Celebrating One Year of INTENNSE: A Letter from Our CEO
INTENNSE Tennis
2 MINS | Published on 09/04/25
From the Desk of Charles Allen, CEO, INTENNSE
This past Wednesday, September 3rd, marked the one-year anniversary of INTENNSE's incorporation and this Tuesday will mark one year since our first junior event at Olde Towne Athletic Club in Marietta, GA. What an incredible journey this has been!
What stands out for me is the joy. From the first junior event through the pre-season, we worked to hone our format and understand how it impacts team dynamics.
Throughout the entire process we could feel the joy building and we knew we were on the right track when numerous players reflected that playing INTENNSE was the most fun they have ever experienced on a court. As we moved into the INTENNSE Arena to play the regular season, the fans continued to amplify this message.
Our liberated fan experience, the No Shush Zone, allowed families with young children to loosen up, to let the emotions flow. We attracted new fans to the sport, who had never before seen themselves “in tennis”.
This season we proved our concept and we built incredible momentum for our next phase of growth. In 2025 we hosted six Surge weekends and a college coaches’ event; including junior and amateur events, far more than 100 players experienced our unique environment. Tens of thousands watched INTENNSE, both live in the Arena and on our Twitch stream, YouTube channel, as well as on our linear broadcast partners Peachtree TV and Swerve Sports.
In 2026, we will expand from our initial three teams in one Atlanta hub to ten teams, with five teams in each of two hubs. We will soon be announcing the location of our second hub. Our plan is to grow to 24–36 markets by the mid-2030s and to double the number of players who can earn a living from tennis.
To guide this growth, we have been busy bringing on full-time staff with deep industry experience who will help us build the foundation to sustain our vision. This steady expansion will require many more players. In the coming weeks, we will announce our 2026 recruitment plans, which will include the first of its kind Tennis Draft, putting college tennis on par with other sports — a clear development pathway to the pros.
To sustain this expansion, we are also in a new funding round and speaking with strategic partners who share our vision, with investors whose values authentically reflect the spirit of the movement we're building.
We are excited about what is on the horizon. Thank you for being a part of this journey with us.
