Hunters Point Tennis Courts, originally dedicated by Arthur Ashe, reopened in San Francisco

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For the most part, tennis players operate as individuals, self-contained and independent. But from time to time, there come those rare and powerful occasions when tennis is more than a solo pursuit, but a communal effort.

One such moment took place on March 27 in San Francisco—the grand reopening of the Hunters Point Tennis Courts. Four courts were reopened at a ceremony that included the participation of current San Francisco Mayor London Breed, past mayors Willie Brown and Art Agnos, San Francisco Giants CEO Larry Baer, and Hunters Point site director Thomas White. There also came video greetings from such tennis notables as current pros Frances Tiafoe, Mackie McDonald and Rajeev Ram; ex-pros Brad Gilbert and Yannick Noah; and USTA general manager Martin Blackman.

The project was a joint collaboration between Youth Tennis Advantage (YTA), the San Francisco Housing Authority, and San Franciscans for Sports and Recreation (SFFSR). The upgrade cost $271,000—$223,000 contributed by the SFFSR, and the additional $48,000 coming from the USTA Foundation.

“Congratulations to YTA for getting the Hunters Point courts back up and running,” said Gilbert. “It’s exactly what the community needs. There’s nothing better than tennis courts and helping kids. It’s a pillar of the community with education.”

“Having these beautiful four tennis courts where YTA has been running this program for all these years, it’s just going to revitalize everything that they’re doing,” said Seth Socolow, volunteer executive director for SFFSR.

In conjunction with the re-opening, the Bay Area-raised McDonald also donated his $50,000 award from the ATP 2023 Carbon Tracker Program to Greenaction for Health and Environmental Justice, supporting its Bayview Hunters Point campaign for the environmental needs in that community.

“When I first found out that I won this award I thought it was a great idea to give back to my roots,” said McDonald.

The courts were originally dedicated on June 6, 1987 by Arthur Ashe. This grew out of Ashe’s work with the National Junior Tennis League, an organization he co-founded with Charlie Pasarell and Sheridan Snyder in 1969. As Ashe once said, “Our idea is to use tennis as a way to gain and hold the attention of young people so we can teach them about matters more important than tennis.”

The 1987 ceremony was led by longstanding and current YTA executive director Mike Skinner. Said Skinner 37 years later, “The revitalization of the Hunters Point tennis courts is more than a just renovation; it’s a recommitment to our youth and the community’s future.”

Noah’s comments included a tribute to Ashe, a man Noah credits as a major mentor. An iconic tennis moment came in 1971, when Ashe, touring Africa with Pasarell and other pros, met the 11-year-old Noah and told French tennis leader Philippe Chatrier about this promising young player. Soon enough, Noah was on the path to greatness, highlighted by his 1983 run to victory at Roland Garros. “Work really hard and enjoy the game,” Noah told the children playing at Hunters Point. “Everything is possible. Keep dreaming and work hard.”