The Wait is Over: Tennis in the Parks Returns to Public Courts

WESTBOROUGH, MA – Tennis in the Parks is back in New England. After missing out on 34 of the 38 scheduled spring and summer sessions due to COVID-19, USTA New England has bounced back seamlessly this fall to safely deliver 16 Tennis in the Parks programs throughout the section.

Fall sessions began on Saturday, September 19 and were met with great demand.

“It’s exciting to see how much interest has grown in Tennis in the Parks especially during this time. We filled most of our programs, and in some towns, we went over capacity and created additional sessions to meet the demand. And the most important part is, we’re doing it all safely,” said Eric Driscoll, USTA New England Tennis in the Parks & Schools Manager.

While tennis by nature is a physically distant sport, a maximum of 10 students are permitted per class and social distancing measures are being enforced. Upon arrival, each student receives an age-appropriate Wilson tennis racquet, t-shirt and ball, which is labeled with their initials to minimize foreign contact.

With the necessary precautions in place, students are flocking to the courts to learn and play and get a taste of tennis.

“In this day in age, it’s outside, it’s social and it’s about as healthy a sport as one can play. It’s all the things people can’t do right now in terms of getting good social group exercise, so I think that’s drawing a lot of folks back to the game and bringing new ones in,” said David Sugar, who coaches USTA New England Tennis in the Parks adult and youth programs in Yarmouth, MA.