From sketch to structure. How coach Aistis Slajus built a tennis arena in Lithuania

After 15 years of coaching in Ireland and Lithuania, he took a bold step — to build his own tennis center. That’s how the Seven Six project (now known as Widen Arena) was born, and it may soon become a key part of Lithuania’s modern tennis infrastructure. In this interview with Racket One, Aistis Slajus shares how the project reached its final stage in just 11 months — and how it could become a growth point for the country’s tennis community.

Hi Aistis, thank you for taking the time to speak with us. You’ve spent many years coaching young players in Ireland and Lithuania. Now you’re leading the construction of a new tennis center, scheduled to open in September 2025 — and you’ve already taken on the role of its director. How did this transition come about, and what’s the current status of the project?

Sure — my background is in junior tennis coaching. I ran a development academy in Dublin where we helped young players prepare for college tennis. Many of them went on to represent their countries, and a few even played in the Billie Jean King Cup. That was my main focus until 2020.

For 15 years, I was running this performance academy — and it’s still going today. When I moved back to Vilnius, I joined another academy as head coach and partner. But that chapter didn’t work out, so I decided to build something of my own — and that’s how the idea for Seven Six started. We’ve since sold the naming rights to a law firm, and now the project is called Widen Arena.

Over the past three years, I’ve been building it from the ground up. It started with finding the right piece of land — something that would suit the size, the height, and the layout we needed. Then came the architectural plans, the paperwork, and all the permits.

I also applied for a bank loan to cover part of the costs, and was lucky to get funding from a Lithuanian bank. We signed the construction contract on May 20th last year, and a few days later, the first machines arrived on site.

Now, almost a year later, the building is nearly done. In a couple of months, we’ll be bringing in the furniture and getting everything ready to open. The plan is to start test operations in August and fully open in September. Alongside the arena, I’ll also be launching a new academy and hiring a team to run it.

Why did you decide to build a new tennis center in Lithuania? Vilnius already has well-established tennis facilities, including SEB Arena — the largest in the Baltics. What made you feel there was still a need for another center? And what will make Widen Arena different from what’s already available?

I’ve worked at several centers in Vilnius as a coach, and you can really see the pressure on facilities during the colder months — from September to the end of May. It’s incredibly difficult to get a court in Vilnius during peak hours, especially after work. Even during the daytime, finding available indoor courts is a challenge.

So, number one — there’s high demand. Tennis is popular here, and while there are a lot of courts, it’s simply not enough. There’s a shortage of indoor courts.

Number two — as someone who has run academies, I need my own space to operate. And in Vilnius, getting consistent access to two or three courts to run an academy properly is nearly impossible. There’s just no chance. You end up jumping between venues — a couple of hours here, a couple there — which makes it very hard to build anything sustainable.

So I had to make a choice: either keep coaching amateurs across different centers or build my own venue. I chose the second option, because it allows me to do what I know best — to run a high-level tennis academy based on my own philosophy and experience.

I saw that Artea Bankas is a key sponsor of the project. Another major bank — SEB — has also been very active in supporting tennis in Lithuania. In your view, what makes tennis attractive to banks as sponsors? Why do you think the sport appeals to them?

I think the main reason is that banks evaluate the business case first. They’re interested in long-term investments and sustainable returns.

In this case, the bank likely saw a strong and realistic business plan. I assume they looked at the demand, the market conditions, and the value of the property itself — which is in a well-developed urban area. That gives the project good liquidity and a relatively low risk profile.

So I’d say there are two main reasons. First, the location: it’s a solid piece of real estate in a fast-growing part of Vilnius, which means the asset holds its value regardless of what happens to the business. Second, the tennis market in Lithuania is still underdeveloped, so there’s room for growth — and the bank sees this project as a stable long-term operation.

It’s not so much about tennis, padel, or pickleball — it’s about whether the numbers make sense. When the private investor puts in a significant amount, the risk for the bank becomes very limited.

At the end of the day, this isn’t a startup that burns through cash. It’s a real asset in a valuable location. If things go well, the bank gets its money back with interest. If not, the property still holds its value. Either way, for them it’s a very rational calculation.

What were the biggest challenges you faced during the development of the Widen Arena project? And how did you overcome them?

I’d say I was quite lucky overall. We only had one significant setback, and a few smaller things. But from the very beginning, I managed to find the right technical advisor — someone who helped me connect with an architect experienced in tennis arena development.

We began planning and applying for a building permit, and everything went smoothly — except for one legal complication we hadn’t anticipated. Our site is located along the A14 highway, and that triggered some additional requirements involving road authorities. We had to conduct extra surveys and submit special planning documents to the government. That process set us back by about nine months.

Still, once we understood what was needed, we completed everything on time. The planning permission process included two reviews, which is fairly standard. As soon as we had the permit, we began talks with the bank. It took about two months of negotiations and paperwork, and the loan was approved.

After that, we signed with our general contractor — a company called Insitus. I really feel lucky to have found them. They’re a young and ambitious team, and although our project was a challenge for them, they handled it exceptionally well. This was their first major project under their own name, and they went above and beyond. They looked for smart, out-of-the-box solutions and pushed hard to deliver everything on time.

Looking back, the only real issue was legal — that early delay due to unexpected documentation. But once you receive that kind of request, you just comply and move forward.

Of course, the budget tends to increase over time — that’s inevitable. If someone reading this is planning a similar project, my advice would be: try to foresee every single detail early on. For example, we added side windows to the arena — but in some months, the sun comes directly through in the evenings, so we needed curtains. That added €20,000. Or with air conditioning — the architect initially planned a simpler system, but the builders later recommended a more powerful one. That change cost another €10,000.

These are small examples, but they show how important it is to work with experienced people from the start. Even if you pay a consultant early on, it will save you money in the long run. Once the contract is signed, late changes can drive the budget up very quickly.

How would you assess the current state of junior tennis development in Lithuania compared to other European countries? In your view, what are the main challenges the system is facing today?

It’s a great question, because I’m quite critical of junior tennis development in Lithuania — there are definitely challenges.

First, we’re a northern European country with a cold climate, so indoor facilities are essential. But most tennis centers in Lithuania are privately owned and financed through bank loans, which creates pressure to generate returns. That drives up court rental prices, and tennis becomes relatively expensive.

This affects several areas. One major issue is the cost of high-performance junior coaching. If you want a one-on-one training program, you’ll likely pay more per month than at an academy in France or Spain — even though you’re staying at home. It’s a significant barrier for many families.

Second, court availability is a problem. If you’re a talented junior and part of a program like Vilnius Tennis Academy at SEB Arena, you’re supported. But if you’re training independently, it’s hard to secure consistent court time for private coaching.

Third, due to high costs, we don’t have enough local tournaments. The lack of regular competition makes it harder for juniors to progress. Many of our best players — like Vilius Gaubas or Billie Jean King Cup captain Laurynas Grigelis — left Lithuania early. Ricardas Berankis trained at the public facility in Šiauliai, which helped, but he also began traveling extensively from the age of 12. Edas Butvilas stayed in Lithuania until 15 or 16, but then moved to Spain.

So the reality is this: if a player wants to go the full route and become a pro through one-on-one development, it’s unlikely that journey can happen entirely within Lithuania. At some point, they’ll probably need to leave. Our job is to prepare them for that step — to give them a strong foundation so they’re ready when the opportunity comes. In my view, the two main challenges are high costs and a lack of local competition.

Around the world, many people say that younger generations — especially Gen Z — are losing interest in sports. Do you see the same trend in Lithuania, particularly in junior tennis? And what do you do to keep young players engaged and motivated to stay in the game?

I’m not really a fan of that narrative. I still see highly motivated kids — even those born after 2010 — who are genuinely passionate about the game. So in my view, it’s more about parenting, values, and the culture we create around children than about the generation itself.

That said, I do agree that every generation is different. They have different motivations, different ways of thinking, and different styles of communication. Gen X is not the same as Gen Z — that’s clear. But if the new generation was truly “lost,” we wouldn’t have players like Alcaraz, Sinner, or Rune rising through the ranks. They all come from different systems around the world, and they’re doing just fine.

So I believe it’s not about blaming the generation — it’s about how we adapt as coaches. We have to evolve, learn how to communicate better, and recognize that in every generation, there are talented and focused kids who are willing to work hard. Our job is to find them, understand them, and help them grow.

Thank you, Aistis, for sharing your story and insights. We wish you and the entire team behind Widen Arena a successful launch and hope the center finds its well-deserved place in Lithuania’s tennis landscape.

From our side of the net. Aistis Slajus’s story is a clear example of how individual action can help address systemic gaps. Taking this opportunity, we’d like to remind our readers that at Racket One, we aim to go beyond match results — highlighting the people, projects, and challenges that shape the tennis industry, especially across Europe.

If you’re working on something that contributes to the growth of tennis — whether it’s building facilities, launching programs, or tackling real challenges in the field — we’d love to hear from you.

Write to us at racketone.main@gmail.com. We’re always looking to share meaningful stories from inside the industry.