A man behind an ambitious underwater tennis court project in Dubai, architect Krzysztof Kotala, in a short interview via Linkedin to Dailystoke.com confirmed that the project is frozen. “Unfortunately I didn’t find 3 bln dollars for this investment. However I paid attention of the world to oceans and their ecosystem”, – said Kotala as a response to the question about the project’s status back in 2019. Now, in 2025, nothing has changed—no investors have come forward, and the idea remains on hold.
About the Underwater Tennis Court in Dubai
Dubai is a city that has not only the world’s highest tennis court located on the top of the Burj Al Arab Hotel that itself is around 1000 foot tall. Dubai has also believed to venture a tennis court under the sea. The idea of constructing an underwater tennis court was proposed by Polish 8+8 Concept Studio. The world’s first underwater tennis court is decided to be designed in Dubai to host Grand Slam tournaments.
One of the most well-known architects, Krzysztof Kotala, seeks the investment for the project from local investors to turn the dream of an ambitious project of an underwater tennis court into a reality. He has further stated that the project designs have been completed and the project is going forward after the Kotala has been in talks with the companies operating in Europe and the United States of America. Although there were rumors regarding if the underwater tennis court can be built, however, suggesting the idea itself is a remarkable effort. These kinds of projects are now plausible after the advancement in acrylics.
Experts have further stressed that underwater projects can be tricky to construct as they have to be watertight and build with other local considerations as well. The tennis court has been suggested to be constructed with the idea of acrylics as the ability to hold the water now with acrylics has made leaps and bounds. The underwater tennis court is a big project thus, it needs high-quality materials to be built. The undersea project is an exciting one but, at the same time, needs a lot of investment to ensure that the amazing dream of an architect becomes a reality. In this way, the first underwater tennis court to be constructed in Dubai could cost up to $ 2.5 Billion.
The innovative idea has been able to draw much interest from potential investors, but it has also raised a number of technical concerns both for the engineers and developers. Let’s see whether or not the project will be built since we have seen the birth of other new Dubai mega projects announced in latest years such as the renewal of the Palm Jebel Ali project, Etihad Rail and Burj Binghatti.
Meanwhile, Sports Underwater Are Happening Elsewhere
Though the Dubai tennis dome remains unrealized, underwater wellness and sport experiences are finding success in other parts of the world. Luxury resorts in the Maldives now feature underwater spas, gyms, and yoga domes—such as those at Huvafen Fushi and The Muraka at Conrad Maldives Rangali Island.
So, while Dubai’s undersea court is still a dream, the future of underwater sport is evolving elsewhere—smaller, more immersive, and already here.
