When I first arrived in Chiang Mai, Thailand I wasn’t sure if I could find tennis courts and players to play with. The internet was not helping much, so I went on an adventure to explore the local tennis courts, meet players, and determine the best places to play.
The best places to play tennis in Chiang Mai are the 700 Year Stadium Courts and the Nawarat Tennis Courts. They have the most players and the most courts. You can also play at Nut Tennis Courts, Four Seasons Hotel, and Palm Springs Place. The 700 Year Stadium Courts sell tennis racquets, tennis shoes, balls, and racquet restringing.
Because of the language barrier, you may find it tough to communicate with local tennis players in Chiang Mai. English is not widely spoken, but there is usually a foreigner (expat) who can communicate with you, as well as a few Thais that know English. What is beautiful about tennis is that you do not need to speak the same language to play tennis with someone.
The players in Chiang Mai are friendly and welcoming. You can play pickup games in the morning and afternoon at some of the courts listed below. The Facebook group – Chiang Mai Tennis Players – is a good resource if you have further questions or to find out which court to show up on a certain day. It is what I used upon arrival in Chiang Mai.
Where to Play Tennis in Chiang Mai
There are quite a few good options in Chiang Mai for tennis. Most of the courts are hard courts, with the exception of the synthetic grass courts at Four Seasons Chiang Mai Resort.
700th Anniversary of Chiang Mai Stadium Courts
This multi-purpose facility was opened in 1995 to host the Southeast Asian Games and to commemorate 700 years since Chiang Mai’s establishment. The facility is home to 11 hard tennis courts, plus a two-sided tennis wall you can practice on.
The vibe at the 700 year stadium is wonderful. They have a lot more than just tennis: Olympic size public swimming pool, a weigh training gym, variety of sports, and it makes a good place to do long-distance running.
The cost is 60 Baht per court per hour. There are two different tennis shops on-site, next to the courts where you can buy racquet restringing, balls, tennis shoes, and apparel. This is the only place I found in Chiang Mai where you can buy actual tennis shoes.
Players show up in the morning and the afternoon. I showed up in the afternoon, sat on the bench, and within minutes was invited to join the players in pickup games. You do not need to book a court in advance. They have lights but the facility closes at 8pm.
The courts are old but have plans to be resurfaced at some point. Don’t let the cracks in the courts stop you from playing, they play just fine. You don’t want to miss the mountain view beyond the courts, as it makes up for the quality of the courts.
Nawarat Tennis Courts
If you are a visitor in Chiang Mai there is high chance you are staying near the Old City. The Nawarat tennis courts are the closest ones to the Old City.
Nawarat’s facility is made up of six hard courts. Two are used for tennis lessons and coaching, and the other four are used for match play. Guest fee is 50 Baht to play per day, cash only.
At Nawarat, I met Thor, who runs a tennis academy and is the head coach there.. Check out his website. He is a great tennis coach and super friendly. I actually got to see him running some drills and was impressed. You can book a lesson with him or one of his assistants.
If you want to play at Nawarat you can show up with a partner. Or if you don’t have one, players show up for pickup games in the morning at 7-8am, or in the afternoon at 4pm. The courts do have lights.
In talking to the locals, the courts are old but have plans to be resurfaced, including a roof over two courts.
Nut Tennis Court
Nut tennis court has two really nice tennis courts in the Mae Rim District. My favorite thing about the courts was the beautiful background of the mountain.
Court availability is hard to come by at peak hours. In the morning the courts are often booked for lessons or for matches. In the afternoon, until 8pm the courts are used for their junior academy. The coach there, Nut, and his brother are very good instructors. They are highly recommended by the locals that I talked to.
They have a small coffee shop/bakery on site which makes a nice place to grab a snack. You can buy tennis balls and other tennis accessories in their small pro-shop.
If you are staying in the Old City, the biggest down-side to the Nut Tennis Courts is the distance. It is about a 20 minute drive.
Court fee: 80 Baht per hour
Four Seasons Chiang Mai Resort
Four Seasons in Chiang Mai has two synthetic grass courts. They are the most beautiful tennis courts in Chiang Mai. I had the time of my life playing there, and my first time ever on synthetic grass.
The court plays fast like real grass, especially on slice shots, but slow enough where you can still have good rallies. For annual court maintenance, they add sand to the court which slows down the speed of the court a little.
You do not need to be staying in the Four Seasons Resort to play tennis there. But, they do prefer you book your court in advance. As a walk-in, I got lucky that the tennis pro was already on-site because I did not have a partner. Court rental is 350 Baht per hour.
For up-to-date pricing check here.
From the menu I chose a hitting partner, costing 1500 Baht, which came out to 1765 including a service charge. I also tipped on top of that. The price is high, but it is expected with Four Seasons. I was assigned a man named Oh, who spoke English well, was a good player, and very friendly.
The biggest drawback of the Four Seasons tennis courts is the distance you travel to get there. It’s a 30-45 minute drive from the Old City, but well worth it if you are a tennis enthusiast.
Thank you so much for reading and I hope this article helped you!