Founded in 1877, Wimbledon, The Championships, is the world’s oldest tennis tournament and, since adding the Ladies’ Singles championship in 1884, the most prestigious—predating even the modern Olympic Games. 

Much has changed since then, voluminous skirts and baggy trousers notwithstanding. Most notable is the retractable roof (added at last in 2009) allowing play to continue despite England’s fiendishly unpredictable weather.  

Herewith, in honor of Centre Court and all who play on it, Luxury Defined presents a collection of championship tennis homes for the casual player or the seasoned pro. These homes’ sophisticated courts have a choice of playing surfaces. 

Choose among the vividly colored DecoTurf hard courts of the US and Australian Opens, the red clay of the French Open, or the elegant lawns of the All England Club Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club itself. Further offerings include stadium lighting, umpire chairs, shaded spectator seating, and even courtside bars for spirited rallies of Pimm’s Cup and volleys of strawberries and cream.  

Service, please! 

1. Chianti Vineyard Estate in Arezzo, Tuscany, Italy

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This Tuscan vineyard and agriturismo estate abides on 210 acres in the heart of Chianti country, with 30 acres of vineyards planted with Sangiovese, Merlot, and Cabernet Sauvignon varieties among olive groves, arable land, woodland, and a lake.

The agriturismo business is a work in progress, organized around three “hamlets”—free-standing buildings which include multiple rental units, three outdoor swimming pools, a soccer pitch, and a tennis court overlooking the vines.

Hamlet A has been renovated and finished in rural Tuscan style, with wood beams, terracotta floors, stone walls, fireplaces, arches and traditional fixtures. Its restaurant and conference hall building is under construction. Hamlets B and C are structurally complete and require only their final finishes.

2. Spanish Grange in Smith's Parish, Bermuda 

This grand 1940s estate on Bermuda’s South Shore was home to English playwright Sir Terence Rattigan from the mid-1960s until his death in 1977. 

The 7,200-square-foot main residence is entered via a Mediterranean-style courtyard with a fountain and bougainvillea. The foyer makes a grand first impression with its black and white checkerboard marble floor, arched French doors, convex ceiling, and Bermuda cedar staircase. Hardwood floors grace the formal living room and dining room. The kitchen has a terracotta-tiled floor and adjoins a sunlit breakfast room with a raised fireplace. 

Further appointments include a cedar-paneled library media room, wet bar, gym with steam shower, and a one-bedroom guest apartment. Upstairs are four guest suites and the owner’s suite with a sitting room, three walk-in closets, and sea-view terrace. 

The three-acre grounds exude Bermudian charm with a swimming pool, pool pavilion, wet bar, and regulation tennis court. Courtside, the tennis pavilion provides changing rooms. For golfers: the Mid Ocean Club and Tucker's Point Golf Club are within 15 minutes’ drive. 

3. Kilquade Hill House in Greystones, Co. Wicklow Ireland 

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Kilquade Hill House presides on five picturesque acres near the historic coastal town of Greystones in County Wicklow—the Garden of Ireland.  

Built circa 1820, this fine Georgian house and its magnificent formal parkland underwent a complete three-year reconstruction.   

The interiors were built anew with the finest materials and quality craftsmanship. The result is strikingly contemporary, comfortable, and functional—yet with all the grandeur and symmetry of the original Georgian design. 

The newly built coach house is a key feature of the property. Built within a central courtyard, its L-shaped design houses a 14-car garage, a 2,300-bottle wine cellar, as well as a gym, sauna, and steam room, plant room, and laundry room.  

Kilquade Hill House’s grounds are designed to the same exacting standards, meticulously landscaped with reflection ponds and fountains, a Georgian walled garden, a regulation TigerTurf tennis court, and verdant tree-lined lawns with far-reaching views of the Wicklow Mountains and the Irish Sea. 

Related: Discover Luxury Homes with Resort-Worthy Outdoor Spaces

4. The Ridge in Barbados, British West Indies 

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Built over nearly five years with materials sourced from around the world, The Ridge is a palatial, resort-style estate on Barbados’ Platinum Coast.  

Ideal for hospitality and entertaining, The Ridge complex offers a total of 11 bedrooms and 13 full bathrooms: Five bedrooms in the main villa, four in the chattel house, and two in the guest cottage—all told, 19,000 square interior feet and 2.68 acres of land. 

In addition to its deluxe tennis court, The Ridge’s outdoor spaces include a sun worshipers’ pool terrace and swimming pool flanked by pavilion lounges. Indoor amenities run to a cinema/media lounge, a spa, hairdressers’ station, gym/exercise room and a temperature- controlled wine room.  

The Ridge currently is configured with a rigorously curated collection of Hollywood memorabilia, including works by celebrity photographer Terry O'Neill, the largest known Caribbean painting collection of English playwright Noel Coward, and works by Erté, who visited Barbados many times during his career.  

There is even a painting signed and created by Lord of the Dance star Michael Flatley, who placed paint on his tap shoes and danced on the canvas! 

5. Country Estate in Matcham, New South Wales, Australia 

A joyous interplay of planes and angles, native sandstone and a cool white paint scheme unite in this contemporary take on the traditional Australian country homes of New South Wales. 

The celebrated Sydney architect William Smart of Smart Design Studios nestled the home among the trees on a level, 5.5-acre plot in the coastal bushland.   

Steeply pitched gables and beamed, timber ceilings create the dramatic volumes of the double-height great room and the soaring ceilings of ample, upstairs ensuite bedrooms. There are four en suites and a fifth full bath.  

Casual dining space flows from the white-on-white gourmet-grade island kitchen, with its Caesarstone benches, soft-touch cabinetry, induction appliances and a large separate scullery/butler's pantry.   

The gardens offer sunny terraces, a fire pit, Miesian blade walls, sweeping level lawns, a sparkling swimming pool, and a tennis court.  

6. Villa Luna in Santa Barbara, California 

In the heart of Montecito's Golden Quadrangle, the Mediterranean-style Villa Luna, an ivy-clad mansion within 3.4 acres of resplendent gardens, has the Santa Ynez Mountains and the Pacific Ocean as backdrop. 

The 14,584-square-foot interiors are opulently appointed with soaring ceilings, marble floors and classical columns, and a bridal staircase. There are six bedrooms and nine baths. A detached suite offers self-contained guest accommodations.  

The detached pool house, set beside a large resort-worthy swimming pool and landscaped terrace, provides two more bedrooms.  

A perimeter walking trail leads past meticulously tended lawns to the tennis court, an organic garden, a tranquil lotus pond, and formal gardens graced with cypresses, fruit-bearing trees, and 750 rose bushes.  

Anyone for tennis? Search our portfolio of courtside homes here.