Ateneu Tennis Club

History

Ateneu Tennis Club was formed in 1981 in Fall River by a group of Portuguese American tennis enthusiasts. “Ateneu” is a Latin word which means “a place where athletes come to compete”. This group has evolved into the most organized and competitive league type play in the area.

Currently we have 32 players ranging from high school age to senior citizen, male and female. Each year we have a new composition as some players are unable to make the commitment and new players join the group.

We have an “A” group and “B” group to insure competitive compatibility. The “A” group participates in a singles and doubles tournament throughout the year with playoffs held at the end of the year. The same applies to the “B” group. We also have a 5th tournament for a “Mixed” group consisting of an “A” and a “B” player to make up a team. This enables the less experienced players to compete at a higher level.

At the end of the year we give out trophies to the top 2 of each tournament category and we also promote the importance of good sportsmanship and improving your skill level by awarding 2 players with a trophy for those two categories. The respective awards are called “The Sportsmanship Award” and The Most Improved Award”.

The top two singles “B” players in the final standings will move up to compete in the “A” category next year and the bottom 2 “A” players will drop to the “B category.

We have competed as a team on an international level by traveling to St. Michael, Azores to play in a tournament against the St. Michael Tennis club and we have hosted their club on several occasions.
We have a board of directors to insure continuity and proper direction. The board consists: Manuel Louro (President); Lucio (Lucky) Serpa (Treasurer); Roy Pavao (Schedule master); Ricky Rodrigues, Adam Belue and Jason Cordeiro are the other board members.

We encourage competitive play at the highest level of sportsmanship. We play to have FUN, compete, and to exercise.