It’s one of the granddaddies of the tennis world, and it’s underway this week in Ventura County.
Thousands of players and tens of thousands of fans are on hand for the 124th Ojai Tennis Tournament, also known as The Ojai.
This year, for the first time, The Ojai is hosting the
Big Ten Men’s Tennis Tournament, which includes five top 25 nationally ranked college teams.
"We have some of the top schools. We have two local favorites, USC and UCLA. It's very exciting. The locals love it. It's really good to see some good competitive, top-level tennis," said Katrina Rice Schmidt, the tournament’s Executive Director of Competition.
The college teams from around the country love the rural environment. The college competition is centered in Ojai’s Libbey Park.
"It's beautiful," said Lucas Horve, with the University of Illinois tennis team. "It's definitely a change from Illinois. It's warming up in Illinois, but just to see the sunshine, the flowers, and the community, it's super enjoyable out here. We're having a great time," said Lucas Horve, with the University of Illinois tennis team.
He added that they're accustomed to playing in rain and cold weather. Many of the team members have stripped off their shirts to soak up some sun as they prepare for their matches.
"You're always constantly adjusting, especially at this level, just having to play Wisconsin one week, and playing in Florida the next week," said Horve. "They're always constantly adjusting."
As the players prepare for their matches, many strip off their shirts to soak up a little sun.
The tournament is also hosting junior college and CIF high school championship play, as well as competition at a number of other levels. The tournament is so big that it uses around a dozen venues in western Ventura County, including some very exclusive tennis courts.
"They are all over," said The Ojai’s Schmidt. "They're at private courts. We have some beautiful estates here in town that have outstanding courts with beautiful views, and the homeowners have allowed us to play matches there."
The tournament attracts tennis fans from across the country.
I've been coming for almost 50 years," said Jean-Marc Nonorgues of San Diego. "I only missed twice. Remember when we had COVID? It's a hidden jewel; beautiful landscape, and trees. It's a boutique tournament, better than a lot of the pro tournaments, to be honest with you."
"This is an amazing venue, with great tennis. Even if you're not into tennis, it's really fun to come out here and explore it, because it's really more like a festival atmosphere here, instead of a regular tournament," said Schmidt.
The championship matches are this weekend (April 25-26) in Libbey Park, and are open to the public, with tickets available at the gates.
