BOUNCING SOME IDEAS
A tennis themed edit featuring RACQUET MAGAZINE
Did you know that there’s a tennis court next to the Prometheus statue at 30 Rock? Now that’s an absurd sentence that thankfully does not include the word ‘pickleball’. It also sounds like the title of a Lana Del Rey remix. Less melancholy. More jarring, neon, techno beats like in that Challengers soundtrack.
Well…yes! This summer, you can trade your ice skates for tennis sneakers and hit the court at RACQUET HOUSE, a pop-up tennis court open to the public at Rockefeller Center. It is the third-annual collaboration between the Center and RACQUET Magazine.
On Thursday, I attended the launch party of Racquet House to see the court for myself and celebrate the release of the magazine’s 25th issue. As the sun set over 30 Rock, I mingled around the rooftop terrace, made a few new tennis-loving friends, and cheers’ed the occasion with Dobel Tequila’s Ace Paloma cocktail. (Editor’s note: I think my tennis game would tremendously improve if I drank one of those in between sets).
As the night went on, I thought of a variety of things to mention in this week’s tennis themed edit. So, allow me to take my seat atop the umpire’s chair and bounce some urban ideas, editorial thoughts, and tennis spectating style suggestions off you. Ready? Play!
Tennis magazines and publications can be serious and seriously cool.
My first few flips through issue No. 25 of RACQUET prove as much. There are serious features, like the one by Caira Conner on Dominic Theim’s trials and tribulations of competing at the highest level, and an interview with Taylor Townsend, the 2024 Wimbledon Doubles Champion. Page 106 sees some seriously high-quality, editorial yet playful photography of Danielle Collins captured by Kyle de Vre. And on the cover of it all is a hilarious AI-generated image of Andre Agassi in a fluffy pink jacket.
I wish this type of ‘tennis as culture, culture as tennis’ publication had been around when I was a kid. Check it out on their website and in print, here.
15-0.
Sports pop-ups are a healthy way to activate public spaces in urban areas.
Not only does this encourage healthy movement from individuals, but as an urban planner I’d argue that it’s also healthy for the city as its own living organism. People are always looking for something exciting and new in city streetscapes and public spaces, which can start to feel stale when they constantly stay the same day in and day out. Does it seem weird that there’s a tennis court in the middle of a plaza? Yes and no. These types of urban paradoxes are what make us crave city living.
If you are looking to increase the utilization of a public space in your city, or draw more visitors, improve the quality of life for nearby office workers, etc., consider a sporting or cultural event that takes place in your city. Now ask: how can this public space, whether it is a park, sidewalk, or plaza, become activated around that event? The opportunity is there already because of the event. It doesn’t even have to be right next door to the event itself. The Racquet House pop-up at Rockefeller Center is over nine miles away from the US Open grounds. Yet, it still builds on the energy and excitement of the Open and, because of its difference in location, even more people can experience the sport of tennis in the city.
30-0.
You don’t have to wear sports gear to spectate in style.
Deciding what to wear to watch a game has become almost as fun as seeing my favorite player win. Last year, I wrote a blog post about it, which you can read at the link below.
This weekend I discovered the substack “Creative Pragmatist” by Amy Smilovic (Creative Director of Tibi). She just wrote a great piece on the thinking process of how to create an outfit to wear to the US Open. I’ve already been thinking about what I’ll wear this year and created a mini mood board for some of my ideas to spectate in style. And going forward, I definitely want to practice Amy’s way of thinking about styling complete outfits, but here’s a little sample of what’s in my head.
40-0.
Game. Set. Match!
So now, my big city dreamers, I’ve served up some ramblings and the ball is in your court. What will you do with it this US Open fortnight? What will you wear? Do you think your city should have a sports pop-up? What sports or tennis publications are you currently reading? Let me know!
