Saviano High Performance Tennis Academy Review — South Florida's Boutique Elite Program

Saviano High Performance Tennis Academy in Davie, Florida, is a smaller, founder-led program that has deliberately kept its enrollment limited since Nick Saviano started it after leaving the USTA in the early 2000s — and its alumni list punches well above what its size would suggest.

Who founded it

Nick Saviano spent nine years on the ATP Tour, reaching a career-high ranking inside the world's Top 50 and winning four ATP Tour titles as a player. In 1988, he joined the USTA as its first National Coach, later serving as the organization's Director of Coaching for Men's Tennis and Director of Coaching Education & Sport Science over a 15-year tenure. He left the USTA in 2002 to start his own academy, going on to be named USOC Developmental Coach of the Year in 2006. That combination — tour-level playing experience plus 15 years running national coaching education for the USTA — is a genuinely unusual coaching résumé among academy founders.

Facilities and location

The academy operates at 1301 S Nob Hill Rd in Davie, the same facility that hosts the Orange Bowl International Tennis Championships each December — one of the most prestigious events on the global junior calendar. That gives full-time students a direct, built-in connection to top-level junior competition without needing to travel for one of the sport's most significant annual tournaments. The campus runs 28 courts across hard and clay surfaces.

Coaching ratio and program size

Saviano publishes a 4:1 coaching ratio — tighter than IMG's 6:1 and Saddlebrook's 5:1 — and the academy deliberately limits its number of programs and enrollment to protect that ratio and overall coaching quality, rather than scaling up to accommodate demand. Video feedback is built into technical sessions as a standard part of training rather than an add-on.

Alumni

Despite its smaller scale, Saviano's alumni list includes Sloane Stephens (2017 US Open champion), Eugenie Bouchard (2014 Wimbledon finalist), and Amanda Anisimova (multiple-time Grand Slam quarterfinalist and 2025 Wimbledon finalist). Saviano has also been publicly connected to Coco Gauff's development in press coverage of his coaching career, though she is not confirmed as an alumna in this directory's own sourcing — treat that specific connection as reported rather than independently verified here.

What it doesn't offer

Saviano is a day program — it doesn't offer on-site boarding or integrated academics, so families relocating for enrollment need to arrange housing and schooling separately, unlike IMG, Evert, or Saddlebrook, which bundle both into the program. Its $23,700–$28,500 published annual range is meaningfully below Florida's boarding-tier academies, which is partly a function of what's not included.

A career built on both playing and teaching

What sets Saviano apart from many academy founders is that his coaching authority didn't come only from building a successful academy — it came first from nine years of competing on the ATP Tour at a Top-50 level, then from 15 years inside the USTA's national coaching structure, shaping how the organization trained and certified coaches nationally before he ever opened his own program. That's a different path than a coach who built a reputation purely through academy alumni results; by the time Saviano opened his own doors in the early 2000s, he had already spent over two decades inside both the competitive and institutional sides of American tennis development, which shows up in how deliberately the program is run — tight ratios, integrated video analysis, and a conscious choice to stay small rather than scale toward volume.

Who it's a good fit for

Families already based in or near South Florida who want a tight coaching ratio, direct Orange Bowl access, and a founder with genuine USTA national-coaching credentials — without paying for boarding and academic infrastructure they may not need — should have Saviano on their shortlist. Compare it against other Florida academies in our full guide to the best tennis academies in Florida.

Frequently Asked Questions

Does Saviano offer boarding?

No — it's a day program without on-site housing or integrated academics, so families need to arrange both separately if relocating for enrollment.

Is Nick Saviano still personally coaching at the academy?

Saviano founded and continues to run the academy; as with any program of this size, day-to-day coaching is shared across his staff, but the program remains closely identified with his personal methodology and direct involvement.

What makes the Orange Bowl connection significant?

The Orange Bowl International Tennis Championships is one of the most prestigious events on the international junior calendar; training at the same facility that hosts it gives full-time students regular exposure to that level of competition and infrastructure.

How does Saviano's ratio compare to other Florida academies?

At 4:1, it's tighter than IMG Academy's 6:1 and Saddlebrook's 5:1, though less tight than Rick Macci's 3:1 — positioning it among the more individually focused options in the state without being the single most boutique program available.