Tennis Reopens in New York By Brian Coleman
When the original surge of COVID-19 cases swept across the United States, there was perhaps no region that felt the effects of the pandemic more than New York City. With a population of more than eight million, and a very dense population, the coronavirus pandemic hit NYC extremely hard. But the lockdowns put in place early on has helped flatten the curve in New York, while other places throughout the country continue to see a rise in cases. The measures taken have allowed the city to reopen, not fully, but considering where the city was at the beginning of the pandemic, New York should be proud of how far it has come. And with that, tennis has been allowed to reopen, with outdoor tennis back and summer camps getting underway in New York City and in the greater Tri-State area. As tennis reopens, it’s clear that there is a desire by the public to get back to playing the sport it loves. “We are incredibly excited to see players out and smiling on courts again 6
after what has undoubtedly been a rough couple months for everybody in the city,” USTA Eastern Executive Director and COO Jenny Schnitzer. “So far, the feedback we’ve received from our NYC providers has been positive. People are really craving physical activity and coming
New York Tennis Magazine • July/August 2020 • NYTennisMag.com
out to play. Some are even picking up a racquet for the first time, which we love to see.” In order to safely reopen, the clubs and facilities have put in proper safety measures and protocols, using guidelines both by the CDC and the USTA, to ensure that tennis is played safely, and to avoid the possibility of creating another surge of COVID-19. “Sportime Randall's Island, our NYC flagship location, was not allowed to reopen its outdoor courts until June 22. The good news, in addition to that most of us are safe and healthy, and that New York has done a great job fighting the virus, is that the outdoor tennis business, at our sites, and generally, has been robust, virtually from the day courts were allowed to open in New York,” said Claude Okin, CEO of Sportime Clubs. “The pent up demand for tennis and recreation is reflected in the levels of tennis play and programming during the month of June, and continuing into July that are substantially greater than in
