How To Fulfill Your Tennis Needs

If you’ve ever stepped in a semi-frozen slush puddle on your way to work, or shoveled out your car just in time to get buried in another blizzard, then you know that summertime can create a sense of urgency to do something—anything—outdoors before Mother Nature changes her mind. So take off your Snuggie, dig out your old racquet from the back of the closet, and pick up some new tennis balls (you know you love the tsss sound when you open a fresh can). It’s time to get your serve-and-volley on, Hoboken style, with Patch’s list of the best courts in and around the Mile Square.

First, your options within Hoboken.

Columbus Park (10th and Clinton Streets)

Aces (pros): Redone a few years ago, these three lighted courts are still in decent shape and are walkable from just about anywhere in Hoboken. Lights stay on until 10 p.m. 

Faults (cons): As the only free public courts in the city, they’re usually packed when the weather is nice. But if you can get there right after work (a little before 7 p.m.) or early morning on the weekends, you should be able get in a full hour of play before the next group gets on (see "tennis etiquette" section below).

Chair Umpire’s Call (recommendation): If you’re dead set on playing for free without leaving Hoboken, Columbus Park is literally the only game in town. For information about meeting new tennis partners to play at Columbus, check out Hoboken Tennis Club.

Stevens Tech (9th Street and Sinatra Drive)

Aces: The six Stevens courts (two lighted) are in great shape and Stevens men’s and women’s tennis coach Steve Gachko makes sure they stay that way. Open from 9 am until 9 pm, they don’t take reservations so it’s first come, first serve (pun definitely intended). An added bonus, the view of the Manhattan skyline from the Stevens courts is phenomenal.

Faults: In exchange for that great view, Stevens charges $20 an hour to rent a court (regardless of the number of players) or $250 for a summer membership (June 1 to August 31); a family membership for up to four people goes for $450.

Chair Umpire’s Call: Even for the casual player, $20 an hour is not too steep and if you plan on hitting regularly all summer, the $250 membership makes sense. (According to math, you’d have to play 25 hours of singles before it pays for itself.) Coach Gachko says the school usually sells 40 to 50 memberships each summer.

Gachko also recommends Stevens’ 90-minute adult tennis clinics on Monday and Wednesday nights for $40 apiece. Lighted courts aren’t available for rental to non-clinic players on those nights.

The following options are close to Hoboken.

Lincoln Park, Jersey City, NJ (4.8 miles from Hoboken)

In 2007, the Hudson County Improvement Authority (HCIA) took over the management of Lincoln Park’s tennis courts, which had then been a free-for-all. “The community had a difficult time getting on the courts,” says the CEO of the HCIA Norman Guerra. “There were too many instructors.” But since then, Guerra says, the park has registered over 6,000 tennis players and runs much tighter ship than before.

Aces: Guerra’s not kidding. Lincoln Park’s staff is judicious about ushering players on and off its 21 lighted courts in a timely and organized fashion. Play is free for Hudson County residents ($10 per hour for non-residents; $20/hour for out-of-staters). Lights go on around dusk and go off at 11 pm.

Faults: The park doesn’t permit players to book for more than an hour at a time and you can only reserve courts in person (no phone calls), but if you sign up for another court as soon as your first hour is up, you should be able to get back on as soon as the next court is available, usually less than a half hour wait. 

Chair Umpire says: Lincoln Park provides a great atmosphere for tennis players of all ages and skill levels. So unless you’re easily bothered by stray balls rolling onto your court and a general lack of tennis etiquette, Lincoln Park is a great nearby (and free) option for Hobokenites who love to play.

Braddock Park, North Bergen, NJ (5.7 miles from Hoboken)

Another 21-court lighted public facility, Braddock Park is run by the same people who manage Lincoln Park.

Aces: Like Lincoln Park, court time at Braddock is handled expeditiously and the courts themselves are kept in good condition.

Faults: North Bergen is a little far from Hoboken without a car, and at the top of a very steep hill if you’re thinking of biking it.

National Tennis Center, Queens, NY (13.8 miles from Hoboken; 9.2 miles from midtown Manhattan)

Aces: Home to the U.S. Open, these Flushing Meadows facilities are pristine even in the off-season, which means professional-quality courts, lights, and even bleacher seating if you want to bring your own fans. It’s easily worth the $30 an hour court rental price (reservations taken up to two days in advance; call 718-760-6200 ext. 0). And unlike most public courts in New York City, the National Tennis Center doesn’t require a city tennis permit.

Faults: It’s an inconvenient trip from Hoboken and the only train that runs regularly to the park is the 7. If you work in midtown Manhattan, bring your gear to the office and play during a weeknight—under those big lights, you’ll feel like you’re actually playing in the U.S. Open (no, seriously).

Sidebar: Because some self-proclaimed tennis aficionados can be a bit persnickety about casual players, here are few quick guidelines on tennis etiquette for the casual player:

• When walking to your assigned court, don’t walk behind or across another occupied court during a point or a rally (a.k.a. “volley”). Once there’s a break in the action, quickly scurry behind. A half-hearted “I’m so sorry for the disturbance” wave is always appreciated.
• Try to avoid hitting balls onto adjacent courts, and when you do, don’t run onto an occupied court to retrieve it until the other players have stopped hitting. When they do stop, contritely ask for your ball back. (“A little help?”) Feel free to avert your eyes to convey embarrassment.
• When others are waiting to play after you, try to keep your court time to an hour and be respectful when it’s your turn to vacate the courts. Conversely, if you’re waiting to play, allow a few minutes’ grace period for others to make their way off the court. (Exaggerated throat clearing usually helps.) If they still show no signs of finishing up, it’s within reason to point to your watch and politely inform them that their time is up.