The History of Tennis in New York City

England may lay its claim as the hub of tennis, but from the West Side Tennis Club (Forest Hills) to Arthur Ashe Stadium, New York certainly has its skin in the game. Landing on America’s shores in the 1880s, tennis took off before American football and in the heyday of baseball. Although seen as a game for the wealthy and elite, tennis actually worked its way into the hearts and minds of all races and classes, even inspiring racial integration before the street protests of the 1960s. Learn the forehands, backhands and and inside-out strokes of tennis in New York in a virtual talk given by Adrian Brune, a journalist who has lived, written and played tennis in New York for 20 years. She wanted to be Jennifer Capriati when both were 16, and went on to practice with the Northwestern Varsity Women’s Team in the 1990s. Brune currently writes a twice-monthly newsletter, Tennis Confidential, about the courts, the culture and the conversation that makes tennis the sport of kings and commoners. For more events like this, become an Untapped New York Insider! https://untappedcities.com/become-a-member/