Construction has begun on the long-planned renovation of the East Potomac Tennis Center in Washington, marking a significant step forward for the decades-old facility. The project is led by Michael Retta, a 34-year-old tennis entrepreneur whose vision is to transform the aging public courts into a modern, accessible hub for tennis, pickleball, and community programs.
Retta’s company, East Potomac Racquet Sports Partners, signed a 45-year lease with the National Park Service in July 2025. After more than 15 months of planning, surveying, and addressing maintenance issues, crews started dismantling the existing infrastructure last Thursday. Retta anticipates reopening the outdoor courts by spring 2027.
The renovation includes rebuilding 10 clay courts, six hard courts, and eight to 10 pickleball courts, along with installing new fencing, pathways, parking, and landscaping. A subsequent phase will focus on refurbishing the five-court indoor facility, including its distinctive bubble and lobby. The entire project is privately financed by Retta and his partners, demonstrating a public-private partnership model.
East Potomac Tennis Center has existed since the late 1930s but has faced years of deferred maintenance and infrastructure challenges. Retta, the son of Ethiopian immigrants who grew up in Northern Virginia and played collegiate tennis at Vanderbilt University, previously trained at East Potomac. He envisions a facility that remains open to recreational players, high school teams, and youth clinics rather than operating as an exclusive country club. His efforts also include collaboration with the Bahethi Family Foundation to offer community outreach and sports-linked educational programming in science, technology, engineering, and math.
The renovation occurs amid broader changes in the surrounding federal parkland. The Trump administration has pursued substantial redevelopment, including plans for a championship golf course at the neighboring East Potomac Golf Links and the National Garden of American Heroes in West Potomac Park. These initiatives initially cast uncertainty over the future of recreational spaces along the Potomac, with the National Park Service providing little public assurance about the tennis center project’s progress after the facility closed in late 2024.
Retta’s lease follows a precedent set by a similar long-term agreement between the Park Service and National Links Trust, the operator of East Potomac Golf Links and other municipal golf courses. This golf lease experienced termination and reinstatement amid the administration’s broader redevelopment efforts, illustrating the complicated landscape for public recreation on federal lands in the area.
Simultaneously, the Park Service is negotiating with local businessman Mark Ein regarding the future of the William H.G. FitzGerald Tennis Center in Rock Creek Park, a major venue for the annual DC Open professional tournament. The facility has remained closed since early 2026, and lease talks to oversee renovations have yet to conclude, with no new agreements announced after more than seven months. Community stakeholders have engaged in discussions, but the Park Service has not publicly commented on the timeline or outcome.
For Retta, the East Potomac project represents years of persistence, beginning with his response to the Park Service’s 2023 request for proposals. While the wait was lengthy, he emphasized the importance of thorough planning and readiness over speed, stating, “It hasn’t been about rushing to be first. It’s been a rush to get this right.”