Owners of the tournament hope the fashionable black tennis courts will pique the curiosity of fansTWITTER
The ATP N.Y. Open is debuting this week at the renovated Nassau Coliseum, and the two playing courts "resemble airport runways," according to David Waldstein of the N.Y. TIMES. Organizers' choice of color and surface for the courts is "almost completely off the tennis grid: black hardwood." The owners of the tournament, N.Y.-based GF Sports, "hope the fashionable black look will pique the curiosity of fans." The event is "making its New York debut after four decades in Memphis, and it is the only tour-level indoor tournament" in the U.S. Normally, hard-surface tennis courts are "green or blue," but the N.Y. Open "opted for a bold color scheme its organizers say has never been used in a tour event." Last September's Laver Cup in Prague "also used black courts manufactured by Haro, the company that built the ones for the New York Open." Tournament Dir Josh Ripple said that he had "been mulling the idea of using a black court for several years, and when he saw one at the exhibition in Prague, he made the decision to install them" at the event on Long Island. The courts are "separated by a 26-foot viewing structure; the arena will have room for 6,000 fans" (N.Y. TIMES, 2/11). Tennis Channel's Lindsay Davenport noted the black courts will "make it easier to see the ball and to track the ball, not only for the fans but on TV as well." Tennis Channel's Tracy Austin noted the black courts are "different" but said, "We like those innovations" ("Tennis Channel Live," Tennis Channel, 2/11).
