When it comes to tennis and fitness, Southwest Missouri was propelled into the 21st century when the Millennium Tennis & Fitness Club opened its doors in November of 1999.  Excellent customer service, state-of-the-art fitness, and world-class tennis facilities set the benchmark for Joplin, and the surrounding areas.

Millennium Tennis & Fitness Club represents the achievement of a dream for founders David and Debra Humphreys. Tennis is a sport the Humphreys are passionate about, which is why they wanted to create a premier facility for Joplin, MO and the surrounding communities. Most importantly, the Humphreys wanted to provide a safe place where area children could go to become excited about playing tennis in a world class environment with professional guidance in the game of tennis.

A private club, the Millennium first opened its doors in November of 1999 in Joplin and was the first facility dedicated to tennis in the area. Tennis greats Bjorn Borg of Sweden (Eleven-time Grand Slam Champion), Yannick Noah of France (Grand Slam Champion) and Johan Kriek of South Africa (Two-time Grand Slam Champion) graced the Millennium’s courts with their presence during a special weekend kick-off event in 2000.

The Millennium has played host to exclusive Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP, the men’s professional tennis players’ association) Pro Circuit tournaments including the United States Tennis Association (USTA) Futures and the USTA Challengers. The Millennium has hosted the USTA Futures Tournament every July since 2000 with a prize of $10,000 and the USTA Challengers Tournament every February since 2000 with a prize of $50,000.

USTA Challenger circuit champions from the past include such world renowned-players as Andre Agassi and Andy Roddick. These USTA tournaments boast impressive rosters of aspiring players, as the Pro Circuit is a known pathway to the US Open and tour-level competition.

In 2001, the Millennium won the National USTA Outstanding Tennis Facility Award. Among many criteria, this award honors facilities for programs supporting the USTA and growth of the game, tournament play, spectator accommodation and excellence of court surface and lights. The Millennium was awarded the USTA Missouri District Member Organization of the Year for 2005 and 2006. Also in 2006, the Joplin Area Chamber of Commerce awarded the Millennium with Small Business of the Year Nominee in acknowledgement of their outstanding business achievements and leadership.

Keeping true with the Humphreys’ founding principles, the Millennium has formed a close-knit relationship with Joplin’s Thomas Jefferson Independent Day School. In turn, Thomas Jefferson’s tennis players have benefited tremendously from the Millennium’s academies and facilities. Since 2004, players for the Thomas Jefferson Men’s Tennis Team have achieved a first-place finish, two second-place finishes, and one third-place finish in the Missouri State High School Championships Class 1. Many of Thomas Jefferson’s tennis tournaments are also played at the Millennium.