Evert Tennis Academy

A Florida original with a champion’s imprint

Few academies in world tennis are as closely tied to a single playing philosophy as Evert Tennis Academy. Founded in 1996 by 18-time Grand Slam champion Chris Evert with her brother and longtime coach John Evert, the academy reflects a legacy built on precise technique, competitive poise, and day-in, day-out professionalism. Their father, the late Jimmy Evert, shaped the family’s coaching values, and that thread still runs through daily life on campus. The mission is clear: develop collegiate and professional players while raising well-rounded student-athletes in a supportive, highly structured environment.

The academy’s origin story matters because it explains the balance players feel the moment they step on court. Evert was built not as a tennis theme park but as a working campus where repetition meets intention. The brand promise is direct: athletes are seen, coached, and tracked by senior staff who know where each player is in the journey and what must happen next.

Boca Raton, year-round training, and why the setting matters

Evert sits in Boca Raton’s Mission Bay neighborhood, a quiet residential pocket roughly 30 to 40 minutes from Palm Beach and Fort Lauderdale airports and under an hour from Miami. South Florida’s climate gives players what high-volume training demands: reliable sun, light winters, and outdoor courts almost every month of the year. Junior players benefit from a deep calendar of USTA Florida events within driving distance, which allows a rhythm of train-compete-recover that is hard to reproduce elsewhere.

For families, the setting reduces friction. Boarding, dining, and logistics are tightly integrated, with structured transportation to regional tournaments and supervised returns to campus. That means a player can compete on Saturday, debrief with coaches on Sunday, and be back in normal training loops by Monday morning. Less downtime, fewer disruptions, and more consistent progression.

Facilities that fit the workload

The academy’s footprint is purpose-built for volume and progression. On campus you will find 23 courts split between 12 hard and 11 clay, plus access to nearby secondary sites that together add more than 25 courts when the program needs to scale. The surface mix matters. Hard courts deliver the pace and timing required for North American tournaments, while clay builds movement quality, point construction, and joint‑friendly workloads. A student at Evert does not choose a surface identity; they develop both.

Training spaces extend beyond the courts. The clubhouse houses coaches’ offices, a video room for match and practice film review, a student lounge, and an academic classroom. Athletes can step straight from a team meeting into a targeted technical session without wasting time in transit. The Player Development Building sits next to the dorms and includes a Strength and Conditioning Room stocked with free weights, sleds, medicine balls, racks, and energy-system equipment for speed and power work. Prehab tools, mobility stations, and recovery protocols are standard, not optional extras.

Residential life is on site. Evert houses boys and girls in separate three‑story dormitories, with two per room during the academic year and up to four during busy camp weeks. Each pair of rooms shares a bathroom that is cleaned weekly. Floors include counselor rooms and security cameras, and students eat three meals a day in the cafeteria. The compact footprint means a player can go from breakfast to dynamic warm‑up in minutes and return to study hall without crossing a highway or relying on shuttle buses.

Coaching staff and philosophy

Chris Evert remains an active presence, and John Evert sets the tone on development details. Day-to-day coaching blends career academy specialists with tour-experienced voices. Academy Director Jacopo Tezza oversees pathways and parent communication, while Director of Strategic Development Ricardo Acioly brings a tour-level lens to planning and periodization. Strength and conditioning is led by Director Joel JoJo Nicholson, a signal that physical preparation is integrated into the training template rather than bolted on after the fact.

The philosophy mirrors the Evert playing template: clear technique, solid patterns, and mental habits that hold under pressure. Players learn to organize their points, manage score pressure, and repeat quality ball-striking even when fatigue sets in. A distinctive piece is the mental performance curriculum directed by Lorenzo Beltrame, known for practical frameworks on self-talk, routines, and competition scripts. Sessions are paper-based and scenario-driven, then reinforced on court so that mental skills become observable habits.

Programs that match different stages

Evert designs its offer around a junior pathway with clear entry points and progression steps:

• Full-time Training and Academics blends an intensive tennis schedule with a college-preparatory education hosted on campus through Grandview Preparatory School. Students enroll by year or semester, aligning course loads with travel calendars. For the 2025–2026 cycle, the academy lists boarding and non-boarding tuition bands for both the core Academy track and a more exclusive Developmental track that layers in a daily one-to-one lesson and dedicated coach-manager oversight.
• Afternoon Academy serves local players who attend area schools. Weekdays typically run from 3:45 to 5:45 with targeted movement, reaction training, technical themes, and competitive play. Families choose by semester or year, keeping a repeatable after-school rhythm without jumping to a boarding model.
• Weekly and Pre‑Tournament Camps operate year-round outside of summer and holiday blocks, in full-day, half-day, and Developmental formats that include a private lesson, fitness, lunch, and afternoon match play. Holiday and summer camps mirror the same technical, tactical, physical, and mental cadence with posted weekly rates. For many families, these short formats are a low-risk way to assess fit before committing to a semester or year.
• Adult programming is limited by design. The academy’s audience is firmly junior, but parents can book private lessons with staff coaches. That makes travel weeks productive for the whole family without distracting from the core junior mission.

How training actually looks

A week at Evert follows a predictable structure because consistency is a training tool. Mornings emphasize ball‑striking and footwork fundamentals in small groups, including live-ball patterns, repetition blocks, and targeted feeds. Players rotate through footwork ladders, directional control drills, and serve mechanics, then move to fitness blocks that prioritize linear and lateral speed, acceleration mechanics, plyometrics, and core stability.

Afternoons shift to points and pattern work that tie movement to decision making. Coaches set constraints that force players to recognize cues and choose higher‑percentage patterns. Cross‑court defense to down‑the‑line offense, first‑strike patterns after a quality serve, neutral ball tolerance under time pressure, and transition decisions are common themes. The Developmental Program places a daily one‑to‑one lesson into this template, with a coach‑manager tracking short and long‑term goals, integrating feedback from fitness and mental staff, and issuing periodic progress reports to families.

Video analysis is used to speed up technical interventions. Coaches capture reference clips of serves, forehands, backhands, volleys, and return stances, then compare angles over time to document real change. Players learn to read their own mechanics, which accelerates the feedback loop. Strength and conditioning is periodized around competition, so heavy lifting and power work taper before tournaments while mobility, activation, and movement quality take priority on travel days.

Education that fits the calendar

The on‑campus high school is fully accredited and aligned with NCAA requirements, enabling academic schedules that flex around travel and competition. Course loads are planned with college placement in mind, and the academy partners with college counseling so families see the recruiting path early. Students should still budget separately for school tuition and plan for standardized tests, but the scaffolding is there: supervised study hall, teacher communication, and transcript management that does not require parents to chase forms during tournament weeks.

Alumni and proof of concept

Many families first hear about Evert through its alumni. Madison Keys moved to Florida at a young age to train at the academy and rose to a Grand Slam final and the top ten. Sloane Stephens spent time at Evert during her development years on her path to a US Open title. More recently, Ajla Tomljanovic has trained at the academy and maintains a close mentor relationship with Chris Evert. Beyond headline names, the academy points to more than 15 Grand Slam participants and over 100 Division I athletes who came through its programs. For a campus that prioritizes quality over sheer volume, that output is meaningful.

Culture and daily life

Families consistently describe Evert with one word: structured. Boarding students check in on Sundays, hand key documents to staff for safekeeping, and receive a printed schedule and orientation. Weekdays are training heavy with supervised study and recovery windows. Weekends bring tournaments or group activities like beach sessions, pro sports outings, or community service. Dorms are monitored, and Student Services inspects rooms and common areas regularly. It feels more like a compact campus than a sprawling resort, which suits juniors who benefit from routine and clear expectations.

Culture shows up in the small details. Players line up for dynamic warm‑ups, collect balls efficiently, and maintain standards on court spacing and communication. Coaches speak a common language about footwork, decision‑making, and resilience. Parents receive structured updates rather than ad‑hoc texts. The tone is encouraging but firm, and the message is constant: progress is planned, tracked, and earned.

Costs, access, and financial realities

For 2025–2026, Evert publishes transparent pricing for full‑time Academy and Developmental tracks, plus Afternoon Academy and weekly camp formats. Families should budget for the school component when choosing the on‑campus academic option, as well as tournament travel, stringing, equipment, and any supplemental services like sports massage or tutoring. The academy highlights scholarship outcomes for graduates who pursue college tennis, and families are encouraged to ask directly about current financial aid, installment plans, and any need‑based opportunities supported by partner organizations. As with any high‑performance pathway, smart budgeting and early planning make the experience smoother.

Training and player development philosophy

Evert’s development model runs on five parallel tracks that reinforce one another:

1. Technical: efficient grips, clean swing shapes, stable contact points, and repeatable serve mechanics. The focus is not on flashy power but on reliable pace and trajectory that holds up under pressure.
2. Tactical: pattern literacy and court geometry. Players learn when to build, when to press, and how to protect strengths while improving weaker patterns.
3. Physical: speed first, then strength expressed safely. Mobility work underpins everything, so players show up fresh enough to learn, not just survive.
4. Mental: routines, self‑talk, breathing, and body language practiced daily, not saved for talks in a classroom.
5. Educational: academic accountability and life skills so athletes can navigate college teams or early pro life with confidence.

The result is a training culture where departments share information. A coach notes a late contact on the backhand return, the fitness staff adjusts activation, and the mental coach reinforces a between‑point reset to slow down the rush. That collaboration is where incremental gains add up.

What makes Evert different

• Development truly means development. The Developmental Program’s daily one‑to‑one lesson and coach‑manager oversight create a fast feedback loop rarely found at scale.
• Integrated mental training. With a named director and a clear curriculum, mental skills are not a side talk but a weekly habit that shows up in match behaviors.
• A workable scale. The court count is robust, yet the full‑time academic‑year cohort is kept to a size where players are seen every day by senior staff.
• Location that supports the calendar. South Florida’s climate and tournament density reduce downtime and make it easier to stack meaningful matches across the year.

How it compares

Evert’s profile is intimate, American, and college pathway oriented. Rafa Nadal Academy in Spain operates on a larger international campus with frequent overlap between juniors and touring pros, while Mouratoglou in the south of France leans into technology, media, and an expansive sports village model. For a North American benchmark with a different climate and club integration, some families like to review the Aforza Calgary approach to compare how programming scales within a city-based ecosystem. If you are focused on seasonal camps and want a sense of how other high‑performance hubs stagger weekly themes, you can also look at how Aforza Calgary structures camps as a complementary reference point.

Future outlook and vision

The academy continues to refresh programming and partnerships, from academics with Grandview Prep to college placement support and on‑court integration between coaches and fitness staff. Expect continued investment in video workflows, data capture for serve and movement patterns, and professional development for coaches so the playbook stays sharp. With Chris and John Evert still shaping the culture, fundamentals, toughness, and preparation will remain central as the next waves of juniors move through Boca Raton.

Is it for you

Choose Evert if your junior thrives on daily structure, wants hands‑on technical coaching, and plans to pursue either Division I recruitment or a measured transition to the professional level. The campus is compact, the expectations are clear, and the program rewards seriousness about school and sport. If you are seeking a mega‑campus experience or constant overlap with touring pros, you may prefer larger international hubs. If you value a disciplined, family‑run environment with court time on both hard and clay and a staff that tracks details, Evert is worth a close look.

Bottom line

Evert Tennis Academy delivers a focused, test‑driven pathway for juniors who want to turn daily habits into long‑term outcomes. With 23 courts, on‑site academics, integrated strength and mental training, and a staff steeped in the Evert family’s standards, the campus offers a clear route from foundation skills to college tennis and beyond. Families looking for substance over spectacle will find the right kind of seriousness here, backed by a track record that shows up in real careers and real opportunities.