One of the first steps in trying to put together a solid athletic program is to have quality facilities. When it comes to outdoor tennis,Wake Forest¡¦s Leighton Stadium is hard to beat. Named in memory of former head tennis coach Jim Leighton, the stadium is recognized as one of the finest in the country. The facility includes 1,200 permanent seats, 140 box seats, five lighted outdoor courts, restrooms and special areas for handicapped spectators.
Leighton, a member of the North Carolina Tennis Hall of Fame and the Intercollegiate Tennis Coaches Hall of Fame, coached the Demon Deacon tennis team for 22 years, beginning in 1962. He compiled an impressive 267-169-2 record during that span and was named ACC Coach of the Year in 1981, when the Deacons finished second to perennial conference champion Clemson. After a $700,000 renovation was completed, the stadium was officially dedicated on April 9, 1989, which was seven months after Leighton¡¦sdeath.
In addition to being used for both the men¡¦s and women¡¦s home matchs and practices, the Health and Sports Science department has also benefited from the stadium by having classes and using it for their Cardiac Rehabilitation Program.
New to the Wake Forest tennis facilities this year is the new Indoor Tennis Center, located on the east side of the Groves Stadium Complex, which opened in the fall of 1997. The Indoor Tennis Center, constructed as a cost of $3.5 million, houses eight indoor courts, men¡¦s and women¡¦s locker rooms and spectator seating for over 300. New offices for both the men¡¦s and the women¡¦s coaching staffs are also located in the Indoor Center.
In recent years, an improvement was made to the lighting for Leighton Stadium. This improvement has not only allowed students and faculty to play during evening hours, but it has allowed Wake Forest to start its matches later in the afternoon so that more fans can watch the Deacons play after work or classes.
An added result has been an increase in the number of tournaments Wake Forest has hosted. Both the men¡¦s and women¡¦s teams host collegiate tournaments in the fall or spring. Leighton Stadium also serves as the annual site of the Flow Motors Invitational in which the likes of Pete Sampras, Michael Chang and Andre Agassi have taken part. Last summer also saw Wake Forest host the Boys and Girls 16 Zonal Team Championships, an event sponsored by the USTA.
Students, along with faculty and other members of the community, can often be found playing on the courts at all hours of the day and night.
