TopCourt Gold Membership: On-Court Experience
Here is our behind-the-scenes experience with TopCourt. Brought to you exclusively, we take fans behind the lens to see how the movie magic happens.Gold Member fans will have a chance to join me and some amazing pros at a future filming event.
You can get up to $50 back from me via Amazon Gift Card by signing up for a TopCourt Membership.
Tennis pros filmed during the week in March at a private Miami residence include:
TopCourt's Class of 2021
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| Miami TopCourt Trip Photos |
TopCourt's Class of 2021
- Alexander and Mischa Zverev
- Bianca Andreescu
- Felix Auger Aliassime
- Grigor Dimitrov
- Francis Tiafoe
- Brandon Nakashima
Highlights of the TopCourt Filming Trip
- Watching tennis pros demonstrate their tennis skills from a few feet away
- Enjoy a catered lunch and chat with new pros and their coaches each day
- Capture close-up photos and videos plus selfies on set, plus get autographed memorabilia
- Meet and greet the pros' families, coaches, and their entourage
- Rally on the center court using one of the Head touring pro's racquets (a pro stock model)
- Photos of my Miami tennis experience - Miami in March - food, fun, and friends
I can say hands down that the TopCourt On-Court Gold experience is worth many times more than any seat you can buy elsewhere. Especially if you are traveling from out of state or it is for a special occasion. I would rival it as a better bargain than even luxury box seats at the US Open. Comparing it to the Miami Open 2021, it was no contest at all. Each day there were at least two different pros.
Other than being in a player's box or media credential, TopCourt is the closest anyone can get to the full fan experience in tennis with a campus of professionals and their coaches.
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| Interview with Alexander Zverev |
As a film fan of Netflix, I loved seeing the director's perspective from behind the lens. TopCourt's team and crew are creating educational entertainment in real-time and improvising on the fly.
TopCourt producers all ask the questions that Gold Membership fans want to hear. You get to witness all the action live and unedited. All the bloopers, outtakes, and intimate moments.
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| Felix Auger Aliassime (FAA) |
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| This racket was autographed and donated by FAA |
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| Grigor Dimitrov shows off his |
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| Tiafoe and Andreescu share the same talent agency at Octagon Tennis. |
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| Bianca Andreescu and the author |
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| Go for Gold! - if you want a chance to meet the pros |
Benefits of getting the Gold Membership Package:
- Lifetime experience event opportunities: (extra purchase) to go to attend the live filming.
- Double the Gold Court points: allows users to buy autographed items from the pros and bid on Lifetime Experiences via raffles
- Early access to "bonus" content: a nice-to-have incentive that mirrors Disney+. Being able to "unlock" new content early.
- Preferred Response Time on questions for the pros: I have not personally tried this feature. If you have questions for upcoming stars, I think this would be an excellent way to do Q&A.
Lifetime Experience Packages
Advantages
- Saving time from roaming around the courts searching for the pro
- Better high-end value than most VIP tennis tournament tickets
- Getting the 1on1 time to ask questions, take selfies, and more (I got an autograph from Alex Zverev. I told him I use the same Head Gravity Pro rackets and his insignia dampeners)
- Getting the invaluable selfies or autographs that so many wait hours to get a chance
- Share a catered lunch with the pros (we usually ate around 1-2pm)
- Feeling the full immersion with the players and coaches and family.
- Attend AM and/or PM sessions - offering a balance of both documentary interviews and action drills filming on the set.
- Comfortable and luxurious settings with food, refreshments, and A/C for guests
- Fixed schedule and time frame - having only a few hours or days, you really maximize your time instead of hanging around practice courts at a tournament hoping to get lucky.
- Seeing a full-scale filming production take place.
I'm a fan of Netflix, and was really neat to see how the director orchestrates a whole production crew, drones, rovers, sound, lighting, and multiple cameras to make each TopCourt episode possible.
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| Lights, camera, action! TopCourt filming on location |
Costs
- Variable Expenses (Price? availability? dates?)
- Variety of player rosters (ATP and WTA) - so you may not have the pro you planned to meet.
- Possible Cancelations - due to covid-19 and players' match times - players may get rescheduled, or pros may cancel. We had expected Nick Kyrios and Denis Shapovalov to appear. But they both canceled last minute.
- Travel costs not included - Must spend travel costs to go to the location - I flew the only direct flight to Miami, which was a red-eye flight, and booked AirBnB accommodations about 5 miles away at my own expense.
- Seats and spaces are very limited - only a few other investors and guests (less than 10 total, I would estimate on any given day
Part of the fun is that you may discover something interesting about tennis pros you did not know much about before. During a brief rain delay the first morning, I chatted briefly with Brandon Nakashima and had some of the catered lunch outside with him and his coach.
I did not realize his new coach once worked with Novak Djokovic. He wore a Solinco shirt, so we chatted about Hyper G and Tour Bite strings. We all had lunch outside after the morning shoot. Brandon is also from the San Diego area, and we chatted about memories of Angel Lopez as his junior coach.
Crowning Moments for any Hardcore Tennis Fan's Bucket List
The tennis fan’s experience of seeing and meeting a top player is among the highlights of attending most pro events. As a freelance photographer, getting a great photo in ideal conditions is so difficult among media pros because of the conditions, movement, and other photographers – that it may be hours of wasted time to get one “lucky” shot.
You improve your odds of meeting your Tennis Hero by attending one of these "lifetime experience" events. It’s almost like cheating, in a way. You get to cut into an express line set up for a few hours dedicated to TopCourt and a few select guests.
It would be an amazing tennis birthday gift - most appreciated by someone who has been through all the traditional means of seeing a player in real life. Once there, the hosts will introduce you and allow you to mingle more comfortably with the pro. Getting a chance to share a few words and ideas with them can really make your day.
Building Courage around Tennis Stars
Several staff and investors that attended initially felt shy about approaching the pro. This is very human, and attending more of these events makes you better at asking questions and approaching strangers comfortably. Being well-tuned to the nature of their work and listening to their presentation hours allows you to feel attached and builds rapport with them.
Overall, I'm very impressed by the production value. My week with TopCourt and the filming crew gave me a deeper appreciation for the craft and lives of the pros as individuals away from the work/media pressure of the tour.
You discover each star is also just someone's child - each has their own humanity, soul, and personality as opposed to the circus environment of the Tour that tries to turn them into street performers. You meet their parents, family, and partners, and hear their life stories in their own words. It is an experience I hope everyone can experience once in their life.
TopCourt Gold Membership Offer Special
Exclusively from Tennis-Bargains.com only. Sent after you complete your first month.
We are proud of this product, and that it promotes the fight against Covid-19 to keep fans safe, at home, yet engaged with Tennis. Tennis-Bargains.com is now a partner with TopCourt in the streaming tennis e-learning space.