SEB Arena, one of the largest indoor tennis centers in Europe with 28 courts under one roof, is slowly getting ready for the summer season. From the beginning of May, the route of a large part of the capital's tennis lovers will more and more often go towards the 12 tennis courts located in Bernardina Park.
"Of course, SEB Arena will not remain empty. A large number of tennis players simply like to play on closed courts, where the surface is predictable, the sun does not shine in the eyes, the temperature is always the same, and the game is not disturbed by the wind. In addition, in the summer, various camps are held in the arena for children and adults who want to learn the basics of tennis. Finally, summer weather in Lithuania is unpredictable, frequent rains sometimes force even those tennis players who like to play outdoors to return under the roof. Therefore, the activity and movement in the arena will not last even in the summer", says Ramūnas Grušas, who manages the arena.
More than 70 thousand per month. visitors
Over 10 million were completed last summer. reconstruction of the arena costing EUR 7, after which XNUMX more hard surface tennis courts appeared.
"As we thought, even with the increase in the number of tennis courts, occupancy rates have not changed substantially. It is obvious that more and more people from Vilnius try tennis and fall in love with this sport. It is they, together with more than 600 students of the Vilnius Tennis Academy training in the SEB Arena, who fill the arena," says R. Grušas.
He reveals that during the winter season, the doors of "SEB Arena" are opened on average by slightly more than 70 people per month. together. "Of course, this is not the number of unique visitors, tennis, badminton and squash players. We have a lot of people who regularly exercise with us, this number also includes hotel guests, people who exercise in the "Reformatas" sports club. But the flow, you must admit, is impressive."
Tournaments that have never existed in Lithuania
According to the head of "SEB Arena", the professional tournaments held in Vilnius - two Davis Cup competitions, the Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP) "Challenger" series tournaments held for the first time in Lithuania, as well as the International Tennis Federation (ITF) competitions - also contributed significantly to the new wave of tennis popularity. . After them, a significant number of people who discovered tennis flocked to the arena.
“I can let you in on a little secret. The ATP "Challenger" series tournament "Vilnius Open by kevin" held here was rated by the players as one of the few best Challenger tournaments in the 2022 season. This evaluation takes into account such factors as the organization of the tournament, infrastructure, conditions for training, accommodation, catering. We are happy not only with the fact of such an assessment, but also with the fact that we can basically offer the same conditions to Vilnius tennis fans after the tournaments are over," says R. Grušas.
Amateur competitions - almost every weekendį
During the last winter season, SEB Arena hosted almost 30 different tournaments for tennis lovers.
"Various amateur competitions have already become a beautiful tradition of arena weekends. I think this is a very important phenomenon for the development of tennis, which unites and strengthens the community. We notice that the number of not only players but also fans is gradually increasing. Their friends, relatives, and children come to support the athletes fighting on the courts. In other words, tennis tournaments become a kind of leisure not only for people who like this sport. After all, we have something to offer them as well. For example, we had a special exhibition dedicated to the memory of the best tennis player of Lithuanian origin, Vitus Gerulaičius, and other photography exhibitions are constantly held in the arena's spaces", notes the manager of SEB Arena.
In addition to 28 tennis courts, SEB Arena also has 4 badminton, 2 squash and 10 mini tennis courts. Smart card equipment is installed in the central court of the arena, showing the speed, accuracy, and other selected parameters of the game in real time. This is the only such card in Lithuania.
