The best public tennis courts in NYC

Almost every public court in the city runs on the NYC Parks permit. A full-season permit is $100 for adults, with cheaper rates for seniors and juniors, and it covers every permit court in all five boroughs. If you are only playing once, buy a $15 single-play day pass instead ($16 if you pay by card). The season runs from early April to the Sunday before Thanksgiving. At the busier centers you can reserve a court online up to about a week ahead; everywhere else it is first-come, with a gate attendant signing players in for the next open hour. A handful of courts are free and unstaffed, with no permit checked at all.

The classic. Twenty-six green Har-Tru clay courts plus a few hard courts, tucked below the 96th Street transverse, make this the city's biggest public tennis center and its most sought-after. The clay plays slow and is kind on the knees, the setting is pure New York, and prime weekend slots vanish weeks ahead, so book early or show up at opening.

The rarest courts in the city. These ten courts in Riverside Park are the only public red clay in New York, and one of only about four public red-clay facilities in the entire country, the same crushed-brick surface they play the French Open on. The volunteer Riverside Clay Tennis Association grooms them by hand all season. Play for a $15 day pass at the gate or an NYC Parks permit; two courts book online, the rest are first-come. If you have ever wanted to slide on real clay without flying to Paris, this is it.

Ten hard courts resurfaced in 2022, on the Riverside Park promenade near Columbia and Morningside Heights. Quieter than Central Park, and a short walk from the 96th Street red clay if you want to try both surfaces in a day.

Free hard courts at Pier 40 on the Hudson waterfront, on Manhattan's west side. No permit, first-come, and open year-round from 6 a.m. to midnight, with river views and a breeze off the water. When players are waiting, sessions are capped at one hour, and the line forms at the benches by the courts.

Quiet hard courts in Washington Heights, by the river under the George Washington Bridge, with big Hudson views. A standard NYC Parks permit court that rarely draws a crowd.

The social heart of north Brooklyn tennis. Seven hard courts on the Williamsburg and Greenpoint line, busy from morning to night, with a real community scene. Bring a permit or day pass and expect a wait at peak hours.

Six well-kept hard courts on the slope of one of Brooklyn's best parks, in the heart of the brownstone belt. Friendly, central, and a favorite of the local tennis crowd.

Brooklyn's main tennis center, at the south end of Prospect Park. Nine Har-Tru clay courts plus two hard, with lessons, programs, and a seasonal bubble that keeps play going through the winter. A reliable home base for south Brooklyn players.

Fourteen hard courts under the Hell Gate and RFK bridges, right by the Astoria Pool and the East River. One of the biggest and best-situated public sets in Queens, with enough courts that you can usually get on without a long wait.

The Bronx's flagship: the Cary Leeds Center in Crotona Park, with more than twenty hard courts, one of the largest public tennis sites in the city, and home to a strong junior development scene. Rarely as crowded as the Manhattan centers.

You can book the outdoor and indoor courts at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center in Flushing, where the US Open is played. Pier 42 on the Lower East Side has hard courts right on the East River. And if you want clay without the Riverside trek, Sutton East Tennis Club keeps red clay courts under the 59th Street Bridge, though that one is private.

New to the city's system? Our full guide to NYC tennis, permits, and partners walks through booking in detail.

Found your court? The other half is a partner who actually shows up. Find players near you on Doyouplay, or browse every court with live availability.