CARY - Walking out to the tennis court he built in his backyard, Robert Allen Gibson feels it necessary to point out all the things it will have - never mind that, as it stands, he has built what might be one of the most sophisticated private tennis courts in the state.

He's planning an air-conditioned observation room where, for now, a concrete slab with chairs, a table and an umbrella sit.

Most players are happy to have access to public courts, let alone a court in their backyard. But Gibson has a vision - one that has North Carolina at the forefront of the tennis training circuit, on a kind of court few players have ever seen.

"The whole goal is to help professionals - or kids - meet their potential," Gibson said. "I want to give the pros a place to play in North Carolina."

Gibson finished building his court of dreams a year ago. It had been years in the making. The hard court surface matches the ones at Flushing Meadow in New York, home to the U.S. Open.

And he has made technological additions that would make any pro swoon at the prospect of practice.

He has purchased an intelligent ball machine called Boomer, invented by Dave Jordan, a New Englander who frequently drives down to Cary to update Gibson's machine. Using a computer and camera, Boomer is capable of "playing" the person on the other side of the net, not just feeding repetitious balls. Boomer can mix up spin and speed, serve, hit every angle on the court, and keep score. He (Boomer's a 'he,' since Jordan has programmed his own voice into the machine, usually in the form of mildly antagonistic quips, as well as feedback on your hitting) can also run drills and be programmed to play at various skill levels.

All of these features enable Gibson to concentrate on the player, as well as refill Boomer with tennis balls. To date, no one - not even a number of touring professionals - has been able to beat Boomer at the machine's highest level.

Gibson keeps spreadsheets of statistical info derived from Boomer, which he then studies in coaching his players on weaknesses. He thinks the future of tennis involves statistical awareness - anyone can train, but utilizing the science of the game will be a huge advantage. He also invested in video software that he can upload to the Internet for students to review, along with comments on their play broken down frame by frame.

Not that it's all machines on his court - Gibson, 51, is still happy to feed balls himself, or play with students. He also says he has never charged for tennis lessons at his home - though his website offers "adult babysitting" rates for people looking to unload a family member for an hour or two and get exercise while they're at it. His property, near the Cary Tennis Park, is not yet zoned for the commercial use of a tennis court.

When asked why the tennis center, home to 29 courts, was not enough for a man who spends six days a week teaching tennis, he said it's a matter of focus - and resources.

Large tennis centers are great for clinics and for teaching the masses, he explains.

But he likes being able to hone in on a player's potential rather than wait for a natural phenom to show up. He also knows public facilities would hard pressed to invest in the technology. Boomer alone costs roughly $15,000.

Giving back

Gibson went to work for IBM out of college, but not before giving the open tennis circuit a try. He never made any money as a pro, however.

He worked in a variety of computer-related positions with IBM, which helps explain his interest in the statistical analysis of tennis.

He then went into contracting before teaching tennis full time for the city of Raleigh's parks and recreation department in 2005. He also manages a number of rental properties, a job he inherited when his father passed away in 1999.

Gibson wants to help North Carolina become a tennis-training mecca, much like Florida already is.

He's lobbying for more public spending - courts at public schools can be hard for non-students to access, and more schools should have courts since tennis is a lifetime sport.

David Bell, Raleigh's tennis program supervisor, says it's rare to find a pro with his experience willing to put in the time and energy he does for city wages.

Bell has seen the results at Lake Lynn, a small Raleigh park that has a few tennis courts.

"It was a popular location but without good leadership," Bell said. "He really grew the program."

Gibson also has made fundraising a part of tennis, hosting various stroke-a-thons and round robins, raising thousands for charities such as Triangle Mended Little Hearts and cancer research.

"He just wants to give back to tennis," Bell said. "The priority is different - the monetary game part is a big part that's missing for him."

Tennis mecca

Even if Gibson is largely fueled by altruism, he does hope that the court in his backyard leads to fiscal success down the road, if only so his dreams for tennis in North Carolina can come true.

"I'm hoping to take tennis into the next era with franchises of my design," Gibson said.

In 2002, Gibson says he came very close to building a $1.8 million facility on a piece of property he owns in Apex.

But the 18-month window on his loan proved too small when it took half that time for the town to simply approve the water and septic system.

After that, the credit crunch made it difficult to secure financing again. So he bought a house with 5.5 acres, where he could work on a prototype for the court he originally envisioned.

His real dream court would actually be attached to a three-story home that would easily host visiting players from around the world.

He would simulate crowds on the walls of the court so players could get used to the big arena environment before stepping onto center court for the first time.

Boomer would enable players to specifically train against the games of lower-ranked wildcards, as well as the likes of superstars Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal.

In the meantime, Gibson is taking the "if I build it, they will come" approach to attract professional tennis players from around the world with the current prototype, and foster local players who have an interest in reaching the international stage.

One player is 8-year-old Tejas Chandrasekhar. His mother, Sita Lakkaraju, said Tejas and his older brother Rohan love Gibson's gentle nature and enthusiasm for the sport.

"Coach Robert is so good at finding an individual and innovative solution to every problem," she said. "I sometimes learn parenting from him."

Gibson has been known to cut holes in old nets and mount them above a regular net to get students to hit with more topspin.

He's harnessed doubles players together so they learn to move as a pair, and used resistance bungees to up players' conditioning.

But Gibson insists he'll work with any player at any level - and that his court will draw the best from them, as long as they are willing to put in the effort.

Gibson certainly is.