The United States Tennis Association’s Billie Jean King National Tennis Center is our home court, and for the players on our men’s and women’s teams there is no greater thrill than playing on the same courts where the top tennis stars compete in the renowned US Open every summer.
Indeed, there is no bigger stage in U.S. tennis than the NTC, so playing our matches there is akin to our basketball team playing select home games at Madison Square Garden.
In fact, the NTC serves as home court for more than 70 area high schools and colleges. In addition, more than 1 million participants of all ages, a large portion of which are from Queens neighborhoods, participate in hundreds of annual community and after-school programs and activities at the NTC each year. Furthermore, the NTC’s indoor and outdoor courts are open to the general public to visit and for play, lessons, clinics and leagues seven days a week during 11 months of the year.
While the US Open is responsible for more than $750 million in economic activity for Queens and the city, the NTC also has a great financial impact during the rest of the year. For one thing, the NTC hosts countless tournaments and college matches that bring competing teams from all over the country to patronize Queens businesses. The visiting teams and their families stay at hotels in Corona, Flushing, East Elmhurst and elsewhere and dine at local restaurants and shop at local businesses. There is no doubt that the NTC has a strong impact on the local economy year-round.
Between the men’s and women’s tennis programs at St. John’s, we play about 20 out-of-state teams at the NTC each year. From staying at local hotels, such as the LaGuardia Airport Marriott and Holiday Inn LaGuardia, to grabbing sandwiches from Mama’s of Corona, enjoying the Italian fare at Parkside or dining at Nan Xiang Dumpling House in Flushing, these teams, many of whom stay for two to three days at a time, spend money in Queens.
I urge you to support the plan to improve and expand the NTC in Flushing Meadows Corona Park because, among other things, the NTC is where our children learn tennis, our local schools, colleges and tennis clubs play and the best players in the world ply their craft in a tournament that showcases Queens for the world to see.
Eric Rebhuhn
Head Men’s Tennis Coach
St. John’s University
Jamaica
