It’s that time of year. Monday is officially the first day of Spring and that means opening day at the Central Park tennis courts. Located mid park at 93th street, they are home to 26 Har tru courts and five hardcourt courts which are used for teaching once the season starts. The hardcourts stay open all year long and are free out of season. You just need to put your name on a sign in sheet.

The courts are slated for opening the first Saturday in April barring any unforseen challenges with snowstorms or frigid weather. That would mean two weeks from today- April 2nd. Last year, however, the season opened late due to weather conditions.

But being that the courts will be opening soon, it’s a good idea to renew or get your tennis permits now. For $200 you can get a permit which will allow you to play at the Central Park courts or any other NYC Parks court for the entire season. For ages 62 and up it’s only $20! For age 17 and under it’s only $10! Reservations for courts can be made the day of or online in Central Park. Usually the courts are open early in the season from 7am to 7pm. There are lessons available private and in group.

So maybe your forehand is not as sharp as Roger Federer and you can not run down balls like Andy Murray but that should not stop you from pick up or renewing your love of the game. Here’s the website and some pictures to motivate you to pick up(maybe dust off?) that racquet this season and play in the best kept secret in New York City.  Below the tennis permit link is a link to the NYC tennis partners yahoo group which is free to join. You can post days and times that you want to play and get email/text responses from potential tennis partners.

Renew your permit or get a new one here

Find people to play tennis with here