PlayTennis
PlayTennis is a Brazilian family-owned sports club network, founded in 1977, operating the country's largest tennis academy footprint with 14 locations across São Paulo, Rio de Janeiro, and Brasília, offering lessons, subscriptions, and court rentals to individual tennis and beach tennis players.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1977
- HeadquartersSão Paulo, Brazil
- Headcount51–100
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingServices
What PlayTennis does
PlayTennis (legal name Academias PlayTennis) is a Brazilian for-profit sports club operator founded in 1977 by entrepreneur Eduardo Azevedo in São Paulo. The company operates what it describes as the largest network of tennis academies in Brazil, with 14 owned-and-operated locations—12 in São Paulo, 1 in Leblon (Rio de Janeiro, inaugurated in 2022 as the first interstate unit), and 1 in Brasília's Eixo Monumental—supported by more than 50 tennis courts, 15 beach tennis courts, and 2 squash courts. Its product portfolio spans tennis and beach tennis instruction (Individual, Doubles, Group, Beach Tennis, and PlayPack flexible scheduling), subscription programs (PlayClub for frequent players, Ranking for Brazil's largest tennis ranking system, and Ranqueen for women's competition), and court rentals across quick/hard, clay, beach, and squash surfaces. Customer-facing sub-brands include PlayPack, Playzinho, and PlayKid for juniors, and the company runs its own publication (PlayTennis News, launched 1982) and competitive events.
The business model is predominantly direct-to-consumer and physical-retail, with revenue generated from four streams: professional tennis instruction (lessons), recurring subscription memberships (PlayClub, Ranking, Ranqueen), usage-based court rentals (hourly or package-based across multiple surfaces), and tournament entry fees. Customer acquisition relies on Instagram, Facebook, Google search, and word-of-mouth referrals, augmented by tournaments and ranking events as mid-funnel engagement drivers. Pricing is not publicly disclosed; prospective customers initiate contact via a website inquiry form to request trial lessons, court rentals, or membership information. The company is family-owned with no disclosed institutional investors, no funding rounds, and operates with a small corporate team of 51-100 employees despite its 14-unit footprint.
Technology is limited to physical sports facility and court infrastructure management—there is no mobile app, no public API, and no proprietary software platform evident in the source data. Strategic emphasis over the company's history has been on physical expansion (multiple new units opened in 2019, 2020, 2022, and the most recent Pompeia unit), brand modernization (2018 redesign by Fernando Degrossi), and community engagement (the Copa Ericsson tournament series from 1999, Paralympic training center designation for the British wheelchair tennis team in 2016, and the 'PlayTennis por um futuro melhor' social project serving 60 children from Paraisópolis since 2014).
PlayTennis firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- PlayTennis
- Legal name
- Academias PlayTennis
- Website
- https://playtennis.com.br
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1977
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 51–100 employees
- Short description
- PlayTennis is a Brazilian family-owned sports club network, founded in 1977, operating the country's largest tennis academy footprint with 14 locations across São Paulo, Rio de Janeiro, and Brasília, offering lessons, subscriptions, and court rentals to individual tennis and beach tennis players.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
PlayTennis industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Tennis Academies & Sports Clubs
- NAICS
- Fitness and Recreational Sports Centers (713940), Sports and Recreation Instruction (61162)
- SIC
- Services-Membership Sports & Recreation Clubs (7997)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Tennis & Racquet Sports Clubs (Tennis, Padel, Pickleball, Squash) (MPAKABAF)
- akta.pro secondary industry
- Tennis Leagues & Team Competitions (MPAKAAAJ)
Keywords
Where PlayTennis is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- São Paulo
- HQ country
- Brazil
- HQ region
- Latin America
Offices3 records
Markets served
PlayTennis business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Infrastructure, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others
Revenue model
- Tennis Lessons: Personalized, doubles, group, beach tennis, and flexible scheduling lessons taught by professional instructors
- Club Memberships (PlayClub, Ranking, Ranqueen): Subscription-based membership programs offering unlimited or discounted court access, ranking participation, and exclusive club benefits
- Court Rentals: Hourly or package-based court rental for clay, hard court, beach tennis, and squash courts
- Tournament Entry Fees: Fees collected from participants in tournaments and competitive events organized by PlayTennis
Go-to-market motion2 records
Distribution channels1 record
Marketing channels5 records
PlayTennis product offering
Product offeringCore offering
PlayTennis is a Brazilian sports club operating a network of tennis academies across São Paulo, Rio de Janeiro, and Brasília, with more than 40 years of operation. The company sells tennis lessons, court rentals, subscription memberships, and tournament organization, with sub-brands covering flexible lesson packages, membership clubs, and beach tennis offerings.
Product overview
PlayTennis operates as a multi-location sports club network offering tennis and beach tennis court facilities, professional instruction, and competitive programs across Brazil. The portfolio is organized into three main product categories: Aulas (Lessons) including Individual, Doubles, Group, Beach Tennis, and PlayPack flexible scheduling; Assinaturas (Subscriptions) including PlayClub for frequent players, Ranking for competitive players participating in Brazil's largest tennis ranking system, and Ranqueen for female competition; and Locações (Court Rentals) offering PlayPack hourly packages and access to Quick courts, Clay courts, Beach Tennis courts, and Squash courts. The company operates 14 locations across São Paulo (12 units), Rio de Janeiro (Leblon), and Brasília (Eixo Monumental), with over 50 tennis courts, 2 squash courts, and 15 beach tennis courts.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- PlayClub: Subscription club for those who want to play a lot
- Ranking
- Ranqueen
- PlayPack
- Playzinho
- PlayKid
Products and services
- Aulas de Tênis (Tennis Lessons) Scheduled tennis instruction for individuals, doubles pairs, and small groups, delivered at PlayTennis academy courts in São Paulo, Rio de Janeiro, and Brasília. Lessons cover regular tennis as well as beach tennis for adult and youth players.
- Locação de Quadras (Court Rentals) Hourly rental of sports facilities at PlayTennis academies, including quick (rapid) courts, clay (saibro) courts, beach tennis courts, and squash courts, available to members and walk-in players.
- PlayPack Flexible scheduling package that allows customers to book tennis lessons or court rentals using a prepaid bundle of credits, redeemable across academy locations and lesson formats.
- PlayClub Subscription-based membership program for recurring tennis players that provides access to PlayTennis academy benefits, court priority, and member pricing across locations.
- Ranqueen Ranking/subscription service that tracks and ranks PlayTennis players' competitive results and progress across the network's academies.
- Torneios de Tênis (Tennis Tournaments) Organized competitive tennis tournaments hosted at PlayTennis academies, providing players with structured match play, rankings progression, and event-based engagement.
Quantifiable outcome
- Served as training headquarters for British wheelchair tennis team during 2016 Rio Paralympics, with British team winning 8 medals
- +2 more outcomes
Companies that use PlayTennis
Customer profileSegments6 records
Ideal customer profiles1 record
PlayTennis technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
PlayTennis partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Two partnerships are on record, tiered minor.
- Inni SportsminorOfficial ball partner of PlayTennis. Inni Sports provides tennis balls for academy operations.
- LisondaminorSupport partner of PlayTennis. Listed as 'Apoio' (Support) partner.
Scale indicators6 records
Recent moves17 records
Expansion highlights6 records
PlayTennis competitors and assessment
Company assessmentMarket position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
PlayTennis social profiles
Digital presencePlayTennis financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
PlayTennis leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles1 record
PlayTennis funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
PlayTennis M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about PlayTennis
What does PlayTennis do?
PlayTennis is a Brazilian sports club operating a network of tennis academies across São Paulo, Rio de Janeiro, and Brasília, with more than 40 years of operation. The company sells tennis lessons, court rentals, subscription memberships, and tournament organization, with sub-brands covering flexible lesson packages, membership clubs, and beach tennis offerings.
Is PlayTennis a public or private company?
PlayTennis is a private company. It is classified as family owned and is currently operating.
When was PlayTennis founded?
PlayTennis was founded in 1977. It employs 51 to 100 people.
Where is PlayTennis based?
PlayTennis is headquartered in São Paulo, Brazil, in the Latin America region.
How does PlayTennis make money?
Four revenue lines are on record. Tennis Lessons are the primary driver. The others are club Memberships (PlayClub, Ranking, Ranqueen), court Rentals and tournament Entry Fees.
Does PlayTennis have an API?
No public API is recorded for PlayTennis.
What industry is PlayTennis in?
PlayTennis's product category is Tennis Academies & Sports Clubs. Its primary akta.pro industry code is MPAKABAF, Tennis & Racquet Sports Clubs (Tennis, Padel, Pickleball, Squash), with a secondary code of MPAKAAAJ, Tennis Leagues & Team Competitions. Its NAICS code is 713940 and its SIC code is 7997.