PlayTennis

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).

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

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

• Tennis instruction services
• Sports club facilities
• Court rental services
• Tennis academy programs
• Beach tennis lessons

Headquarters

HQ city

São Paulo

HQ country

Brazil

HQ region

Latin America

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Infrastructure, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Tennis Lessons: Personalized, doubles, group, beach tennis, and flexible scheduling lessons taught by professional instructors
2. Club Memberships (PlayClub, Ranking, Ranqueen): Subscription-based membership programs offering unlimited or discounted court access, ranking participation, and exclusive club benefits
3. Court Rentals: Hourly or package-based court rental for clay, hard court, beach tennis, and squash courts
4. 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

Core 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

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Two partnerships are on record, tiered minor.

• Inni SportsminorOthersOfficial ball partner of PlayTennis. Inni Sports provides tennis balls for academy operations.
• LisondaminorOthersSupport partner of PlayTennis. Listed as 'Apoio' (Support) partner.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves17 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Instagraminstagram.com/playtennis
• Xx.com/playtennissp
• Facebookfacebook.com/academiasplaytennis

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about PlayTennis