Macon's known for a lot of things: music, cherry blossoms, and tennis.
MACON, Ga. — The Southern Winter Tournament is in town and the Macon Tennis Association is looking forward to hosting it for another year.
"The MTA is lucky to be able to host it every year. There's a lot of competition out there that's trying to take the high-level tournaments, so we're lucky enough to do a good job every year and tell them to keep it in the town," says Adam Dalton, MTA tournament director.
The tournament continues to grow every year in attendance, bringing in even more of a profit for Macon. This year, the projected amount is about $500,000. Dalton says it's based off them staying in the hotel rooms, eating at the restaurants, and visiting the tourist attractions in their downtime.
The tournament features 230 12-year-olds from nine different states. One of those competitors is Charlie Robin, who is here for a second time.
He says, "I did really well here last year, and the 2-seed, in my mind, I try not to make it mean anything. I try to go in loose and know anything can happen."
Charlie goes to Saddlebrook Preparatory School in Tampa, Fla., where he attends classes in the morning, and plays tennis from 1 p.m. until 5 p.m.
He says he likes Macon for the coziness. "It's just another quiet small city. Close to Atlanta -- I don't like Atlanta, so I'm glad it's Macon, it's just really small and cozy."
The tournament runs from Saturday, January 19th, until Tuesday the 22nd at the John Drew Smith Tennis Center, Tattnall Square Park, and Stratford Academy.
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