How Wimbledon's Grass Court Took Over Central Park

Just beyond a purple flower-adorned trellis nestled in the heart of Central Park lies a grass court. Green and purple banners bearing the All England Lawn Tennis Club (AELTC) logo hang from nearly every wooden beam as players dressed in all white take to the court. Guests dressed in their Sunday best chat away as they await play to start from the bright green chairs surrounding the court.

One would not be able to fault you for thinking you'd stepped foot onto the pristine grass of Wimbledon's Centre Court.

In honor of this year's Wimbledon, the All England Club brought a slice of the tournament to the lawns of Central Park in the form of a pop-up grass tennis court laid on the Wollman Rink. Tennis icons Andre Agassi, Caroline Wozniacki, James Blake, and Genie Bouchard came together for a few exhibition matches ahead of the start of the tournament.

"It's absolutely wonderful to be able to take a slice of Wimbledon, strawberries and cream, and all of that and bring it to the Big Apple," Usama Al-Qassab, Marketing and Commercial Director at The AELTC, told Sports Illustrated's Serve On SI.

"This year, we've really ramped it up again by bringing it to Central Park and infusing it with the true spirit of Wimbledon with a grass court, with all white uniforms, and maintaining the strawberries and cream, of course."

Tennis fans were invited to apply for a public ballot for the chance to watch the matches as well as the opportunity to play on the pop-up court in the following days. All of Wimbledon's best aspects were offered to American fans, from free tennis clinics with coaches to tasting Wimbledon's strawberries and cream and infamous Pimm's and Champagne Lanson.

The AELTC also arranged for a group of 15-24-year-olds from Barclays Net Work, a co-funded youth employment and skills program supported by Barclays and Wimbledon in the Bronx, to participate in a special tennis lesson on the final day of the pop-up. The program has successfully upskilled 143 young participants as well as supported 49 others in their paths towards employment.

"Being able to engage people [is] a proof of Wimbledon being easily accessible," Al-Qassab said. "We are an elite competition at the pinnacle of tennis and the pinnacle of sport, but we're not elitist. That's why we've got the opportunity for people to come down via the ballot for free to come and watch the legends that are Andre Agassi, Caroline Wozniacki, James Blake and Genie Bouchard play."

With around 550,000 through the gates of the tournament and an average of 721,000 viewers watching matches, the AELTC is committed to engaging tournament fans beyond its traditional digital channels, starting with pop-ups and activations such as the Wimbledon Court right in New York City's backyard.

Special interactions are available in cities like Tokyo and Hong Kong, while multiple activations were opened across the UK. One included a fan area at Battersea Power Station in south London, where 250,000 people were expected to come through over the 14 days of the tournament.

"We're testing and learning," Al-Qassab said. "We'll see what works, we'll amplify those, and we'll continue to drive this hopefully for many years to come."

The United States, New York City in particular, remains one of the tournament's biggest focus areas. Wimbledon has always been popular in the States thanks to ESPN's broadcast; however, Al-Qassab estimates a nearly 200 million increase in people engaging with the tournament post-pandemic.

In-person events such as the Hill in New York, which allowed New Yorkers to watch the tournament finals live under the Brooklyn Bridge last year, are a large part of that growth in interest thanks to the AELTC's work with content creators and social media influencers.

"[People are] getting engaged in deeper, more meaningful ways through digital platforms, through our website, the app, our retail proposition and across the entire year," Al-Qassab said. "Digital channels and engagement are absolutely huge in the U.S... Indeed, last year, over 5,000 unique pieces of content [were made] across 14 days. That allows people to be engaging with Wimbledon 24-7."

The pop-up was not without its challenges. With the demand to attend the exhibition matches high, Al-Qassab and his team sought to find an equitable way to ensure that everyone would be given a chance to attend, thus the creation of the public ballot.

The logistics of installing and taking care of the grass itself also proved to be a challenge. Mark Ferguson, head agronomist at the AELTC, oversaw the installation of the court, bringing in specially grown grass from New Jersey and manicuring it to the same eight millimeters as done in Wimbledon.

Proprietary technology that normally takes over two years to perfect at the tournament was laid out on the court in 48 hours. Between the heatwave and the ensuing summer storm, the court required extra care in order to maintain its playing quality.

"To be able to have grass that is created in upstate in New Jersey, to bring that grass here, to make sure that it's fit for purpose, that obviously it's leveled, it's marked up [is challenging]," Al-Qassab said. "It's had to deal with the weather and the downpours this week."

Between bringing the iconic grass courts to Central Park and sharing a taste of the English major with Americans, the AELTC remains committed to strengthening the ties between the UK and the U.S. in the tennis world as fans look from London to New York City for the next Grand Slam tournament.

"We always look to strengthen relationships with all countries around the world," Al-Qassab said. "But the U.S. is incredibly important in the tennis world. It's had wonderful champions. It's a fellow Grand Slam host with the U.S. Open, and we love that all it can bring. Celebrity, razzmatazz, energy...it's really important that we be able to merge the heritage of Wimbledon and the innovation that you see that New York brings."

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