USTA Ventures Invests in Rec to Bring Modern Technology to the Millions Who Play Tennis in Public Parks

The USTA today announced that the USTA’s strategic investment initiative USTA Ventures has invested in Rec Technologies (“Rec”), the company modernizing how Americans discover and access places to play. USTA Ventures’ investment aims to support Rec as it enhances the play experience for the millions of tennis players who currently play on public courts with the goal of continuing the country-wide boom in grassroots tennis participation.

More than 27.3 million people played tennis in America in 2025, with nearly 40 percent of them playing in public parks (link to independent study). Rec is the operating system for modern recreation, connecting players, coaches and organizations together with the spaces where play happens, whether it’s a tennis match, soccer game, or swim lesson. Over time, Rec will make it easier for people to discover and access tennis opportunities across public and private courts, facilities, and community programs through one connected network.

Today, Rec’s AI-driven, user-friendly platform modernizes the local recreation experience by simplifying court bookings and lesson registrations, and connects players and coaches together at local facilities. Rec is already used to manage courts in nearly 100 cities across the country, helping make everyday play and instruction more accessible. This dovetails with the USTA’s goal of making the U.S. the No. 1 tennis-playing nation in the world, with 35 million players by 2035. The USTA will also explore potential integration between Rec and USTA Coaching to help connect public park players with certified coaches on the platform.

“A large portion of tennis play happens on public park courts, yet the process for finding and booking a court or a coach can often be a barrier for players,” said Michael Hughes, USTA Senior Director, Digital and Business Strategy. “We see tremendous opportunity to enhance that experience. Rec is leading the way in modernizing local park infrastructure, and USTA Ventures is excited to support their work as we make tennis more accessible to communities nationwide.”

“Technology for local recreation has become the biggest obstacle between people and play; it’s hard to search and even harder to book. We built Rec to make it effortless for everyone in a community to find a court, book that tennis lesson you’ve always wanted to take, or simply get outside in your own neighborhood,” said Rachel Williams, Rec Co-founder and President. “Having USTA Ventures behind us — a partner whose mission is to grow the game — accelerates our ability to put technology in the hands of more community members who want better access to play.”