By Chelsea Rose | Coldwell Banker Aquaterra Realty
Ten years ago, if you told a tennis family in Europe or South America that they'd be relocating to Zephyrhills, Florida, you'd have gotten a blank stare.
Today, students from more than 20 countries train here.
Patrick Mouratoglou — the coach behind Serena Williams' greatest years and, more recently, Naomi Osaka — chose a quiet corner of East Pasco County for his first full-scale academy in the United States. Not Boca. Not Naples. Not Orlando. Zephyrhills.
I've lived and worked in this market long enough to tell you that is not a small thing. When a name at that level plants a flag in your city, it changes what gets built here, who moves here, and what your home is worth five years from now.
So let's talk about what's actually there, where it is, and — the question I get most from families calling me from out of state — where would we live?
▶️ Watch the video version: I toured the story behind this academy in the latest Local Love episode. [Watch it here.]
What Is Mouratoglou Academy Zephyrhills?
Mouratoglou Academy Zephyrhills is the first full-fledged U.S. campus of the Mouratoglou Academy — the training institution Patrick Mouratoglou founded in France in 1996 and grew into one of the most recognized names in international tennis development.
It sits on the site of the former Sarah Vande Berg Tennis & Wellness Center, which opened in 2020 as a public-private partnership with the City of Zephyrhills and quickly became one of the best tennis facilities in Tampa Bay. In late 2024, facility operator Pascal Collard's Tennis Pro Florida partnered with Mouratoglou to rebrand the campus. The transition was formally celebrated with a grand opening the following spring.
Here's the part I love, and the part that tells you something about this town: Sarah's name didn't disappear. The building carries the Sarah Vande Berg Legacy name, and her statue still stands on the patio leading out to the courts. A global brand came in and kept the local heart intact. That's rare.
What's on campus today:
- 15 lit professional tennis courts (clay and hard)
- 5 padel courts
- 8 pickleball courts
- Beach tennis courts
- A full fitness and recovery center — gym, cryotherapy, salt therapy, yoga, massage
- An on-site restaurant built around athlete nutrition
- On-campus boarding for roughly 90 student-athletes in furnished 1- and 2-bedroom apartments
- An indoor, air-conditioned court — one of very few in the state
It joins Mouratoglou campuses in Nice, Atlanta, and Kuala Lumpur, with Melbourne slated for 2027.
Where Is It Located?
6585 Simons Road, Zephyrhills, FL 33541
Simons Road sits on the western edge of Zephyrhills — the side of town closest to Wesley Chapel, and an easy hop to SR-54, SR-56, and I-75.
This matters more than people realize when they're house hunting. The academy is not tucked into downtown Zephyrhills; it's positioned right on the seam between East Pasco's small-town core and the Wesley Chapel growth corridor. Which means families have real options in both directions.
How Far Is It From Tampa?
The academy sits about 29 miles from downtown Tampa. In real driving terms, plan on roughly 45 minutes to an hour, depending on time of day and which route you take.
For reference, it's about 77 miles from Orlando — close enough that families regularly split the difference for tournaments on both coasts, and close enough to Tampa International that international students fly in and out without drama.
How Far Is Wesley Chapel?
Close. Roughly 20 minutes from most of Wesley Chapel — and less than that from the newer communities on the eastern side.
This is the single most useful fact for relocating families. Wesley Chapel gives you the shopping, the medical campuses, the highly rated schools, the restaurants, the Wiregrass and Tampa Premium Outlets corridor — and you can still be on court in under half an hour.
A lot of my tennis-family clients assume they have to live at the academy or move to a coast. They don't.
Junior Tennis Programs
This is what most families are actually calling about, so let me lay it out plainly.
Junior programs run from about age 6 through 18, and the academy is explicit that it's not high-performance-only. Beginners, recreational players, and kids who just want structure and good habits are welcome alongside the ranked juniors.
The main tracks:
Junior clinics — weekly group sessions for younger and developing players. Movement, fundamentals, and fun, in a real structure.
After-school program — designed for kids in traditional school who want serious, consistent training in the afternoons without pulling out of their current academics. For local families, this is usually the entry point.
Tennis & School (full-time) — the dual-path program. Intensive daily training paired with on-campus academics, small class sizes, and a flexible schedule built around court time. This is the one that draws students internationally. The campus runs on the academic calendar, roughly August through May.
Summer camps — day and boarding options, running through the summer months. Groups are capped at four players per court and assigned by level, age, and goals. Boarding campers get structured evening and weekend activities: team sports, off-campus outings, tournament travel, beach and Orlando trips.
Boarding life — for families sending a student from out of state or out of country: furnished 1- and 2-bedroom apartments shared by peers of similar age, 24/7 supervision with live-in resident assistants, secure access, and an athlete-nutrition dining program.
Programs, tuition, and schedules change. Always confirm current offerings directly with the academy before you make a housing decision around them — and if you'd like, I'm happy to help you line up a visit while you're touring homes.
Where Families Can Live Nearby
Here's how I actually advise families, based on how much time you'll spend on Simons Road each week.
If your student is boarding: you're not choosing a home for the commute. You're choosing for visits, for your own lifestyle, and often for investment. Many boarding families end up buying a smaller second home or a rental in Wesley Chapel or Zephyrhills — close enough for weekends, and an asset in one of the fastest-growing corridors in Florida.
If your student is in the after-school program: you want to be inside a 20-minute radius. Zephyrhills proper, the Eiland Boulevard corridor, or eastern Wesley Chapel. You will be driving this route five days a week — trust me, the ten minutes matters more than the granite.
If you're doing full-time Tennis & School but living locally: eastern Wesley Chapel and western Zephyrhills are the sweet spot. Best of both — short drive, strong resale, real amenities.
If tournament travel is your life: prioritize highway access. Anything with a clean shot to I-75 or SR-56 will save you hours every month getting to Orlando, Sarasota, and the east coast.
Zephyrhills vs. Wesley Chapel: An Honest Comparison
I represent buyers in both. They are genuinely different products, and the right answer depends on what you value.
Zephyrhills
- More house, more land, lower price per square foot
- Small-town core — a real Main Street, antique shops, Zephyrhills Brewing Company, local festivals
- Quieter, slower, more neighborly
- Closer to the academy
- Fewer big-box conveniences; you'll drive to Wesley Chapel for a lot of errands
- Newer communities still building out, which means builder incentives are often available
Wesley Chapel
- Larger, more established master-planned communities with resort amenities
- The shopping and dining density — Wiregrass, The Grove, Krate, Tampa Premium Outlets
- Major medical campuses
- Strong school reputation and strong resale demand
- Higher price point, and more communities carrying CDD fees
- More traffic, especially on the SR-54/56 corridor at school hours
My honest read: families relocating from out of state for tennis usually land in Wesley Chapel first, because it feels familiar and the amenities are obvious. Families who've lived here a year often wish they'd looked harder at Zephyrhills, because the value is real and the commute to the academy is shorter.
I'd rather you see both before you decide.
New Construction Nearby
East Pasco is one of the most active new-construction markets in Tampa Bay right now, and that works in a relocating family's favor — because builders here are still competing for you.
Zephyrhills:
- Two Rivers — the flagship master-planned community, named Tampa Bay Builders Association's Best Master-Planned Community of the Year for 2025. Multiple builders inside it, waterfront and nature-trail focus, several product tiers.
- Abbott Park / Abbott Square — off US-301, closer to the small-town side, generally more attainable pricing.
- Stonebridge at Chapel Creek — off Eiland Boulevard, conservation views.
- Harvest Ridge — small, under 300 homesites, off SR-54.
- Hidden Creek Villas — 55+, maintenance-free, for grandparents relocating alongside the family (this happens more than you'd think).
Wesley Chapel & Land O' Lakes: Epperson, Watergrass, Union Park, Persimmon Park, and the Wiregrass-area communities all put you within a reasonable academy commute with a fuller amenity package.
Typical new-construction pricing in Zephyrhills has been running from around the low $300s for villas and paired homes up into the $600s and above for larger single-family plans — but that range moves, and so do the incentives.
The one thing I'll ask you to do before you tour a single model home: talk to me first. Builders in Florida will register you to their in-house sales agent the moment you walk in without representation — and that agent works for the builder, not for you. Having your own agent costs you nothing and changes what you can negotiate on incentives, rate buydowns, closing costs, and structural upgrades.
Want the deeper dive? Read my full guide: New Construction Hotspots in Zephyrhills — 2026 Guide
Moving to Florida for Tennis: What to Sort Out First
If you're reading this from another state — or another country — here's the order I'd work in.
1. Confirm the program before the house. Talk to the academy about placement, evaluation, and start dates. The program determines the commute, and the commute determines the neighborhood.
2. Decide boarding vs. family relocation. These are completely different real estate decisions and completely different budgets.
3. Understand Florida's carrying costs. Property taxes, homeowners insurance, and — in many newer communities — CDD fees on top of HOA dues. Your monthly number here is not just principal and interest. I walk every relocating client through the real all-in figure before we tour, because nothing sours a move faster than a surprise on the closing disclosure.
4. Look at schools if you're not doing Tennis & School. Pasco County school zoning varies meaningfully block to block, and new communities sometimes feed to schools farther away than you'd expect.
5. Come for a weekend and drive it. Drive Simons Road at 7:30 a.m. Drive it at 4 p.m. Sit in the Wiregrass traffic. Eat in downtown Zephyrhills. You'll know within 48 hours which side of this market is yours — and I'll build the tour around it.
6. Get pre-approved with a lender who knows Florida insurance. Out-of-state lenders routinely underestimate Florida insurance premiums, and it shows up as a nasty surprise late in the process.
Talk to Chelsea
I'm Chelsea Rose, a Realtor with Coldwell Banker Aquaterra Realty, and East Pasco is my home market — not a zip code I service on the side.
I've helped families relocate here from across the country and around the world, and I've represented buyers in nearly every community mentioned in this guide. If your family is looking at Mouratoglou Academy Zephyrhills, I can help you with:
- A private tour of Zephyrhills and Wesley Chapel neighborhoods built around your actual commute
- Builder representation and incentive negotiation on new construction
- A realistic all-in monthly cost breakdown, including insurance and CDD
- Rental and second-home guidance for boarding families
- Relocation logistics, referrals, and a soft landing
No pressure, no drip campaign you can't get out of. Just a conversation.
👉 Start here: https://cbaquaterrarealty.com/tampa-bay-buyer-strategy
Chelsea Rose, Realtor®
Coldwell Banker AquaTerra Realty
📞 813-391-5230 | 📧 [email protected] |📍 Zephyrhills, FL
Mouratoglou Academy Zephyrhills is an independent facility. Coldwell Banker Aquaterra Realty is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or sponsored by Mouratoglou Academy. Program details, pricing, and availability are subject to change — please verify directly with the academy.
