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USTA National Tennis Center
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Eleven months out of the year, the USTA's superb tournament complex at Flushing Meadows Corona Park in Queens is open to the public, offering amateur players a unique opportunity to test their skills on the same blue and green courts that host the US Open. The three stadium courts are reserved for the pros, but an additional 22 outdoor courts and nine indoor courts are available for public use, with rates ranging from $16 to $24 per hour for outdoor play (plus an $8 surcharge when lights are in use), or $17 to $54 per hour indoors. Except from early August through the end of the US Open, the courts are open daily from 8 a.m. to midnight (6 a.m. to midnight for indoor courts), with reservations possible by phone two days in advance. A new indoor tennis center with 12 courts, a pro shop and exhibition space for the American Tennis Hall of Fame is due to open in summer 2007. Eleven more courts built by the USTA but managed by the New York City Department of Parks and Recreation (see permit information below) are located just outside the National Tennis Center entrance. The facility is easily accessible from Midtown Manhattan via the No. 7 Flushing subway line, or from Penn Station via the Port Washington Branch of the Long Island Railroad. |
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This semiprivate club in Long Island City (just across the East River from Midtown Manhattan) offers 16 indoor clay courts and eight outdoor Har-Tru courts with impressive views of the New York skyline. From Labor Day through Memorial Day, nonmembers can book court time weekdays from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. at a cost of $60 an hour for singles play, $90 an hour for doubles. In summer, nonmember bookings are possible seven days a week on a space-available basis. Tennisport is easily accessible from Manhattan via the No. 7 Flushing subway line. |
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This year-round indoor tennis club offers 11 full-size Har-Tru courts and one tightly enclosed singles court on an island in the East River between Manhattan and Queens. Advance reservations are accepted, and the courts are open most days from 7 a.m. to 11 p.m., with nonmember rates ranging from $48 to $99 per hour of play. Roosevelt Island is accessible on the F subway line or via an aerial tramway departing from Second Avenue between 59th and 60th streets on Manhattan’s East Side (check the Web site for tram service updates). |
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Four indoor courts and four seasonal courts (open in summer, covered in winter) are available here at Eighth Avenue and 27th Street, a few blocks south of Madison Square Garden. The courts are open year-round from 7 a.m. to 11 p.m. weekdays, 8 a.m. to 9 p.m. on weekends, with hourly rates ranging from $60 to $82. Reservations can be made up to two weeks in advance. |
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The five rooftop courts at this Midtown club a few blocks west of Times Square are open to nonmembers for $90 an hour on a limited schedule, weekdays from noon to 6 p.m. Only same-day reservations are accepted. A translucent bubble covers the courts during the winter months for year-round play. |
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Two indoor DecoTurf courts are available at this pay-and-play facility on the third floor of Grand Central Station, with rates ranging from $120 to $145 per hour depending the day of the week and time of year (payment by cash or check only). The courts are open weekdays from 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. year-round, with additional weekend hours during the fall/winter season from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. |
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From late September through the end of April, this seasonal facility offers eight covered clay courts under the Queensboro Bridge at 59th Street on Manhattan's East Side. In season, Sutton East is open daily from 6 a.m. to 11 p.m., with hourly court fees ranging from $70 to $150. |
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No membership is required to book time at this seasonal outdoor facility on the Upper East Side, with two all-weather cushioned courts on a rooftop at 99th Street and First Avenue. The club is open daily April through November from 7 a.m. to sunset, and courts may be reserved up to three days in advance. Rates range from $30 to $50 an hour, with no extra charge for the panoramic view over the East River. |
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