When & Where
UP YOUR GAME
Whether you’re a tennis ace or just starting out, you can play year-round at Nielsen Tennis Stadium. Between our 12 indoor tennis courts, two squash courts, equipment rental and racquet services, and a system to help you find a tennis partner, we have you covered.
TENNIS LESSONS
We offer group and individual tennis lessons. Whether you’re looking to learn the basics of the game or you’re already an ace, our experienced instructors will help you develop your skills, technique, and game strategy so that you can confidently play on your own.
TODAY’S HOURS
NIELSEN TENNIS STADIUM
1000 Highland Avenue
Madison, WI 53705
(608) 262 - 8244
Hours of Operation
Reservations are required at Nielsen Tennis Stadium. Reservations can be made online or by calling us at (608) 262 – 8244 and select option 2. In order to be good stewards of our resources, Nielsen Tennis Stadium may close early depending on the court reservation schedule. From time to time, you may also experience closures due to tournaments and other events. Please contact us at (608) 262 – 8244 and select option 2 to confirm closing times and availability.
September 6 – December 21
| Days of the Week | Hours |
|---|---|
| Monday - Friday | 6:45am - 10:30pm |
| Saturday - Sunday | 7:45am - 10:30pm |
Adjusted Hours
August 28 – September 5
| Day of the Week | Hours |
|---|---|
| August 28 - September 5 | 8am - 8:45pm |
| September 2 - September 4 | CLOSED |
| September 5 | 8am - 8:45pm |
Thanksgiving Weekend | November 22 – November 26
| Date | Hours |
|---|---|
| November 22 | 6:45am - 6pm |
| November 23 | CLOSED |
| November 24 | 7:45am - 6pm |
| November 25 | 7:45am - 6pm (12pm if home football) |
| November 26 | 7:45am - 6pm |
*Badger Home Football Games (close at noon):
- September 2, 16
- October 7, 14, 28
- November 11, 18
December 22 – January 21
| Date | Hours |
|---|---|
| December 22 | 8am - 6pm |
| December 23 - December 25 | CLOSED |
| December 26 - December 29 | 8am - 6pm |
| December 30 - January 1 | CLOSED |
January 2 – January 21
| Days | Hours |
|---|---|
| Monday - Thursday | 8am - 10:30pm |
| Friday - Sunday | 8am - 6pm |
January 23 – May 14
| Day of the Week | Hours |
|---|---|
| Monday - Friday | 6:45am - 10:30pm |
| Saturday - Sunday | 7:45am - 10:30pm |
Adjusted Hours
| Date | Hours |
|---|---|
| March 10 | 6:45am - 10:30pm |
| March 11 - 12 | 7:45am - 10:30pm |
| March 13 - 17 | 8am - 10:30pm |
| March 18 - 19 | 7:45am - 10:30pm |
| May 13 - 14 | CLOSED |
Check back in April 2024 for summer hours.
Reservations
In order to be good stewards of our resources, Nielsen Tennis Stadium may close early depending on the court reservation schedule. From time to time, you may also experience closures due to tournaments and other events. Please contact us a (608) 262 – 8244, then selecting option 2 to confirm closing times and availability prior to arriving for a walk-in court reservation.
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Reserve an indoor tennis court
There are three ways to reserve courts for indoor tennis:
- Reserve online using CourtReserve
- Call Nielsen Tennis Stadium at (608) 262 – 8244, then selecting option 2
- Visit the Member Services desk at Nielsen Tennis Stadium to reserve in-person
Reserve a squash court
- Reserve online using CourtReserve
- Call Nielsen Tennis Stadium at (608) 262 – 8244, then selecting option 2, or visit the front desk
- Reservations can be made starting at 7:45am each morning
- Reservations will be honored in the order received
- Each person must make his or her own reservation
Reservation policies
- Court fees must be paid at Nielsen Tennis Stadium prior to playing (see pricing under Equipment Rental & Hourly Court Fees)
- Courts can be reserved online up to 2 hours before the court time; last minute reservations must be made over the phone or in-person at Nielsen Tennis Stadium
- Reservations can be made starting at 7:45am each morning (online and over the phone)
- Each person must make their own reservation
- Current UW-Madison students and Rec Well Affiliate Members may make a reservation THREE DAYS in advance (example: call or go online on Monday to reserve for Thursday)
- Guests and non-Rec Well Affiliate Members may make a reservation ONE DAY in advance
- Players can make one court reservation per day
Cancellation policies
- Court reservations and cancellation fees are the responsibility of the person who booked the court reservation
- Players can cancel a reservation with no penalty up to two hours in advance of their reservation time
- Players with “no shows” and “late cancellations” will be billed a cancellation fee of $12 which, once billed & emailed to the player, must be paid before making a reservation and/or playing again
- How to cancel court reservations on CourtReserve
Court Fees
Access to Nielsen Tennis Stadium is included in your University Recreation & Wellbeing membership. Household dependent memberships are available for children younger than 18 years old. To learn more about Affiliate Dependent Memberships, please visit our Memberships page.
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Indoor Tennis Court Fees
Rates shown are per person.
| wdt_ID | Membership | Singles Rate | Doubles Rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | UW Student | $8 | $4 |
| 2 | Rec Well Members | $10 | $5 |
| 4 | Non-Members | $20 | $10 |
Discounted Tennis Court Fees
Discounted court fees are available Monday – Thursday from 10:30am – 1:30pm (start times). Rates shown are per person.
| wdt_ID | Membership | Singles Rate | Doubles Rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | UW Student | $4 | $3 |
| 2 | Rec Well Members | $6 | $4 |
| 4 | Non-Members | $11 | $8 |
Squash Court Fees
Rates shown are per person.
| wdt_ID | Membership | Singles Rate |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | UW Student | $3 |
| 2 | Rec Well Members | $4 |
| 4 | Non-Members | $8 |
See For Yourself
Equipment Rental & Services
For your convenience, we offer a variety of equipment rental options and racquet services.
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Equipment Rental
| wdt_ID | Equipment | Price |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Tennis Ball Machine* | $12 |
| 2 | Demo Tennis racquets | $2 |
| 4 | Demo Squash racquets | $2 |
| 5 | Rental Tennis racquets | $1 |
| 6 | Rental Squash racquets | $2 |
*Tennis balls included in rental. We’ll also provide a hopper for picking up tennis balls.
Racquet Repair Services
| wdt_ID | Equipment | Price |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | 24-hour Restringing Fee | $5 |
| 2 | Natural Gut Surcharge | $2 |
| 4 | Grip Size Build-up (material only) | $5 |
| 5 | Grommet Replacement (labor only) | $5 |
| 6 | Racquet Regripping (labor only) | $2 |
Restringing Services
Have your racquet restrung at Nielsen Tennis Stadium. We offer a pre-paid service guaranteed within three business days.
Racquet owners have the option to provide their own string to be used for stringing service. Our talented staff handles the string with care, but in the event the owner-provided string breaks during the stringing service, we will use a similar string as a replacement. We are unable to provide a refund for the broken string.
String prices do not include the stringing service fee.
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Stringing Fee
| wdt_ID | Membership | Price |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Student/Member | $15 |
| 2 | Non-Member | $18 |
Strings
| wdt_ID | Brand | String Type | Price |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Luxilon 4G (16) | Polyester | $28 |
| 2 | Luxilon Alu Power (16) | Polyester | $28 |
| 3 | Solinco Tour Bite (16 or 16 Soft) | Polyester | $20 |
| 4 | Babolat RPM Blast (16) | Polyester | $26 |
| 5 | Babolat RPM Hurricane | Polyester | $15 |
| 6 | Wilson NXT (16 or 17) | Multifilament | $25 |
| 7 | Wilson Sensation (16) | Multifilament | $18 |
| 8 | Gamma Live Wire (16 or 17) | Multifilament | $18 |
| 9 | Gamma Live Wire XP (16 or 17) | Multifilament | $19 |
| 10 | Gamma Live Wire Professional (16) | Multifilament | $26 |
| 11 | Gamma TNT II (16 or 17) | Multifilament | $14 |
| 12 | Wilson Synthetic Gut (16) | Synthetic Gut | $8 |
| 13 | Gamma Synthetic Gut (16 or 17) | Synthetic Gut | $6 |
| 14 | Gamma Synthetic Gut w/Wearguard (16) | Synthetic Gut | $6 |
| 15 | 4G & NXT | Hybrid | $27 |
| 16 | 4G & Sensation | Hybrid | $23 |
| 17 | 4G & Wilson Synthetic Gut | Hybrid | $18 |
| 18 | Alu Power & NXT | Hybrid | $27 |
| 19 | Alu Power & Sensation | Hybrid | $23 |
| 20 | Alu Power & Wilson Synthetic Gut | Hybrid | $18 |
| 21 | RPM Hurricane & NXT | Hybrid | $20 |
| 22 | RPM Hurricane & Sensation | Hybrid | $17 |
| 23 | RPM Hurricane & Wilson Synthetic Gut | Hybrid | $12 |
| 24 | Tour Bite & NXT | Hybrid | $23 |
| 25 | Tour Bite & Sensation | Hybrid | $19 |
| 26 | Tour Bite & Wilson Sythentic Gut | Hybrid | $14 |
| 27 | Ashaway MultiNick (18) | Squash | $15 |
Getting There
Parking
Lot 76 is undergoing major construction! As a result, visitor parking stalls will be unavailable from now until August 31. Here are some alternate parking options:
- Lot 82: We have 4 parking stalls available at all times for Nielsen Tennis Stadium users on a first come, first serve basis. The parking stalls are labeled with a Rec Well sign on each stall and located at the back of the lot, closest to the facility. Rate is $5/2 hours. Pay at the Nielsen Tennis Stadium desk immediately after parking. Parked cars that are not paid at the desk will be ticketed and towed at owner’s expense.
- Lot 82 (3-minute walk): free after 4:30pm Monday – Friday and all day Saturday and Sunday.
- Lot 60 (8-minute walk): free after 4:30pm Monday – Friday and all day Saturday and Sunday.
- Lot 130 (11 minute walk): located at 2003 University Bay Drive. Payment required Monday – Friday, 7am – 4:30pm.
- Bike and moped stalls are available in front of Nielsen.
- Parking availability may be restricted without notice due to special events such as the WIAA State Tournament.
For more information on campus parking, check out the parking website for maps, restricted parking times, and more.
Bus
-
- Convenient bus lines include routes A, B, 80, 81, 82, and 84.