ATHENS, Ga. (AP) 鈥� It was sunny and 80 degrees in Athens as the Virginia men and Texas A&M women were crowned this year’s national champions in college tennis, moments of joy in front of the best turnout in years and a welcome respite during an unsettling time for the sport.
The has accelerated in recent months, with Saint Louis, Illinois State, North Dakota and Gardner-Webb shuttering one or both of their programs. Arkansas dropped its men’s and women’s tennis programs in late April 鈥� a decision that turned heads given the Southeastern Conference’s deep resources 鈥� then with short-term funding promises from supporters.
鈥淚t鈥檚 a tragedy when any school cuts its program,鈥� said Reese Stalder, a tennis pro who played for TCU. 鈥淲hile (Arkansas) did get reinstated, it was on the verge of being done for. 鈥� That goes to show that it doesn鈥檛 matter how big of an athletic program you are, no school is fully guaranteed to be safe.鈥�
College tennis expanded for decades before beginning to shrink in recent years. Since 2015, men鈥檚 programs across all three NCAA divisions have dropped from 765 teams to 683, while women鈥檚 programs have declined from 930 to 840, according to NCAA participation data through the 2024-2025 season.
Other so-called non-revenue sports 鈥� those outside of football and basketball 鈥� as athletic departments navigate rising costs and associated with revenue sharing and name, image and likeness compensation deals now funneling millions of dollars to athletes. Tennis, however, for the rash of recent announcements.
鈥淚n the last five years, everything costs more,鈥� TCU men’s coach David Roditi said. “The price of admission to compete at the highest level just keeps going up and up. That鈥檚 a slippery slope. For lack of a better term, it鈥檚 greedy.鈥�
For programs merely hoping to stay afloat, allocating funds toward talent acquisition isn’t a top priority. Auburn women’s coach Jordan Szabo called for common sense amid the changes.
鈥淲ith all of this crazy NIL and the things that go on with that, hopefully, maybe, some common sense gets put into place. Let鈥檚 support our programs so they鈥檙e here for people like me,鈥� Szabo said, pointing to his Australian roots. 鈥淚nstead of necessarily 鈥榖uying鈥� players, let鈥檚 put money back into our programs, so we have a future for many generations to come.鈥�
While rising costs are often cited as the catalyst for program cuts, coaches say the problem is worsened by a lack of visibility, which limits outside investment and institutional support.
Former Tennessee associate coach James McKie, who helped the men’s team to the 2021 semifinals, recalled the excitement when his team spotted a Skycam camera hovering above the courts and streaming the competition live on the Tennis Channel.
鈥淭he viewership for that NCAA championship was amazing,鈥� he said.
The Tennis Channel has since stopped airing the tournament after its three-year deal expired though ESPN picked up the rights as part of a larger deal for multiple NCAA championships. This year鈥檚 championships were streamed on ESPN+, a subscription service unavailable in many countries. Of the 42 athletes who competed in the men’s and women’s championships, 24 were international.
鈥淯nfortunately, less people are watching, but that doesn鈥檛 mean less people care,” McKie said.
McKie said he has heard the arguments that tennis matches are too long to hold television audiences. But just as other sports introduced shot clocks, and revised timeout rules, he believes tennis can adapt, too. One idea he floated: a shortened, first-to-four format, similar to the
Roditi and McKie contend college tennis has an advantage over high-revenue sports: accessibility. While future NFL and NBA talent is often out of reach, tennis programs can forge closer ties with their communities.
鈥淧rograms that are getting involved in their communities, that are creating revenue and relevancy within their world and bring value to the athletic department are the ones that are thriving and less likely to be cut,” Roditi said.
At TCU, that includes initiatives like pickleball tournaments with the business school and youth clinics 鈥� efforts coaches say can help sustain programs in .
鈥淲ake up and realize how college athletics is changing, and do whatever you can to inject revenue into your program,鈥� McKie said. 鈥淭ake the initiative. Take the forward step. Don’t wait for your administrator to reach out.鈥�
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