in San Salvador and 1 in 2006 in Cartagena, Colombia.
• Gold: 1 in 2010 in Mayaguez, Puerto Rico; 1 in 2014 in Veracruz, Mexico and 1 in 2018 in Barranquilla, Colombia.

He has played Grand Slams at the Australia Open, French Open, Wimbeldon (United Kingdom) and the United States Open.

Unquestionably, Victor Estrella Burgos has no equal among professional Dominican tennis athletes. Simply the best. He has won 8 medals in professional tennis around the world. He has positioned the name of the Dominican Republic in the highest places of the tennis world.