History of Public Park Tennis

Public park tennis has a rich history in the United States dating back to 1926 when the first National Public Parks Tennis Tournament was held.  Many of the great champions from the past grew up playing tennis at public parks around the country.  American tennis legends Stan Smith, Arthur Ashe, Jimmy Connors and Chris Evert were all products of public park tennis.  This year the USTA is celebrating public park tennis by holding the State Public Park Championships in all fifty states across the country.

United States Lawn Tennis Association President Dwight Davis founded the National Public Parks Tennis Association (NPPTA) in 1923.  Davis envisioned people playing tennis without a financial burden and created the NPPTC to promote the sport among regular players, "for whom the private clubs are not available".

This prestigious tournament is already attracting top ranked national and world champions such as Pablo Arraya, Carlos Gomez Diaz, Andy Lake, Val Wilder, Pat Serrett, Eagan Adams, and Kasay Gladding Hamaway. This year's National Tournament will be held in New Orleans, Louisiana, July 28 – August 2.   

MTEF has been selected to host the first annual Wisconsin Public Park Tennis Tournament on June 7-8, 2008.  To read specific details regarding the tournament please view the coinciding page.  

Wisconsin Public Parks Tennis Tournament

What: A non-sanctioned USTA event to celebrate tennis in the parks.

When: Saturday, June 7th & Sunday, June 8th.

Where: Three Milwaukee public parks will host matches - Merrill Park, Sherman Park, and Wick Field.

Why: To celebrate the rich history of public parks tennis in the United States.

Sponsors: Wisconsin Tennis Association; MPS Division of Recreation & Community Services, and Milwaukee Public Parks.

Proceeds: All proceeds go to MTEF's Summer Tennis & Reading program, servicing over 4,000 urban children with tennis, reading and life skills development programming.

Divisions:
B/G 10, 12, 14 & 16 singles
M/W open, 35 & 50 singles
NTRP 3.0, 3.5, 4.0 singles
Mixed Doubles 7.0, 7.5, 8.0

Cost:  Singles - $30/person
            Doubles - $20/person

Umpires: WTA umpires will be provided

Scoring: 2 out of 3 sets, regular scoring

Trophies: Awarded to all winners and runner-up.  Up to four people will be provided a $250 stipend to travel to New Orleans July 28th for the 82nd National Public Parks Championship

Rain site: TBD

Tournament Director: Jay Massart

MTEF Contact: Peter Dermody (414) 442-8195